Spawn of the Penitentiary

Who is the Baron de Saint-Magloire? Coming from nowhere, he has quickly become the most prominent banker in Paris. Ministers and generals flock to his parties, and he has no equal when it comes to amassing money through speculations. But what is his relationship with Macaron, the dreaded anarchist, and Professor Sokoloff, a genius who has found a way to make gold?

From Devil's Island to the City of Light, by ways of the South American wilderness and Chelsea, this is the tale of the irresistible rise and fall of the charismatic Rozen, the first and greatest villain of the Belle Epoque...

After an adventurous youth, Marie-Francois Goron (1847-1933) joined the police and rose to the rank of Head of the notorious Sûreté, distinguishing himself in various cases which inspired him to write his Memoirs. His childhood friend, Emile Gautier (1853-1937), after joining the anarchist movement and being imprisoned, became one of the most popular science writers of his time. Together, they imagined this amazing saga, the ancestor of today's techno-thrillers and forensic detective fiction.