THE SHORT ANSWER: first you need to deserialize the escaped string, but not to the target CLR type, but deserialize to another string (repeat if necessary); then, it is deserialized to the target type:
// Initial example json string: "\"{\\\"Property1\\\":1988,\\\"Property2\\\":\\\"Some data :D\\\"}\""
// First, deserialize to another string (unescaped string).
string unescapedJsonString = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<string>(escapedJsonString);
Debug.WriteLine(unescapedJsonString);
// Prints:
// "{\"Property1\":1988,\"Property2\":\"Some data :D\"}"
// Second, deserialize to another string, again (in this case is necessary)
var finalUnescapedJsonString = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<string>(unescapedJsonString);
Debug.WriteLine(finalUnescapedJsonString);
// This time prints a final, unescaped, json string:
// {"Property1":1988,"Property2":"Some data :D"}
// Finally, perform final deserialization to the target type, using the last unescaped string.
MyClass targetObject = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<MyClass>(finalUnescapedJsonString);
LONG ANSWER (but interesting)
Using string.Replace(... could generate an invalid string, because it could damage certain special characters that needed the backslash to be deserialized correctly .
This type of escaped strings are usually generated when a string that was already a json string, its serialized again (or even more times). This causes something like "various levels of serialization" (it really is a serialization of a string with reserved characters), and the result is backshash characters (or groups of one, two or more backslash followed: \, \, \\\) scattered all over the string.
So, to remove them correctly is not enough to replace them by empty.
THE RIGHT WAY: A better way to get a unescaped string would be to do a first deserialization to string type (Repeat this several times if necessary), And then do a final deserialization to target CLR type:
// -- SERIALIZATION --
// Initial object
MyClass originObj = new MyClass { Property1 = 1988, Property2 = "Some data :D" };
// "First level" Of serialization.
string jsonString = JsonConvert.SerializeObject(originObj);
Debug.WriteLine(jsonString);
// Prints:
// {"Property1":1988,"Property2":"Some data :D"}
// "Second level" of serialization.
string escapedJsonString = JsonConvert.SerializeObject(jsonString);
Debug.WriteLine(escapedJsonString);
// "{\"Property1\":1988,\"Property2\":\"Some data :D\"}"
// Note the initial and final " character and de backslash characters
// ...
// at this point you could do more serializations ("More levels"), Obtaining as a result more and more backslash followed,
// something like this:
// "\"{\\\"Property1\\\":1988,\\\"Property2\\\":\\\"Some data :D\\\"}\""
// Note that is... very very crazy :D
// ...
// -- DESERIALIZATION --
// First deserialize to another string (unescaped string).
string unescapedJsonString = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<string>(escapedJsonString);
Debug.WriteLine(unescapedJsonString);
// Prints:
// {"Property1":1988,"Property2":"Some data :D"}
// ...
// at this point you could repeat more deserializations to string, if necessary. For example if you have many backslash \\\
// ...
// Finally, perform final deserialization to the target type, using the last unescaped string.
MyClass targetObject = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<MyClass>(unescapedJsonString);
