Duke de Richleau Books In Order

Publication Order of Duke de Richleau Books

Chronological Order of Duke de Richleau Books

The Duke de Richleau series is a series of historical fiction and thriller novels written by one of the noteworthy authors from The United Kingdom named Dennis Wheatley. It comprises of a total of 11 books published between the years 1933 and 1972. All the novels of the series feature the fictional character named Duke de Richleau developed by author Dennis Wheatley.

This character is also quite famous among the readers just like the other fictional character developed by author Wheatley called as Roger Brook. Author Wheatley had originally created the fictional character of Duke de Richleau for a murder mystery novel titled ‘Three Inquisitive People’, which later formed a part of the series as well. This novel was written and set during the year 1931, but was not able to get published before the year 1939.

As far as the novels of the series are concerned, the character of Duke de Richleau is first seen in the novel titled ‘The Forbidden Territory’, which was published in the year 1933. This novel is also the first one to introduce the important secondary characters of Simon Aron, Rex Van Ryn, and Richard Eaton, who are depicted as the friends of Duke de Richleau throughout the series.

Richleau has often dubbed his friends as ‘the modern musketeers’ in almost all the novels of the series. Initially depicted as getting separated from each other, Richleau and his friends are shown as getting reunited in the bestselling novel of the series titled ‘The Devil Rides Out’, published in the year 1934.

This novel was adapted into a film of the same name in the year 1968 in which the role of Duke de Richleau was played by the actor named Christopher Lee. The novel, The Forbidden Territory had previously been adapted into a movie in the year 1934. But, in this film, the character of Duke de Richleau was replaced with another character named Sir Charles Farrington, which was played by the actor named Ronald Squire.

Author Dennis Wheatley has described Duke de Richleau as an adventurer, oculist, and an aristocrat. He lived between the years 1875 and 1960 and had a pretty slim body. Richleau had an average height and was a delicate looking man with slender and fragile hands. His hairs were wavy and dark and covered his broad forehead. Richleau’s face was oval in shape and chin was pointed. Other than this, he had an aquiline nose, gray eyes with devil’s eyebrows, etc.

Author Dennis Wheatley has described Richleau to have been born in Russia to a Russian princess and a French nobleman, who was exiled. In the initial days of his youth, Richleau had joined the French against the wishes of his parents. However, his military was short lived as he was thrown out because of his involvement in the conspiracy to bring down the French Republic. Just like the ones who had negative views about the French Republic, he also wanted Francois de Vendome to sit on the throne of France. As a result of this, Richleau was not only dismissed from his military service, but he had also become a wanted man in the whole of France.

He had to run for his life and change different places of residence, finally taking asylum in Great Britain. It was here that he met with his future wife named Angela Syveton and married her later. In the second novel of the Duke de Richleau series, it is shown that Richleau was involved in an undercover operation to investigate the anarchists of Spain who were responsible for the murder of Angela Syveton during an attempt to assassinate the Spanish King in the year 1906.

The first novel of the Duke de Richleau series written by author Dennis Wheatley was published under the title ‘The Prisoner in the Mask’. It was released by the author himself in the year 1957. The plot of this novel is set between the years 1894 and 1903, and shows the characters of Duke de Richleau and his friends when Richleau was living in exile in Britain. In the opening sequence of the plot of the novel.

It is depicted that the people around Richleau would often wonder why he was having the British citizenship. Every one knew that he was a French aristocrat, but no one was aware of the reason why he had renounced his country and was living in England in exile. The answer to all these questions lay in the Paris of the eighteen nineties, which was filled with a world of extreme glamour along with the underlying tension of political and social trouble, during that time. The army, which was getting discredited because of its involvement in the Dreyfus case, was being almost purged from the French government.

Richleau, who was very young at that time, was also a member of that army. He had joined as a cadet and had risen to the rank of instructor at the academy of military personnels of St. Cyr. Just like his army, Richleau was also involved in a conspiracy to overthrow the French government and restore the monarchy in France. In the name of revolution, Duc de Vendome was getting coached secretly to become the future king of France. However, the result of the conspiracy was not what Richleau’s army had expected. As a result of a betrayal by several unknown entities, the revolution came to an end and resulted in the death of a few men of the army.

Richleau was forced to live the life of a fugitive, the one who had single-handedly declared the vendetta against the French government. Richleau was also determined to save the Prince from the government. Seeing that he was all alone in this battle, he had to run away to Britain, so that he can plan his next moves without any danger from the government.

The second novel of the Duke de Richleau was published in the year 1961 and was titled ‘Vendetta in Spain’. The plot of this novel is set between the time of the years 1906 and 1909, and continues to depict the happenings in the lives of Richleau and his friends. In the opening sequence of the plot of the novel, it is shown that Richleau has remained the Count de Quesnoy as he has not succeeded his father. At that time, each and every country in Europe was filled with Anarchy. Not a single night used to pass without the fanatics forming groups and meeting in cellars for planning their attempts against the government with the help of pistols, knives, and bombs. Due to one such bomb outrage, de Quesnoy vows to take vengeance. He tries to penetrate the anarchist circles near Barcelona, risking his life. However, he hunts ruthlessly in Granada, San Sebastian, and Cadiz. In the meantime, Richleau also develops a bittersweet romance with the beautiful and gorgeous lady named Condesa Gulia.