'There's been a revolution and France is now being run by a provisional Revolutionary Council. We are imparted this sort of information, but only in passing, when it's an unobtrusive part of the storytelling and fits naturally into conversation or plot.'Īs readers enter book 2, the upheaval in France due to the death of Napoleon XII alters the relationship between the imperial power and its former colony. A little like the three protagonists in 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly' who weave their way through the American Civil War without once having to stop to deliver a chunk of exposition that informs the audience of the causes and culture of the milieu. 'I'm setting these stories in a world that is fantastical but one that is taken for granted by the characters. The story is intended to be a real page turner and most everything else is subservient to this. 'The story begins in London and the climactic finale is there,' Talbot said of 'Grandville Mon Amour.' 'The cultural and social backdrop will become apparent over time, though, as my primary intent is to tell a ripping yarn. With most of book one taking place in Paris, though, readers might be curious to see more of Detective Inspector LeBrock's home city of London and how it operates in this world.

This has a number of cultural implications, such as relegating the English language to a coarse regional dialect, but the full scope of how this world differs from our own has yet to be revealed.

The first book introduced - and then radically shook up - a world in which Britain had only recently gained its independence from the French Empire. The prevalence of anthropomorphized animals might be the first thing readers notice about 'Grandville's' unique set-up, but it doesn't take long before several story elements flesh out the setting.

Grandville mon amour