An Affair of Poisons(98)

“Captain” Luc Desgrez was actually Lieutenant Fran?ois Desgrez, right-hand man to La Reynie, the lieutenant general of the Paris Police and principal investigator in the Affair of the Poisons. Desgrez made several important arrests, including that of La Voisin. For the sake of my story, I aged him down to make him a contemporary with Josse. I like to think of my Desgrez as the younger brother to the actual policeman.





Additional Reading



For additional reading, I highly recommend the following: ? The Affair of the Poisons: Murder, Infanticide and Satanism at the Court of Louis XIV by Anne Somerset ? The Affair of the Poisons: Louis XIV, Madame De Montespan, and One of History’s Great Unsolved Mysteries by Frances Mossiker ? Princes and Poisoners: Studies of the Court of Louis XIV by Frantz Funck-Brentano


? Archives De La Bastille by Francois Ravaisson ? City of Light, City of Poison: Murder, Magic, and the First Police Chief of Paris by Holly Tucker ? The Oracle Glass by Judith Merkle Riley





Acknowledgments



My road to publication was long and winding, but the good thing about taking the “scenic route” is the ample time I had to surround myself with an amazing group of people who made this journey an absolute joy.

Endless thanks to my fabulous agent, Katelyn Detweiler, for being my champion, for your lightning fast emails and insightful notes (you seriously have an eagle eye!), and for your guidance and enthusiasm. I’m so grateful to be on this crazy publishing adventure with you.

A million thanks to my brilliant, talented editor, Ashley Hearn, who helped me shape this manuscript into something far better than I could have dreamed. Thank you for loving Josse and Mira as much as I do, for helping me find the heart of this story, and for pushing me to make it truly shine. #BestEditorEver #HashtagQueen #TeamPoisons!

Thanks to the entire team at Page Street Publishing, including Will Kiester, Lauren Knowles, Marissa Giambelluca, Hayley Gundlach, Lauren Cepero, and Chelsea Hensley. Extra special thanks to Kylie Alexander for designing such a beautiful cover and interior, to Allison Kerr Miller for catching all of my mistakes and making each sentence shine, to Lauren Wohl and Deb Shapiro, my amazing publicists, and to the fabulous Macmillan sales team.

So many wonderful critique partners helped me on my journey to publication. Thanks especially to J.C. Davis for answering thousands of frantic texts and phone calls, for shredding this manuscript with your Red Pen of Death more times than I can count, and for being the best, most amazing friend; to Kristin Hale for being my first and biggest fan: thank you for reading every word I’ve ever written and for gushing over my stories (even in the beginning, when they were TERRIBLE!); to Laura Irrgang for your helpful notes and inspiring creativity; to Jen Brailsford for your excitement over an early draft; to my Princeton writing crew (even though we’re not all at Princeton anymore sob). Jessi Cole Jackson and Hannah Karena Jones: Thanks for good times at bookish events and for listening to me whine. I owe you both Gingered Peach for life. Thanks to Erin Cashman, my big sister at Page Street, for taking me under your wing and showing me the ropes; and to Nicole Lesperance and Maria Hebert-Leiter for being fabulous CPs and friends.

Thanks to Pooja Menon for being the first person to believe in this book, and to Kathleen Rushall for your determination and hard work on my behalf. It was a delight to work with you both!

I’m so grateful for the incredibly kind and gracious authors who took the time to read and promote this book, including Lyndsey Ely. Your support means the world to me. I can’t thank you enough.

I am blessed to have the very best family in the world. Thanks to the Hair and Thorley clans for cheering me on and encouraging me to pursue this “writing thing.” A special shout-out to my dad, who allowed me to write my first two novels on his dime when I was supposed to be answering his office phones and scheduling appointments. Eternal gratitude to my husband, Sam, for believing in me when I didn’t believe in myself and for knowing how to motivate me when the going got tough (I am never going back to Texas Roadhouse!). Thank you for being so patient and supportive and for putting up with me. I love you so much! Thanks to Kato, my plot hole–smashing pup—all of my best breakthroughs happen on our long walks. And to Kaia, my girl, thank you for showing me what truly matters and for bringing so much joy into my life.

All my thanks and gratitude to my Father in Heaven for blessing me with this wonderful opportunity.

And thanks to you, my marvelous readers. (I still can’t believe I get to say that!) Thank you for coming on this journey with me and Josse and Mirabelle. This is an absolute dream come true, and I wouldn’t be here without you.





About the Author


Addie Thorley spent her childhood playing soccer, riding horses, and scribbling stories. After graduating from the University of Utah with a degree in journalism, she decided “hard news” didn’t contain nearly enough magic and kissing, so she flung herself into the land of fiction and never looked back. She now lives in Princeton, New Jersey, with her husband, daughter, and wolf dog, and when she’s not writing she can be found gallivanting in the woods or galloping around the barn where she works as a horse trainer and exercise rider. An Affair of Poisons is her debut novel. You can find her online at www.addiethorley.com or on Twitter @addiethorley.