The Negotiator

A novelization of the historic peace negotiations at Saint-Germain

The year is 1570, and France has been torn apart by a religious war between Catholics and Huguenots. The indomitable Queen Mother, Catherine de Médicis, calls upon Henri de Malassise to negotiate a peace treaty with the Huguenots. This wily nobleman needs all the experience and psychological insight he can muster to navigate the discussions. He sees division in the Huguenot ranks: is this a weakness, or a clever ploy by his adversaries? Is it by chance or design that his Huguenot cousin, the attractive and enigmatic Eléonore, appears at the palace of Saint-Germain at a critical moment? As the talks falter, tension rises and a return to war seems inevitable.