The Marchioness of Brinvilliers, the poisoner of the seventeenth century : $b A romance of old Paris

"The Marchioness of Brinvilliers, the Poisoner of the Seventeenth Century" by Albert Smith is a historical romance that plunges into the shadowy world of 17th-century Paris, where love, betrayal, and deadly secrets collide. The story introduces us to the infamous marchioness, a woman entangled in schemes of poison and power, as well as characters like Gaudin de Sainte-Croix, whose lives become intertwined in her dark web. The tale begins in the bustling Carrefour du Châtelet, where a chance encounter with a mountebank and a mysterious physician, Antonio Exili, sets in motion a series of events filled with intrigue. As Exili's unsettling skills are revealed and secrets emerge, the narrative promises a dramatic exploration of ambition, morality, and the destructive consequences of forbidden desires.