Mémoires de Vidocq, chef de la police de Sureté jusqu'en 1827, tome II

A former chief of police turned paper‑maker, Vidocq tells us why he chose to walk away from the very institution he once led. He explains his belief that any means are justified when confronting bandits, yet he refuses to become one himself. The memoir opens with his desperate departure from Lyon, a risky disguise as a carriage‑boy, and a quick immersion into the rough‑handed world of provincial travellers.

As he drifts toward the streets of Lyon, his pocket empties to a few copper coins and the comforts of respectable inns fade away. A modest tavern on Rue des Quatre‑Chapeaux offers only a meagre supper, forcing Vidocq to confront hunger, danger, and the temptation of a criminal life he has sworn to evade. The narrative blends vivid early‑19th‑century detail with the inner conflict of a man determined to stay free, making his first steps away from authority as gripping as they are reflective.