Single motherhood with the responsibilities of earning enough to support several generations—it’s a situation not unfamiliar to many modern women. It’s the situation Christine de Pizan lives in, but her world—1393 Paris—is far from modern in Tania Bayard’s debut In the Presence of Evil. As an educated woman, Christine is already something of an oddity, but growing up as both beloved daughter and widow of scholars employed in the French court has given her a chance to earn her living as a scribe and support her children and mother. However, her financial lifeline comes at a cost: the court of Charles VI has been thrown into chaos since the king succumbed to madness, and factions vie for control. Still, Christine is not expecting to discover the dead body of a man behind a palace tapestry. She’s reeling from that discovery when Alix, a spirited young woman newly arrived at court, is found clutching a bottle of poison over the body of her odious courtier husband. In a time where many men regarded women as evil and witchcraft is considered a very real threat, Alix is quickly declared guilty and set to burn, and life at court seems hardly concerned with her fate.
But Christine has an unlikely network of friends in her neighborhood, and her unique status as educated and female gives her an unusual access across class and sex. When whispers among the area prostitutes and ladies of the court suggest that the murdered courtier may be tied to strange actions by the Duke of Órleans—the king’s brother and next in line to the throne—Christine knows that the stakes could not be higher. But as many of the witnesses are women, the chances that officials will even consider her innocence is scant. It will take all of Christine’s ingenuity, bravery and luck to uncover the old secret that reveals where the true evil lies.
Christine de Pizan was a real historical figure, famed for her poetry and works in support of women, including 1405’s The Book of the City of Ladies. The characters surrounding Christine, including Charles VI, his queen Isabeau and the shrewd Duke Louis, ring true to the historical record and the fateful Bal des Ardents plays a key role in the mystery. Bayard has a background in art history, worked at The Met Museum’s Cloisters and has written extensively on the daily life of women and households of France’s medieval world. Her depiction of the quotidian aspects of life—those details that usually escape the history books—not only provide clues into the mystery, but make other dry historical figures into living breathing beings. Bayard’s style is workmanlike, and the pacing clips along a bit too fast at times. But it’s a satisfying mystery, and Christine is a great character that readers will want to get to see more of—and Bayard has written three additional novels featuring her unusual sleuth. In the Presence of Evil is recommended for fans of historical mysteries who may want to move beyond the well-trod shores of England, readers of mysteries featuring accidental women investigators, and those who like quick, traditional mysteries with a low level of violence.