The Arm and the Darkness

**"A lively cloak and sword tale" set in the France of Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu--from the #1 *New York Times*-bestselling author of *A Pillar of Iron *(*Kirkus Reviews*).**

In seventeenth-century France, Catholics and Huguenots are locked in a battle for the soul of the nation. Against this tumultuous backdrop, bestselling author Taylor Caldwell spins a stirring tale of romance, suspense, and adventure in the grand tradition of Alexandre Dumas.

At the heart of the novel are the two de Richepin brothers: Ars�ne, a swashbuckling nobleman who must abandon his devil-may-care attitude when he falls in love with a Catholic peasant girl, and Louis, a priest whose devotion to the word of God puts him at odds with the needs of man. As Ars�ne and Louis are drawn into a world of double-crosses and palace intrigues, they encounter a remarkable cast of real-life historical figures, including the sly Cardinal Richelieu and the suspected traitor Queen Anne.

Full of secret plots, passionate embraces, and angry mobs, *The Arm and the Darkness *is an "admirable and convincing" portrait of one of the most fascinating epochs in the history of Europe (*The New York Times*).