The story is set in Paris in the late 19th century and follows a murder investigation in a decadent aristocratic environment.

The book was published in English in 1993, translated by Hilary Barr.

[1] Publishers Weekly reviewed the book in 1993, calling Junger's writing "shimmering" and "imaginative", and praised his portrayal of the character Ducasse, saying that the character is "the last practitioner of a gentlemanly decadence which itself is the faded reflection of a bygone social structure."

Describing the flow of the book, they continued, "If the second half of the novel devolves into a rather unsatisfying francophonic Holmes and Watson riff, its beginning is a clear indication of Junger's talent.

[2] Kirkus Reviews called it "a polished tale from the prolific Jünger, a 97-year-old author who's acclaimed in Europe but little known here", and wrote: "Delicately mannered and full of nuance, this is certainly subtle--but a side effect of its careful, quiet understatement is that it seems over before it's really begun".