Who pours out vengeance runs the risk of tasting a bitter draught.
…Alexandre Dumas

Paris 1898 – the fin de siècle, a turbulent era when passions run as high as prejudice.

In the midst of the infamous Dreyfus Affair, as anti-Semitic riots erupt all over Paris, Inspecteur Michel Devaux has a baffling murder to solve. But is it a crime of politics or a crime of passion? As death follows death, Devaux traces their tangled threads from the privileged classes to the seamy Paris underworld. Help comes from unlikely sources: a crime lord, a clairvoyant, a crazy woman who feeds the cemetery cats, and an old friend from the Foreign Legion.

Devaux’s calm harbor amid chaos is his friendship with the talented, beautiful American artist, Theodora Faraday. But as he struggles with his own horrific past, Devaux is reluctant to accept her help – because he’s falling in love with her.

Praise for Bitter Draughts:

The Historical Novel Company awarded it a 5 star review and awarded it the Bronze Medal for best mystery of 2022.

“Fey slays, once again, and renders a reader utterly gobsmacked at the sheer brilliance of the prose, which is reminiscent of classic literary writers like Mary Shelley, Victor Hugo, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This book’s violence and intimate moments are toned down from the first book, and she handles the political arena with finesse, weaving the emotional impact this festering climate had upon the upper class, as well as the degenerative criminals. Her characters, Devaux and Faraday, are so well-developed and their world so well-built, the reader is led to complete satisfaction with the story, and eager for the next installment of this trilogy. Bitter Draughts by Yves Fey receives five stars from The Historical Fiction Company and the “Highly Recommended” award of excellence.
– D.K. Marley of The Historical Novel Company

“The author’s profound knowledge of Paris quais and cafés, and French literature and history, imbues this sexy mystery set in late-1800s France with a sense of otherworldliness—even as the protagonist, Michel Devaux, a brilliant detective at the Paris Sûreté, wrestles with a question that could be relevant to countries in our world today: “Why must France be forever at war with herself?” Set against the vicious turmoil surrounding the Dreyfus affair, this twisty mystery resonates with themes such as the power of the public press, racial intolerance, and the quest for justice and truth.”
– Karen Odden, author of A Trace of Deceit and Down a Dark River.

“Lush and atmospheric, Bitter Draughts transports you into the complex lives of Fin de Siècle Paris’s most fascinating characters, real and imagined.”
– Ana Brazil, author of Fanny Newcomb & the Irish Channel Ripper.

“Bitter Draughts by Yves Fey picks up where the first book in her projected trilogy, Floats the Dark Shadow, left off. In that novel, readers were introduced to Theodora Faraday—an American-turned-Parisienne who boldly broke into the Bohemian art scene of fin de siècle Paris. Entangled in a string of spectacular and sinister murders, Theo formed a tense but evolving bond with Michel Devaux, a sharp-minded inspector with the Paris Sûreté. Over time, his skepticism gave way to admiration, and he came to regard Theo as both a friend and an intelligent, compelling woman.

In Bitter Draughts, Theo and Michel are drawn together once more, as shadows from their pasts resurface and new murders shake the city. Set against the backdrop of the politically charged Dreyfus Affair, the novel delves deep into the complexities of justice, identity, and loyalty. Fey’s prose is rich and sensual, her characters layered and sympathetic—even when their desires turn dark or their actions flirt with the criminal.

This is an urbane underworld, pulsing with passions—for art, music, love, wine, and sex. Yet within the novel’s darkness blooms an unexpected, tender love story, one that creeps in quietly, healing wounds and opening hearts just in time. Lose yourself in the alleys of Montmartre, linger in the cafés until dawn, and savor the lush tapestry Fey weaves—full of art, food, friendship, romance, and Tarot cards that reveal secrets and foretell fate.”

– Mary F. Burns, author of the John Singer Sargent/Violet Paget Mysteries
John Singer Sargent/Violet Paget Mysteries