The Strange Death Of Napoleon Bonaparte

The controversial death of Napoleon is examined in a suspense novel that combines equal parts mystery and rich historical detail. American historian and international treasure hunter, Paul D'Arneau, is licking his wounds after his iconoclastic views and unconventional research methods cost him his lofty university position. When a mysterious invitation from Gens de Verite, an ancient and secretive organization formed in France after the fall of Napoleon in 1815, arrives to offer Paul a chance to solve history's greatest and most controversial mysteries, he is intrigued. Was the emperor murdered or did he die a natural death?Renowned for his expertise in forensics, esteemed for his rectitude in the shadowy world that trades in cultural artifacts, Paul seizes the opportunity. He quickly realizes his efforts to penetrate the secrets hidden in musty documents and oral histories of Napoleonic lore could cost him his life. He struggles to understand why the truth about Napoleon's death poses such a threat to the warring factions that zealously guard their historical turf, and little known details about Napoleon's life emerge.

As he bore a vague resemblance to the Emperor, the sailors on board the Hermann-Augustus Stoeffer had nicknamed him Napoleon. And so, for convenience, that is what we shall call him. Besides, he was Napoleon. . . . Napoleon has escaped from St. Helena, leaving a double behind him. Now disguised as the cabin hand Eugène Lenormand and enduring the mockery of the crew (Na­po­leon, they laughingly nickname the pudgy, hopelessly clumsy little man), he is on his way back to Europe, ready to make contact with the huge secret organization that will return him to power. But then the ship on which he sails is rerouted from Bordeaux to Antwerp. When Napoleon disembarks, he is on his own. He revisits the battlefield of Waterloo, now a tourist destination. He makes his way to Paris. Mistakes, misunderstandings, and mishaps conduct our puzzled hero deeper and deeper into the mystery of Napoleon.

Napoleon Bonaparte died on May 5th, 1821 on the island of St Helena from complications of stomach cancer proven by autopsy. However, when analyses of trace elements on single strands of hair became available in the 1960s, it was found that some samples of his hair contained increased levels of arsenic which lead to claims that he had been deliberately poisoned. This book written by an expert toxiciologist and a surgeon/Napoleon scholar examines the proof for the diagnosis of stomach cancer. Also it reviews the evidence for arsenic poisoning and denounces this as a myth, based upon the absence of all the specific features and many of the cardinal non-specific features of arsenic poisoning, thus confirming that the Emperor died from stomach cancer.

This novel begins with the startling assumption that Napoleon is not dead.

"Ladies and gentlemen, alas! The Emperor is dead." The news from St. Helena goes out across Europe, but in fact Napoleon has not died. By means of an ingenious escape, he has returned to the Continent, leaving an impersonator on St. Helena, and it is this double who has unexpectedly and very problematically passed away. Traveling incognito, the emperor experiences a series of bizarre adventures that bring him face-to-face with the myth of Napoleon as it is disconcertingly played out in everyday life. After a visit to Waterloo and a near arrest at the French border, he eventually arrives in Paris, where he falls in with some veteran Bonapartists and visits an asylum where most of the inmates are laboring under the mistaken impression that they are he. Will Napoleon ever recapture his true identity? Who, in the end, is he, now that "the Emperor is dead"? Simon Leys's truculent, delightful fable poses these and other questions in a rare work of fiction that is continually surprising and effervescent."

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “All the Steve Berry hallmarks are here: scale, scope, sweep, history—plus breathless second-by-second suspense. I love this guy.”—Lee Child Former Justice Department operative Cotton Malone wakes to find an intruder in his Copenhagen bookshop: an American Secret Service agent with assassins on his heels. Narrowly surviving a ferocious firefight, the two journey to the secluded estate of Malone’s friend Henrik Thorvaldsen. The wily Danish tycoon has uncovered the insidious plans of the Paris Club, a cabal of multimillionaires bent on manipulating the global economy. But Thorvaldsen also harbors a hidden agenda—a vendetta—that will force Malone to choose between friend and country, past and present. Starting in Denmark, moving to England, and ending up in the storied streets and cathedrals of Paris, Malone is forced to match wits with a terrorist for hire and to plunge into a desperate hunt for Napoleon’s legendary treasure, lost for two hundred years. It’s a breathless game of duplicity and death, all to claim a prize of untold value. But at what cost? BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Steve Berry’s The Columbus Affair and a Cotton Malone dossier. Praise for The Paris Vendetta “Outstanding . . . Berry has become the modern master of the thriller form.”—Providence Journal-Bulletin “Thrilling . . . exciting and fast-paced . . . a worthy addition to a fine series.”—Wichita Falls Times Record News “Steve Berry gets better and better with each new book. . . . [In The Paris Vendetta] there are assassination plots, searches for hidden treasure, battles between enemies and even friends, and a taste of romance. . . . Bring on the next one!”—The Huffington Post “This well-crafted thriller also offers plenty of surprises.” —Publishers Weekly “Berry has written another amazing blend of suspense and history. Fans will love it, and for newcomers it’s the perfect place to start. . . . [Readers] cannot go wrong with Cotton Malone.” —Library Journal

The history books say that Napoleon died of natural causes. Napoleon himself, expiring at 51 after a lifetime of robust health, suspected otherwise and ordered a thorough autopsy. His suspicions were well-founded. So clever was the crime, however, that until recent developments in forensic science, it was impossible to prove a case of murder, let alone name the killer. Now, the authors of this fascinating book assert, it has been done-by a brilliant man whose 20-year inquest, a feat of detection, has produced one of history’s greatest surprises. What the critics say: "History at its most electrifying" - Newsweek "A nonfiction whodunit based on modern scientific technique" - New York Times "A spellbinding whodunit about one of history's greatest crimes" - History Book Club "Sensational ... as gripping as a detective novel yet scrupulously observant of historical fact" - Publishers Weekly "Thoroughly convincing... A major Odyssey in historical research" - Harold C. Deutsch, professor of military history, U.S. Army War College

When Marty Belucci chooses to write to Napoleon for a class project, his grandfather tells him how to get the letter delivered. His classmates are stunned when Marty receives a surprising reply.