The Death of Napoleon — Simon Leys

Napoleon Bonaparte escapes exile just before death in this quirky alternate history novel that reimagines the life of the great French emperor.

“This comic tale of Napoleon's imaginary yet all-too-human tribulations poses serious questions about the relationship of truth, history and imagination.” -- The Wall Street Journal

Napoleon has escaped from St. Helena, leaving a double behind him. Now disguised as the cabin hand Eugène Lenormand and enduring the mockery of the crew (Na­po­leon, they laughingly nickname the pudgy, hopelessly clumsy little man), he is on his way back to Europe, ready to make contact with the huge secret organization that will return him to power. But then the ship on which he sails is rerouted from Bordeaux to Antwerp. When Napoleon disembarks, he is on his own.

He revisits the battlefield of Waterloo, now a tourist destination. He makes his way to Paris. Mistakes, misunderstandings, and mishaps conduct our puzzled hero deeper and deeper into the mystery of Napoleon.
 
Adapted into Alan Taylor's 2001 film The Emperor's New Clothes, The Death of Napoleon is a smart alternative history for the Napoleon obsessed -- as deep and compelling as it is quirky and fresh.