In 2007 I stood at the top of the slope down which Voltaire reluctantly led military policeman Victor Constant in 1735. They were on horseback, riding along the little river Blaise to view the body of a murder victim, in Victor’s very first investigation in the Champagne region.

My historical crime novel, Murder at Cirey, was the result of my research that year at Cirey, the château in which Madame du Châtelet sheltered the notorious free-thinker Voltaire. This year I’m returning to her countryside to gather inspiration for the next Victor Constant investigation, Death in Champagne. Watch this space for further pictorial evidence!