After Edmond Dantes is betrayed and sentenced to the Chateau d'If for unknown crimes the only thing that keeps him from losing his mind is the memory of his beloved Mercedes. After his escape from prison the only thing that will fuel Edmond Dantes on is the vengeance he will have on Mercedes when he finds that she did not wait for him as he waited as those years for her. In Master author Colette Gale revisits the Count of Monte Cristo but this time, the Count has new ideas for settling his scores.
The story follows the original with regards to Edmond's imprisonment and befriending of Abbe Faria. Once he escapes and makes his way to Monte Cristo he learns what he must to begin setting his plans in order. He encounters Mercedes in Marseilles but she doesn't know him, though he seems familiar. He rescues her from a situation and takes her to a small cottage where he introduces himself as Sinbad. Though they become much acquainted she still doesn't realize who he is.
After he leaves she goes on her way and Edmond begins his cat and mouse game with Mercedes and the men who were responsible for his imprisonment, one of which is her husband, and the father of her son, Albert. Once Edmond appears in Paris, as Monte Cristo, he starts lining the dominoes around him. As the pieces fall he watches with cool detachment, convincing himself that his hands are clean of blood. It is only when Mercedes herself begs him on hands and knees for the life of her son that Edmond must face himself and decide if he is truly playing the role of God's justice.
Much like in her previous novel Unmasqued, Gale has stripped away all 19th century pretense from this literary classic and laid bare the base desires underneath. Many purists will be uncomfortable and in some cases outraged at having such a classic figure humanized in such a way. And make no mistakes about it; this is no soft-core, Harlequin-style vanilla romance. This is no-holds-barred all the kinks, BDSM, with some ménage thrown in for good measure. It's not a great work of literary fiction but if you always wanted Edmond Dantes nasty and angry and looking to punish you for being a very bad girl then that's exactly what you'll get.
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Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Pub. Date: May 2008
ISBN-13: 9780451224125