Murder in the Chateau (Wheeler Large Print Book Series) - Softcover

Roosevelt, Elliott

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1568957696 ISBN 13: 9781568957692

Publisher: Wheeler Pub Inc, 1999

Synopsis

In 1941, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt undertakes a dangerous covert mission into Nazi-occupied France to prove the United States' opposition to Hitler by assisting a French-German resistance group plotting to assassinate Hitler

About this title

From Kirkus Reviews

The flow of Roosevelt's posthumous novels (Murder in the Executive Mansion, 1995, etc.) continues unabated with this over- the-top excursion into surreal-absurdist plotting. It's June 1941, and Hitler is about to invade Russia, to the dismay of some of his highest officers. In the White House and elsewhere, a plan is being hatched, in deepest secrecy, to bring together for four days S.S. Colonel Artur Brandt; General Rousseau (of Vichy France); Eleanor Roosevelt--as proof of US good faith; Churchill's son Randolph--as the same for Britain; Kevin O'Neil, an Irish mercenary guarding Mrs. Roosevelt; Vicki Neustadt, Jewish and a member of the French Resistance; and General Erwin Rommel. They're all to gather at the chateau of Vivienne Duval in Vichy France--Mrs. Roosevelt and her group arriving by plane, submarine, and fishing boat. A protocol is to be drawn up formulating the boundaries and peace conditions that'll be activated once Hitler is either persuaded to agree--or assassinated. With everyone in place (Sarah Churchill substituting for her brother), there's not a dull moment, with walk-ons by Gertrude Stein and Josephine Baker; the murder of Brandt; the rape of Vicki and, as time is running out, the actual invasion of Russia rendering the whole mess null and void. With its endless rehashing of anti-Semitic horrors, unreal subplots, cardboard characters, and even intimations of romance for Eleanor, there's much more irritation than satisfaction here. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt solves another perplexing mystery, this time while conducting a delicate diplomatic mission for her husband. Sent by F.D.R. to a luxurious chateau in Vichy France in order to attend a clandestine meeting between Free French leaders and German military officials dedicated to toppling Hitler's regime, Mrs. Roosevelt becomes ensnared in a dangerous game of international intrigue. When a high-ranking SS officer is murdered in the chateau, his death must be shrouded in secrecy and concealed from all the participants in the conference. Unaccustomed to thwarting the authorities, Mrs. Roosevelt agrees to participate in the cover-up, undertaking her own investigation and placing her own well-being in jeopardy. An entertaining historical mystery featuring a unique and incomparable heroine. Margaret Flanagan

About this edition

• Publisher: Wheeler Pub Inc
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 1568957696
• ISBN 13: 9781568957692
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 259