Paris, 1830. The death of a minister's son disrupts the Paris salons and the government of King Louis-Philippe. Was it really suicide? The young inspector Valentin Vern, passionate about medicine and the occult, follows his own methods to unravel the mystery. New deaths complicate the case. Are they all connected? Who is the mysterious man with the alias "The Curate"? What secrets does the young inspector with the angelic face and hardness in his gaze hide himself?

An "addictive book" (Lire magazine) by the "chemist who found the perfect formula for a historical detective novel" (El País). A doctor of chemistry and law, and a lover of History, Éric Fouassier (born France, 1963) is the author of original detective novels that have achieved great success.