The long-lost Napoleonic epic-now available for the first time in English.
Napoleon's Secret Daughter is an epic tale of secret lineage and imperial destiny.
Paris, 1792. In the fury of revolution, the guillotine spares no one. Amid the chaos, Citizen Officer Malet rescues a newborn girl-the daughter of a condemned marquise. He raises the child as his own, revealing nothing to her about her real mother. None knows who the father is; the marquise took this secret to the guillotine. Sixteen years later, Napoleon is Emperor, and that same girl, Laurence, has grown into a brilliant, fearless revolutionary, taught by Malet to hate Napoleon and find ways to kill him... both are unaware that it is Napoleon who is her real father.
Laurence is at the center of anti-Napoleon conspiracies that reach from the secret society of the "Philadelphes" to the glittering courts of the Empire. Around her move figures who determine the fate of France: the cunning Fouché, the luminous Joséphine, and the resourceful patriot "Grippe-Sols." As rebellion brews and truth draws near, father and daughter stand on opposite sides of history-until Laurence's hatred of Napoleon leads to a reckoning as explosive as the battlefields that have built the French Empire.
Napoleon's Secret Daughter is Arthur Bernède at his most thrilling-a fusion of historical intrigue, family tragedy, and emotional suspense. A master of popular fiction, Bernède brings Napoleonic France vividly to life with cinematic scope and moral intensity. His heroine's struggle between conviction and identity unfolds against a backdrop of espionage, passion, and betrayal, making this rediscovered masterpiece utterly compelling for modern readers.
This landmark novel appears for the first time in English, restoring Bernède's exhilarating prose and sweeping emotion in a faithful, refined translation.
Arthur Bernède (1871-1937) was a prolific French writer and dramatist, who helped shape the early detective and historical-adventure genres with his gripping novels. Best known for creations such as Belphégor and Judex, he blended suspense, historical color, and social intrigue into stories that were later adapted for stage and screen, including the 1922 film of L'Aiglonne, based on the novel here translated as Napoleon's Secret Daughter.
This English-language edition includes a Glossary which clarifies historical names, places, and idioms for a seamless modern reading experience, as well as a brief essay that provides context about Bernède and his many contributions to French culture.
