In the Company of Fools

By: Tania Bayard

Narrated by: Steven Crossley

A baby abandoned in the palace gardens leads scribe sleuth Christine de Pizan into a mystery involving murder, superstition, and scandal in 14th-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 rumors of witchcraft and superstition run riot. Convinced of the duchess' 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?

©2020 Tania Bayard (P)2020 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Entertaining, engaging and rewarding

This is one of my favorite historical mystery series. The narrator is top notch. The characters are all interesting people in their own right who come across as authentic and plausible and who work well together to resolve the mystery. There is never a false note. These characters care about each other despite all their differences and disagreements. It is a pleasure to watch families and neighbors getting along and support each other in this time of so much discord in the real world. The story is believable but very sad, especially since we know, and had come to like, some of the characters who meet a sad end here. Christine and Marion continue as wonderful advocates for the rights and abilities of women, especially their right to determine their own roles in life and their ability to be the equal of men in any endeavor. I understand the fourth book in the series will be published in the US in April and I hope Audible will make it available to its listeners.

Toxic Feminism, Childish Plot, & Zero Historical Accuracy

This is by far the worst of this series. Aside from character names, nothing medieval or historical is portrayed in this novel.
The story is constantly derailed by a modern feminists complaints about modern sociological issues. Ironically, all the women characters behave in manners that justify the chauvinist male character’s opinion.