Heart of Steel — Paul Feval

At last, we learn the history of Marguerite Sadoulas, once an obscure young actress who, through her stunning beauty and Machiavellian intelligence, overcame all obstacles and reached the pinnacle of Parisian high society, becoming the much-envied Countess de Clare, while, at the same time, rising in the criminal hierarchy of the Black Coats, to eventually be admitted into the much-feared High Council of that all-powerful, evil society. Written in 1865, Heart of Steel is the first chapter chronicling the Black Coats' attempts at stealing the fabulous fortune of the de Clare family. Paul Féval, the father of the modern detective novel, continues the dark chronicles that gave its lettres de noblesse to criminal literature by introducing the first, great female villain in the history of crime fiction. Brian M. Stableford has been a professional writer since 1965. He has published more than 60 science fiction and fantasy novels, as well as several authoritative non-fiction books.