Invalided out of the French Army, Alain Duval joins the Ministry of Police in Paris, led by the infamous Joseph Fouché. Newly appointed and off duty, he is strolling through the city when he sees a crowd waiting for Napoleon, the First Consul, not yet Emperor. He is jostled by some men leaving the area in a hurry and shortly afterwards a bomb, the 'Infernal Machine' explodes.
Next day, Duval describes the men to a police artist and joins the hunt for the bombers. Horse-shoes and barrel hoops send him searching all over Paris. Eventually he finds the warehouse used by the bombers and his mentor is killed in the subsequent fight. Some of the bombers are captured but others escape, then Napoleon puts an abrupt end to the search, blaming others for the outrage.
But the story is not over. Duval falls in love with his mentor's daughter, and together they find another of the bombers, leading to a surprise ending.
I read the book entirely but the characters lacked some depth. I saw what happened to them but did not feel it. The express love story at the end ? I didn't believe it. I believed he found her pretty but I never felt her love for him - I thought she would give him up to become a nun ! The remorse of a religious guy who killed many people but just got away with it ? Nah, didn't believe it either. I never cared about him, but he got to stay alive while his accumplices were sent to death ? And he compensated just by becoming a priest ? It left a bitter taste in my mouth.
The 3/4 of the book was adventures, spying and investigation. The ending left me unsatisfied. I won't lose sleep over it.
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