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Louis Mie and the Trial of Hautefaye

By: L.M. Twist
Publisher: Books & Hooves Publishing, LLC
Publication Date: January 1, 2024
ISBN: 978-8-9892182-1-9
Reviewed by Diane Lunsford
Review Date: February 26, 2024

Louis Mie and the Trial of Hautefaye is a richly historical account set in 1870 Post-Napoleonic France that depicts the violent conflicts of war and murder that is nuanced with the allure of class, patriotism, and pride.

A new French Republic is born, and a man places his honor and marriage at risk in a personal battle between his idealism and ambition. It is August 16, 1870, in Hautefaye, France. The furthest thing on any of the townspeople’s minds was the thought of torturing and murdering their neighbors that day. However, shortly after noon on this stifling hot day, Alain de Monéys is bludgeoned to death. What began as hearty banter among the patronage in the pub digressed into a heated discussion that quickly faltered into deadly force. "...Emperor Napoleon is menaced, it’s our duty as patriots to help. Look at us, lucky enough to live in a time when another Bonaparte rules the country… Now the dirty Prussians have invaded and we can’t even do our small part to help him?...I’m just saying I can’t eat patriotism…What are you, a spy? Trying to poison us against the Emperor?..." (pg. 4) There is more to the blatant murder of Alain de Monéys and the introduction of Louis Mie (a republican lawyer) will find himself thrown into a spaghetti ball of political turmoil and moral challenge when he is the one to defend one of the murderers, Leonard Piarrouty.

As the evidence and investigation of the day in question mounts, Louis Mie comes to the realization that defending Piarrouty is much more complicated than he could have fathomed. Mie’s entire life is on the brink of falling apart and he has become more than obsessed with his task at hand. His marriage and essentially anything that does not involve this case are on the precipice of ruin. Mie is on a trajectory of time that is rapidly running out. He is faced with fine lines that divide justice and loyalty solely for the price of exposing the truth; a truth that nefarious men will kill to protect. Mie is at the crossroads of his resolve: save his client or his family?

L.M. Twist demonstrates an exceptional ability to play out the many facets of obsession in this fantastic account based on a true story. Twist challenges the reader to consider public and political situations in one scenario; only to pit this concept against personal convictions and work ethic in the next. There is a superbly written plot that has a formula that can be applied in today’s world issues: violent conflict of war, patriotism, civic duty...to name a few. This is a captivating read that has a fantastic fiction overlay that focuses on an iconic (and factual) time in history.

Quill says: Louis Mie and the Trial of Hautefaye is a wonderful journey into history, politics, mob mentality, and obsessions that will have sparks flying off the turn of every page.

For more information on Louis Mie and the Trial of Hautefaye, please visit the author's website at: lmtwist.wordpress.com/