In the Shadow of the Enemy was an interesting take on a historical fiction mystery with famed Christine de Pizan as the lead. Tania Bayard does an excellent job bringing 14th century France to life.

It was great to find an historical mystery set in another country - France , giving a different perspective
on the politics , life and times in 1393 .
This is not the first book in the series but in my view can be read as a standalone .

Four French courtiers are set alight with a torch ......... the main suspect is the King's brother .
Scribe Christine de Pizan , who through her father has close ties to the Court , is commissioned
by Queen Isabeau to find out who is responsible for the atrocity.
Just who is responsible ? Is it just Court intrigue ? ' or, is there a link to a previous massacre
of villagers ?
Can Christine navigate the potential pitfalls whilst keeping herself safe , all he while satisfying
the Queen ?

This is an entertaining book showing another view of the sights and sounds of this troubling era '
which I have thoroughly enjoyed .

I was given an arc of the book by NetGalley and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review

DNF. I really wanted to like this one. The idea was so great and I tried a few times to get into it. But I didn’t find it engaging. The writing style didn’t flow to me and it was distracting.

Tania Bayard immerses the reader in the French fourteenth century court with In the Shadow of the Enemy. The French king has descended into madnes, his brother is suspected of setting French courtiers alight with a torch, and scribe Christine de Pizan is commissioned by Queen Isabeau to find out whodunit. Christine copies manuscripts for a living and through her dead father has close ties with the court. Does the mayhem date back to the massacre of villagers in the past? Is it court intrigue? Can Christine satisfy the Queen and keep herself safe in the deadly halls of court and on the rioting Paris streets? Read and find out.

This book is a good historical mystery and can be read as a standalone even though it is the second in this series. Well written and great characters.

Historical mysteries are my favorite sub genre but most of the ones I have enjoyed have been set in England and America. To find a new - to me- series set in France got my attention. It was reading time very well spent. I realized that it was the second in the series but I had no problem reading it out of order. Because I have a large gap in my knowledge of the French courts of this period, I did stop to look up details of the life of Christine de Pizan. She was quite a woman with connections both within the court of King Charles VI and from the days when her father, Tommaso di Benvenuto da Pizzano - a Venitian physician and astrologer - moved his family from Italy to France. He joined the court of King Charles V but, upon the kings death, he fell out of favor and died a few years later. When this mystery starts, Christine, now a widow, is earning money as a scribe to the court, supporting her family. Her father encouraged her love of literature and she had access to a vast court library. After her husbands death she starts writing poetry and becomes a strong feminist.
With her knowledge and connections to the court, she is approached by Queen Isabeau to investigate the tragic deaths by fire during a wedding celebration - was the torch dropped by accident or was it an attempt to kill the King? Complete with back room scheming for power within the court and the sights, sounds and smells of daily life in 1393 France, 29 year old Christine has a dangerous task to undertake. As history tells us, she is up to the challenge. As I somehow missed reading the previous entry to this series, I can't wait to find a copy of it so I can learn more about this fascinating woman.
My thanks to the publisher Severn House and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

while I haven't read the first book in this series I found this one easy to follow and quite enjoyed reading it, I like that the setting is the french royal court instead of the english it gives it a different feel being in Charles XI court and all the dirtiness of the times comes through clearly and makes for a great read. Hope to read more from this author in the future

I am a huge fan of medieval mysteries. I think this isa very creative series because the detective is Christine de Pizan. The writing is very well-done with interesting historical details. The mystery itself is very clever. The pacing is fast-paced! I recommend this for fans of Sarah Woodbury.

Christine De Pizan was a real person and she really was patronized by Queen Isabeau. If you, like me, are shaky on France in the 14th century, you might find yourself periodically checking wikipedia while reading this interesting mystery set in the French court. There was a lot of intrigue- and Christine is asked by the Queen to untangle some of it. She was a braver woman than I. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. An interesting character and a well done plot make this a must for fans of mysteries set in this time frame (or fans of historical mysteries all together!)

"... Brother Michel will record what everyone believes .."

The Shadow of the Enemy directly follows on from In The Presence of Evil - in fact, for the characters, the events are imprinted on their memories so much so this forms one of the main plots. Add to this another subplot based upon previous events in both French history and in Charles' life - the battle of the Golden Spurs - and its horrific aftermath.

Christine, who grew up at the Court but is now not of the court, uses her skills and connections as well as relying on others outside of the court, to solve the mysteries at hand. I like the characters of both Marion (the prostitute) and Alips (the Queen's dwarf) and the roles assigned to both, and how the characters, including Henri Le Picart, are a little more developed. This is a much more rounded story - we get a definite feel for the political machinations of the time when not only the king's uncles, but his wife and his brother are all vying for power and control, and those in positions of power struggle to retain what they consider theirs by right. It is not until we near the end that we get just the merest hint of the shadow in question that is being cast across the king and court, and yet we are never quite sure who is involved.

An enjoyable read - and I love the fact that this series is set at the French Court rather than the English. Another historical mystery solved with a new twist added ... can't wait for the next in the series.

Full review @ Melisende' Library
https://melisendeslibrary.blogspot.com/2019/01/review-in-shadow-of-enemy-by-tanya.html

Sorry for not reviewing this book, I didn't not realise it was #2 in a series. Really should mention that in the description.

In the Shadow of the Enemy is the second in the Christine de Pizan series, but it was the first one I've read. That made no difference to my utter enjoyment of the book, though, as this story is a standalone. I adore the fact that Christine de Pizan, author of The Book of the City of Ladies, is the protagonist here. She is a complex character, and all the secondary characters are multifaceted as well. The mix of medieval attitudes towards people, including those deemed “defective”, and even towards Christine herself, is so realistic. The research that clearly went into the novel is apparent and appreciated. The imagery brings to life medieval France in an immediate way, from the descriptions of the court and its kitchens and gardens to the streets and their various inhabitants. The plot was pleasingly complex and included a lot of history about French warfare, or at least one battle in particular. Overall, this was a fast, fairly light read and I happily recommend it.

Severn House allowed me a review copy in exchange for honest review.

This 2nd addition to the series reads more confidently and fluently than the 1st. The since of being in Charles XI court and all the dirtiness of the times comes through clearly. Loved the quotes at the beginning of each chapter from the real Christine de Pizan. Hope to read more in the future.