Unlock the mystery
Only you hold the key…
Welcome to no. 12 Rue des Amants! You are in Paris, in an apartment building where everything is kept under close watch and dark secrets overflow. Lucy Foley delivers a brilliant whodunnit, similar to Agatha Christie, bringing together an unexpected bunch of characters. The concierge, the naïve girl, the curious journalist, the scorned lover, the unwanted guest… they all contribute to the story and its grand finale. Curious to find out more? Just keep on reading!
My thoughts:
This was my first read from Lucy Foley and I absolutely loved it. Murder mystery is one of my favorite genres and “The Paris Apartment” did not disappoint at all. I think it is perfectly fine to call it “exceedingly clever” and it represents exactly the type of book you would savor along a bottle of French wine.
Without giving too much away, I am going to tell you a bit about the story. Meet Jess, a girl with a troubled past, who is desperate to begin afresh. She has no money and loneliness is her middle name, and she has just left her job. Let’s just say that her boss will be quite upset… She decides to crash with her half-brother Ben, who lives in Paris. He is not that thrilled at the news, but he accepts her visit nonetheless. Jess arrives at her brother’s apartment, only to discover he is not there.
As the story gradually unfolds, it becomes clear that Ben has gone missing. Jess is left with no other choice but to search for her brother, “pushed” by the feeling that something terrible has happened to him. She meets Ben’s neighbors, each of them strange in his/her own way, and far from friendly. This is not the Paris we known, with Montmartre, the Seine, or the Eiffel Tower… the story takes place in an old apartment block, with more mysteries that anyone can count. What will happen? Will she find Ben? I encourage you to read the book and find out.
There were so many things I loved about the story! Let’s start with the character of Jess, who is portrayed as both strong and fragile, as most people are. And what about the fact that everyone seems to be a suspect? This is how the best murder mysteries are written! I enjoyed the setting of the story, an apartment block that maintains the old Parisian charm, but “lives” in the modern age. The subtleties related to human nature are well blended with the mystery surrounding Ben’s disappearance, and you won’t believe the ending, genuinely good!
Aside from Jess, who seems to steal the spotlight, I liked how the author created a backstory for each of the other characters. At times, it feels like you are living in the same apartment block, wondering what the other residents might think of you. Until the end of the book, I kept trying to guess who did it, and where might Ben be… but there were so many twists and turns that it became easier to stop guessing. The unpredictability was a big plus for me and the main reason for which I would recommend this murder mystery to anyone who loves such books.
Verdict:
Lucy Foley has written a great story and I am so happy I got to read it! Intriguing until the very last page, it introduces the reader to a whodunnit like no other, with “secrets on every floor” and “motives behind every door”. This is the kind of book you might devour instead of reading, trying to put the pieces together and solve the mystery yourself. A brilliant choice for lovers of the genre and the perfect book to start your Lucy Foley journey with!
Special thanks to Harper Reach for sending me a copy of this book to review!
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