I didn't know what to expect, but on the advice of the New York Times book reviewer, I read Margaret Tutmans A Distant mirror before reading Blood Royal. Both were great reads, with Blood Royal placing the reader in 14th century Paris. I throughly enjoyed this tale of murder and the true story of how it was solved. You could not have made this up.

If you are a history buff interested in royal intrigues and perfidies during the Middle Ages in France, you will love this true, well documented retelling of brutal assassination, shrewd investigation, betrayal and mayhem that saw murder got away with, wars of revenge and ambition, invasion, slaughter of thousands (many innocent) and unbounded lawlessness by "nobles." Highly recommended. Cannot wait for the movie!