La Constantin Celebrated Crimes

In post-Fronde Paris, where corruption, secrecy, and revenge seem to infect every rank of society, Alexandre Dumas traces the grim downfall of Marie Leroux, widow of Jacques Constantin, and her accomplice Claude Perregaud. What begins as a suspected crime becomes a dark study of punishment, built from taverns, duels, hidden staircases, and whispered identities that can ruin a life in a moment. In a smoky cabaret, Commander de Jars, the king's treasurer Jeannin, and the volatile Chevalier de Moranges circle a dangerous secret involving false kinship, a mysterious churchman, and an abducted woman from a convent. Their intrigues lead to a duel, a moonlit chase through ruined Paris streets, and a near-fatal wounding that draws in the cool, unnerving notary Quennebert. As documents change hands and threats harden into bargains, desire and blackmail become inseparable. Meanwhile, love and money remain equally unstable: women bargain with jewelry, widows attract opportunists, and jealous rivals like Trumeau exploit every weakness. By the time Quennebert's marriage to Madame Rapally is sealed under ominous signs, the hidden truth at the center of the story threatens legal disaster, personal ruin, and revenge. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.

Né en 1802 à Villers-Cotterêts, et orphelin de son père à quatre ans, Alexandre Dumas doit très tôt gagner sa vie. À vingt ans, il part à Paris et, en autodidacte, il publie très rapidement poèmes et nouvelles. L'immense succès de son drame Henri III et sa cour en 1829 en fait un des chefs de file du mouvement romantique. Ses romans paraissent souvent en feuilletons et connaissent aussi un grand succès populaire. Mais d'énormes investissements théâtraux ou journalistiques disperseront sa fortune. C'est presque dans la misère que meurt Alexandre Dumas, en 1870.