"Le roi des montagnes" by Edmond About is a French-language novel published in 1857. A young German botanist travels to Greece to study plants but is kidnapped by Hatzistavros, a legendary brigand chief who once fought in the Greek War of Independence. Held captive alongside a wealthy English mother and daughter, the botanist discovers a web of corruption connecting the brigands, Greek authorities, and high society. As ransom negotiations unfold and escape attempts fail, he must navigate deadly games of deception to survive. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
