{"product_id":"the-irrationalist-the-tragic-murder-of-renzs-descartes-9780998427447","title":"The Irrationalist: The Tragic Murder of René Descartes","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn historical murder mystery based on real events.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWho would want to murder the world's most famous philosopher?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTurns out: nearly everyone.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 1649, Descartes was invited by the Queen of Sweden to become her Court Philosopher. Though he was the world's leading philosopher, his life had by this point fallen apart. He was 53, penniless, living in exile in the United Provinces, alone. With much trepidation but not much choice, he arrived in Stockholm in mid-October.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShortly thereafter he was dead.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEnter Adrien Baillet. A likeable misfit with a mysterious backstory, he arrives just as the French Ambassador desperately needs an impartial Frenchman to prove that Descartes died of natural causes.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut solving the mystery of Descartes's death (Baillet soon learns) requires first solving the mystery of Descartes's life, with all its dangerous secrets ... None of it is easy, as nearly everyone is a suspect and no one can be trusted.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut Baillet somehow perseveres, surprising everyone as he figures it all out-all the way to the explosive end.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eANDREW PESSIN is Professor of Philosophy at Connecticut College, with degrees from Yale and Columbia.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAuthor of many academic articles and books, his book, \u003ci\u003eUncommon Sense: The Strangest Ideas from the Smartest Philosophers\u003c\/i\u003e, was named an \"Outstanding Academic Title of 2013\" by \u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHis previous novel, \u003ci\u003eThe Second Daughter\u003c\/i\u003e, was a Semi-Finalist in Literary Fiction at The Kindle Book Review Book Awards.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Open Books Publishing (UK)","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50514798903570,"sku":"9780998427447","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_648bbff5-d540-4185-9320-19a7d825accc.jpg?v=1730994141","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-irrationalist-the-tragic-murder-of-renzs-descartes-9780998427447","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}