Le dernier vivant

In the summer of 1866, Geoffroy de Rœux finds himself roaming the bustling streets of Paris, driven by a single, stubborn purpose: to locate his long‑lost childhood friend, Lucien Thibaut. The war’s aftermath has left a tangled web of profiteers and whispered scandals, and Lucien’s sudden disappearance seems tied to those darker currents. Geoffroy’s search leads him to the enigmatic office of M. Louaisot, a man reputed for gathering the city’s most guarded secrets, where he encounters a flamboyant, sharp‑tongued clerk who guards the doorway to the mystery.

Through a series of letters, journal excerpts, and uneasy conversations with a cast of colorful figures, Geoffroy begins to piece together the fragments of Lucien’s fate. The narrative weaves together personal loyalty, the corrupting allure of wealth, and the relentless pursuit of truth in a society still reeling from conflict. As each clue surfaces, the reader is drawn deeper into a suspenseful investigation that promises to uncover more than just a missing man.