Overview

Detective story, social history, human drama, The Deprat Affair recreates the hothouse atmosphere of colonial Indochina in the early twentieth century. Among its cliques, its bitter rivalries, its nepotism and favours, how are we to disentangle the scientific, the moral and the legal 'truths' of the affair? Most of all, the story centres on one compelling individual - Jacques Deprat. En route to a golden future as one of France's greatest geologists, he is suddenly accused of fraud and plunged into a desperate fight to save his reputation. Convicted of placing European fossils among samples collected in Indochina, he is dismissed from his job, and expelled from the Societe Geologique de France. Thrown out of the science to which he has given everything, he re-invents himself, changes his name, and begins not one, but two fascinating new lives - each as extraordinary and colourful as the one he left behind. And even in the manner of his premature death, Deprat proved his ability to shake the world. Eighty years on from his conviction, the truth of the Deprat affair is still in doubt - and is still passionately debated among French scientists. But innocent or guilty, Jacques Dep

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Reviews

A case of scientific fraud? A conspiracy of envy and revenge against a brilliant young scientist? Or the destruction of one individual for a crime that was never committed?

A case of scientific fraud? A conspiracy of envy and revenge against a brilliant young scientist? Or the destruction of one individual for a crime that was never committed? Immensely readable and beautifully written. - Ruth Rendell Immensely readable and beautifully written. - Ruth Rendell

Jacques Deprat had one overriding passion, one that was to rule his life and indeed to change it forever. That passion was geology. It is not a subject usually associated with a passion, rivalry and fraud. Yet Deprat became embroiled in what was to turn out to be both a fascinating detective story and a human drama. On his way to becoming a world-famous geologist, Deprat was accused of a crime he claims he didn't commit, forcing him to change his identity in order to save his reputation. As a result he ended up leading two separate lives, each as unlikely as the other. This factual account-cum-detective story endeavours to disentangle the truth of the affair. In doing so, it uncovers a story largely unknown about a colourful character virtually unheard of outside his field. Deprat was something of a non-conformist. While still relatively young, he desired a university post, but for this he needed contacts, influence and, says Osborne,'the ability to intrigue', none of which he seemed to have -or want, for that matter. This, plus his tendency to argue with his peers on matters pertaining to their mutual field can only have contributed towards their accusations levelled at him and the mystery that he eventually found himself caught up in. The denouncement of the tale is perhaps inevitable as circumstances close in on someone who was essentially a lonely, embittered but remarkable man. (Kirkus UK)

" Immensely readable and beautifully written." - Ruth Rendell

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