It is the color of the Virgin Mary's cloak, a dazzling pigmentdesired by artists, an exquisite hue infused with danger,adventure, and perhaps even the super natural. It is . . .Sacré Bleu

In July 1890, Vincent van Gogh went into a cornfield andshot himself. Or did he Why would an artist at the heightof his creative powers try to take his life . . . and then walk amile to a doctor's house Who was the crooked little "colorman" Vincent claimed was stalking him And why had Vincentrecently become terrified of a certain shade of blue

These questions confront baker-turned-painter Lucien Lessardand bon vivant Henri Toulouse-Lautrec as they seek the truthof their friend's untimely death, a quest that will lead them on asurreal odyssey through late 19th-century Paris.

A delectable confection of intrigue, passion, and arthistory—with can-can girls, baguettes, and fine Frenchcognac thrown in for good measure—Sacré Bleu is anothermasterpiece from the one, the only, Christopher Moore.