In the Company of Fools

By Tania Bayard

A baby abandoned in the palace gardens leads scribe sleuth Christine de Pizan into a mystery involving murder, superstition and scandal in fourteenth-century France.

Paris, 1396. Scribe Christine de Pizan is shocked when the Duke of Orleans' fools find a baby, wrapped in rags and covered in sores, abandoned in the palace gardens. Was there really a wicked plan to substitute the child for the queen's own baby daughter and blame the Duchess of Orleans, Valentina Visconti? Who would commit such an evil act, and why?

Accused of being a sorceress, Valentina is the victim of much slander and has powerful enemies at the palace, where rumours of witchcraft and superstition run riot. Convinced of the duchess's innocence, Christine is determined to uncover the truth, and soon makes a number of disturbing discoveries. Could the palace fools be the key to unlocking the mystery?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Severn House Publishers
• Release date: Mar 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781448303823

Reviews for In the Company of Fools

[thequietreader · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Christine de Pizan is at work when the Duke of Orleans' fools bring her a babe found in the gardens. It isn't hard to see the mischief at hand to implicate the Duchess in witchcraft. Christine sets out to follow the thread to its source. Or will danger find her and her friends first?Jumping into this series without reading the first two books was not a good idea. There are a lot of characters to keep track of. If it had stayed with Christine instead of jumping to her friends, I think I would have followed it better. Christine made an excellent heroine to follow as she balances her work with family.I will give the book credit for giving the reader all the relevant information about who is who. There's just so many of them! I also didn't care for how the narrative jumped around from person to person as I found myself confused.Overall, not a terrible read, Just not an immediate favorite for me. I received a free copy through NetGalley and am reviewing of my own choice. All opinions expressed are my own.

[melisende-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is the third in the series featuring Christine de Pisan, and I would suggest starting from the beginning with In the Presence of Evil and In the Shadow of the Enemy and many of the characters in this instalment have their origins in the first two books, as does the historical background.It is three years since the events in the previous books; the French court is still a hot bed of political intrigue, the King is still battling bouts of insanity, and witchcraft and sorcery are being touted as the causes for all that has befallen France.Someone is out to blacken the name of Valentina Visconti, Duchess of Orleans, and it the Fools of the Duke, her husband, that provide both the impetus and clues that Christine will need to solve this mystery.I am enjoying the series as the setting is medieval France and features Christine de Pisan. These would fall into the category of mystery; they are not particularly action driven though do provide us with an insider's view of the French Court. I am looking forward to the next in the series.