Mysterious Crimes in Napoleonic France

Hervé Michel’s novels often begin with a mysterious crime that appears to confirm the superstitions and beliefs of the time. Strange circumstances, apparent curses, or seemingly supernatural events can lead characters to suspect forces beyond the human world.

But there is always a human explanation behind the mystery.

As the investigation unfolds, appearances give way to evidence, and what first seemed supernatural is ultimately revealed to be the work of human beings, driven by motives that can be understood and uncovered.

This recurring structure allows Hervé Michel to combine the atmosphere of historical mystery with the beliefs and mentality of Napoleonic France.

From Crimes and Conspiracies under the Empire to the Commissaire de Barjac Mysteries

Hervé Michel’s first two Napoleonic historical crime novels, Le Regard du diable and La Malédiction égyptienne, were published by City under the series title Crimes et complots sous l’Empire (Crimes and Conspiracies under the Empire).

These two novels feature independent investigations and different, unconventional police protagonists, each set against the historical backdrop of Napoleon’s France.

Hervé Michel later began a new series with Éditions ExAequo: Les enquêtes du commissaire de Barjac, centered on recurring characters.

The series follows Antoine de Barjac, a police commissioner investigating crimes during the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte. The series includes L’Affaire des conjurés de Roches-Noires and L’Affaire du curé sans tête.

The Commissaire de Barjac mysteries continue the author’s signature approach: each investigation begins with a crime that appears supernatural, inexplicable, or connected to the superstitions of the period, before gradually revealing a very human crime and its motives.

Historical Crime Fiction Set in the First French Empire

Hervé Michel is particularly interested in how crimes could be investigated and prosecuted in the early nineteenth century: police methods, the gendarmerie, the courts, travel, communications, and the practical limitations of the period.

His historical crime novels use the investigation as a way to explore the society of Napoleonic France, including its institutions, customs, beliefs, and everyday life.

His novel La Malédiction égyptienne was selected for the Prix Napoléon Ier, a literary award dedicated to Napoleonic history and culture.

About the Author

Before focusing on Napoleonic historical crime fiction, Hervé Michel published in several genres. His passion for history and extensive research gradually led him to make the Napoleonic era the central setting of his literary work.

Today, he continues to research the First French Empire while developing new investigations featuring Commissaire Antoine de Barjac and his recurring cast of characters.

His aim is to write historical crime novels in which a compelling mystery allows readers to discover a fascinating period, its people, its beliefs, and the realities of everyday life.

Hervé Michel writes historical crime fiction set in Napoleonic France and the First French Empire.