After the publication of the first two volumes (see our box below) featuring the famous Milady de Winter – before she became an agent of Cardinal de Richelieu – the duo of authors, Maxime Fontaine and Bertrand Puard, have just published the 3rd and final volume of the adventures of the beautiful Milady, *The Divinatory Brush* (March 2025, Fleuve Éditions). A journey into Paris of 1624 where Milady de Winter offers teas more original than the others in her little shop, waiting for a new mystery to come knocking at the door… And it’s in the form of two immense paintings that her new case will begin.
She finally receives an order placed with her former lover, Paul Davies, an English painter with an exceptional photographic memory. However, upon the paintings’ arrival, Milady is a bit disappointed: although the landscapes depicted are magnificent, they lack the painter’s mark…
As she is summoned to investigate the unexplained death of Madame Henriette Vaillant de Guélis, a subtle transformation occurs on the canvases, revealing the face of the deceased. To solve this new mystery, Milady decides to return to the United Kingdom, despite being forbidden, in search of Paul Davies.
Maxime Fontaine and Bertrand Puard, two authors with a rich artistic career (author of historical thrillers and fantasy, role-playing game adaptations, youth novels, comics, blog author for one and youth/adult author, creator of a thriller interacting with readers, author of a spin-off of the series Lupin (Netflix), board games and children’s travel guide creator, radio play creator for the other) have decided to tackle one of the most well-known female characters in swashbuckling literature and delve the readers into her story: Milady de Winter.
Thus, the reader first encounters Christabel Doncaster, merchant and tea creator in her Parisian shop. But gradually, the taste for puzzles awakens Milady, whose second activity starts being renowned in the French capital. If one wishes to investigate a criminal event, or one that could be, discreetly, the Parisian circles know they must go to Rue des Lavandières. Her first two investigations indeed significantly marked the minds of the most powerful people in the world.
**On the Trail of Milady…**
The authors brilliantly transport readers between Paris and England of the 17th century, captivating them within a powerful historical reconstitution creating an authentic period atmosphere. Not forgetting their inspiration from Alexandre Dumas’ work, *The Three Musketeers*, swords quickly clash with the subtly cozy ambiance of salons and fine gowns.
By focusing on constructing Milady’s past, her many successive identities, misdeeds, escapes, lovers or husbands, wounds, the authors intelligently capture this charismatic character while fueling her legend. With the openness to sciences, notably through the character of Melchior de la Grimaudière, or the world of art, Milady de Winter was indeed a personality far ahead of her time.
This trilogy, of which *The Divinatory Brush* is the final opus, is sure to delight fans of historical detective stories, cozy mysteries, as well as enthusiasts of swashbuckling novels. There’s no need to be familiar with Dumas’ work to enjoy The Investigations of Milady, as this series might even subtly lead to a subsequent interest in *The Three Musketeers*.
About the previous volumes, *The Black Tulip’s Kiss* and *The Horoscope Crimes*:
**Milady’s Investigations, Volume 1: *The Black Tulip’s Kiss***
The first enigma for Milady de Winter involves strange appearances in a Béarn castle and a murder in a locked room of a young man found surrounded by black tulips and lips the same color. At Aude de Mantégnac’s request, Milady goes there to investigate. With a highly addictive writing style, Maxime Fontaine and Bertrand Puard offer Milady a first investigation far from Paris, involving wild rides in the French countryside, plots, and poisons. We gradually discover the fascinating character that is Milady, intriguing, headstrong, impetuous, and courageous, and we are thoroughly swept away by this first volume!
**Milady’s Investigations, Volume 2: *The Horoscope Crimes***
Back in Paris for this new adventure. A master astrologer is found murdered in his observation tower next to the Sorbonne. All evidence points to his assistant, who claims his innocence and recites a poem involving a celestial scorpion and the eleven other Zodiac signs. First a murder, then a fire followed by a collapse… and according to the poem, this would only be the beginning. An investigation made for Milady, especially since it might allow her to approach the current power and the court of Louis XIII. In this volume, Maxime Fontaine and Bertrand Puard skillfully recreate the Paris of the time, from costumes to alleys, customs to characters. *The Horoscope Crimes* is an immersive episode in the heart of the capital. Readers discover more about Milady’s personality, full of composure and courage. The suspense, very present, will lead readers and Milady to solve this investigation and to her first meeting with the musketeers, notably Aramis.
