Description

As Paris is shaken by a spate of murderous robberies, the aristocratic Mademoiselle de Scuderi pens a poem to poke fun at the cowardly lovers who now fear to go out at night to see their mistresses. But when she receives an unexpected visit from a young man, who gives her a box of jewels with a note thanking her for supporting the robbers cause, the elderly writer is plunged into a dangerous web of passion, intrigue and murder.

First published in 1819 to great acclaim, and displaying all the author s trademark wit and ingenuity, E.T.A. Hoffmann s tale has inspired and delighted writers and readers ever since, and remains a benchmark for all modern crime novels.