To cheat poverty, he joined a conspiracy. To survive it, well…

Paris, 1791. The Revolution is in full swing, and powdered wigs shall roll as easily as dice.

Enter Jonas: a Swiss peasant with empty pockets and a burning ambition to improve his lot in life. He’s just triumphed at the gaming table and clutches half an invitation into a powerful cabal of kingmakers who promise a new world order where merit trumps birthright.

Alas, there is a catch: a slow-acting poison ensures loyalty, and only his masters hold the cure.

Now the syndicate’s favoured courier, Jonas plunges into the smoky, blood-soaked corners of a city upended, where he soon discovers the society’s aim is not noble liberation after all — ‘tis a plot to overthrow his homeland, and he is the pawn delivering the weapons!

And so, with venom coursing through his veins, he recruits a ragtag crew of outcasts: a crime lord, a clockmaker, a pickpocket, and sundry other mischief-makers. Together, they must pull off an impossible heist, save the captives, secure the antidotes, and burn the conspiracy to the ground — or be consumed by it.

‘Tis picaresque. ‘Tis poisoned. ‘Tis Conspiracy.

A compass, not a comparison; perfect for readers who relish: the lovable rogues and swashbuckling escapades of Dumas, Dickens, and Fielding mixed with the high-stakes, atmospheric suspense of modern-day historical thriller authors such as Arturo Pérez-Reverte, Robert Harris, and Caleb Carr.

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