The criminal investigation of Honoré de Balzac

On November 1, 1838, at nightfall, a young pregnant woman was murdered near the Andert bridge, while she was in a car with her husband, the notary Sébastien Peytel.

Sébastien Peytel accuses his servant, Louis Rey, with them that evening, of having shot his wife! He would then have chased him into the night and murdered him in turn! But during his trial, Sébastien Peytel’s version did not seem to convince the courts. He is sentenced to death.

It is at this moment that Honoré de Balzac, friend of Peytel, enters the scene. The writer decides to conduct his own investigation. For him, the police version does not hold up! He then discovers that Félicie and Louis, the servant, had a romantic relationship… A reason for the employee to eliminate Peytel? Or the opposite?

Pierre Bellemare tells this incredible story in this episode of the podcast “The extraordinary stories of Pierre Bellemare”, from the Europe 1 archives and produced by Europe 1 Studio.