The first detective : the life and revolutionary times of Eugâene-Franðcois Vidocq, criminal, spy and private eye

Eugene Vidocq was the Morse, the Guv'nor, the James Bond of his day.

A notorious criminal and prison escaper, he turned police officer and employed a gang of ex-convicts as his detectives.

Now, James Morton takes us on a historical romp through the eighteenth century in search of this elusive figure.

Today Vidocq's influence can still be seen as members of The Vidocq Society, an unusual, exclusive crime-solving organization honor him by applying their collective forensic skills and experience to 'cold case' homicides and unsolved deaths.