A review by erboe501
Blood Royal: A True Tale of Crime and Detection in Medieval Paris by Eric Jager

4.0

For a history book, this was a very easy read; I had no trouble following the chain of events or characters. Besides learning about the murder and investigation central to the story, I learned a lot of extraneous but interesting details about life in the 15th century, such as how criminals were hanged at a gibbet that could hold 60 bodies at a time or how it was customary for Parisians of all classes to sleep naked. I'm in awe that this document remained in tact over 600 years so that it could be retold with such detail today. It's magical to have captured the voices of so many normal, otherwise forgotten Parisians of the time. I was honestly a little surprised at how quickly the murderer was discovered. This book is about more than just the investigation, it's about the catastrophic repercussions of Louis's death. I got a little more detail on the physical layout of Paris and its streets than I wanted, but other than that, a quick and fascinating read. Also, it made me very glad that I didn't live in 15th century Paris, or England for that matter.