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A work by Charles O'Brien
False Patriots (Severn House, 2010)
is the ninth and latest in the Anne Cartier series.
Spring 1791. Paris is in turmoil over reforms of the church. The king and
the National Assembly are in conflict. Food shortages, high prices, and
unemployment cause a decline in public order. One of Anne Cartier's deaf
pupils, Patrick O'Fallon, is accused of killing a radical advocate of the
poor. She must find the actual killer before a mob hangs O'Fallon from a
street lamp. The stakes increase when Jacques Boyer, the radical leader
accusing the young man, disappears under suspicious circumstances. Boyer's
supporters claim that the king's agents are conspiring to kill them off. The
mayor of Paris orders Anne's husband, Colonel Paul de Saint-Martin, to
investigate. The trail of evidence leads to the queen's lover, Count Fersen.
He and the royal family flee from Paris. The family is forced to return, but
Fersen escapes. Meanwhile, O'Fallon lives under constant threat of hanging.
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