"This is a story about passion, bloodshed, desire, and death: everything, in fact, that makes life worth living." --Irma la Douce
Meet Aristide Ravel:
Buy Game of Patience or A Treasury of Regrets for your Kindle: only 99¢ each for a limited time
Scroll down this page's left-hand column for links to Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.fr, Amazon.de, & Barnes & Noble (for Nook)
Welcome to my author website, home of murder, mayhem, & the French Revolution--better known as the Aristide Ravel mystery series and also A Far Better Rest, the reimagining of Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities.
For lots more on all the novels and/or for information about book signings, author talks, and more, click "Works" or "Events."
Authors of historical mysteries: Have your sleuth interviewed!Interviews with sleuths operating anytime before 1970 at my new blog. Send me an email with info if you're interested in participating. Many dates open.
June 2011: The price of the e-editions of both A Far Better Rest and The Cavalier of the Apocalypse have been lowered. Zut alors! (Alas, no, I have no control over the eBook price of these two titles, nor that of Palace of Justice.)
December 2, 2010: Palace of Justice has received a second starred review!
"In the autumn of 1793, Madame Guillotine is beheading the former Queen, unpopular politicians, and anyone else who has run afoul of the will of the people. Freelance police agent Aristide Ravel is called to track down the serial killer who is terrorizing Paris by decapitating his victims and taking their heads. This is a stressful time for Ravel—his best friends are on trial for their lives, and everywhere he turns he must deal with gruesome deaths. VERDICT: Alleyn only gets better with each Ravel outing. She is not only conversant in French history but excels at character development. Her twisty plot reels out a single clue here and a hint there, leading the eager reader to an unexpected ending. Alleyn’s superb series will appeal to mystery readers who want brilliant characterization, an authentic historical setting, and a sense that they are walking the dark streets of Paris with Ravel during the Reign of Terror." (Library Journal)
October 9, 2010: Kirkus Reviews on Palace of Justice:
"A fiendishly clever and compelling mystery set in a grim, gripping vision of Paris where there is no justice, only shades of gray."
October 4, 2010: Publishers Weekly reviews Palace of Justice:
"At the height of the Reign of Terror in 1793, an unknown killer is emulating the work of the guillotine by leaving beheaded corpses all over Paris in Alleyn's superior fourth Aristide Ravel mystery. . . . Alleyn brilliantly captures the paranoid spirit of the times, and inserts enough twists to keep most readers guessing. This entry approaches the quality of the historical fiction of such authors as Steven Saylor and Laura Joh Rowland." (Starred Review)
July 2, 2010: I've added several new pages to the auxiliary website for the Ravel Mysteries, including a glossary of French terms found in the novels; a bibliography for further reading (much more extensive than the short lists of sources in the books); and a historical Who’s Who for each novel, with brief biographies and info on real people who make an appearance in the narratives. (The “photo gallery” of Parisian sites featured in the novels is still under construction, but viewable.) To reach the "Who's Who" pages, point your cursor at the novel title in the navigation bar on any auxiliary page.
Please come take a look, and if you have a question, or a favorite book on the French Revolution that you think belongs in the bibliography, please drop me a note. Your suggestions are always welcome!
Be sure to visit the "Events" page for information about future parties, book signings, readings, etc.
Are you a member of a book club?
(By "book club" I mean, of course, a group of friends who meet regularly to discuss a particular book they've all read--not one of those annoying "get four books free now and put yourself in hock to us for the rest of your life" deals.)
Are you part of a neighborhood book club or writers' group in the USA, Canada, or UK? If so, would you and your group like to hold a live phone chat with an author?
Writers love talking about their work! (It probably comes from spending way too many hours alone at a keyboard.) I'd be delighted to visit on the phone with your group for an hour to answer your questions and/or discuss my books, mystery fiction, historical fiction, writing, getting published, and so on. College-level writing or history classes are also welcome.
I'll be adding some brief discussion guides (no spoilers) to the book pages here. Discussion questions for The Cavalier of the Apocalypse are already posted. Please email me if you have suggestions for more topics, or suggestions for discussion on Game of Patience or A Treasury of Regrets--I'd be happy to get your input.
Contact me to set up a date and time for a chat--don't forget to remind me what time zone you're in--and tell me a little about your group. All you need at your end is a speakerphone; I'll pay for the call. I look forward to visiting with you!
Web site ©2009 Susanne Alleyn.
Contents of this site may not be reproduced in any form without written consent of the author. Publications may quote excerpts for purposes of review only.
