The Murder of Napoleon

Book Review

Review by Ned Zuparko

By Ben Weider & David Hapgood, Congdon & Lattes, New York, 1982. 266 pgs, $14.95.

Students of the Napoleonic era have read that Napoleon died of cancer, or other natural causes, on the rocky island of St. Helena. At times, articles have appeared in the press putting forth the possibility of the poisoning of the Emperor, but these made no significant impact on the historical community at large.

In this excellent book, the authors put forth the story of Dr. Sten Forshufvud, whose efforts to discover the truth of the Emperor's death, over a 20 year period (150 years after Napoleon's demise) have provided us with the answer through the use of modern forensic techniques. Even the most cynical reader will be hard- pressed to deny Dr. Forshufvud's findings, Not only is the method of the murder described, but the murderer is named!

The search for the answer is just as fascinating as the answer itself. The story behind the news releases, the deductive process and scientific methods, intertwined with the lifelike descriptions of the exile on St. Helena of Napoleon and his entourage, make the book read like a "whodunnit" (I must confess that I didn't put the book down until I had finished it at 1 AM).

Though written for the general public, it will appeal to all Napoleonic enthusiasts and deserves a place on every Napoleonic wargamer's shelf. Wargamers are constantly searching for historical works that will help them get the feel of an era, and this book fills the bill. A testimonial from David Chandler on the back states "This book could well lead to considerable changes in the history of Napoleon's last years." (Even my wife enjoyed reading the book . . . what more can a wargamer say?)

One thing's for sure-after reading this book you can never be sure if that nausea and weak legs resulted from last night, or ...

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