Deborah Cadbury's account of the fate of France's last dauphin is both compelling and horrifying. Part human tragedy, part detective story, the book vividly describes the monarchial missteps that led to the French revolution, the royal family's tense days of captivity, the execution of king and queen and the sufferings of the son they left behind.

Cadbury also guides the reader through the years that followed, when numerous pretenders claimed to be the legitimate heirs of Louis XVI, and historians and scientists struggled to solve the mystery of what really happened to the Dauphin, Louis-Charles.

This book is absolutely riveting, and I recommend it to all history buffs.

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