Paris

Knave of Diamonds

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Knave of Diamonds by Laurie R. King

In 1925, Mary Russell encounters her uncle, Jacob Russell, for the first time in many years, after a Holmes family celebration near Paris. Jake is the family black sheep, and is looking for the Irish Crown Jewels that were stolen from Dublin Castle in 1907. The Jewels are known as the Order of St. Patrick. Jake may or may not have been involved in the theft.

The first mystery novel featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes, The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, was published 30 years ago, and there are now 19 novels and a collection of short stories. I’ve read and enjoyed most of them, and thoroughly enjoyed this adventure of Mary and Jake Russell and Sherlock Holmes, bouncing between England and Ireland, somewhat to Mary’s distress, as she does not care for sea crossings. They travel by train, car, donkey cart, and afoot as they trace the people and places connected with the Jewels, including The O’Mahony, and find that they are not alone in their search. Along the way, Mary and Sherlock acquire a housekeeper to replace Mrs. Hudson at their Sussex house. Mary, Sherlock, and Jake take turns narrating the chapters, which makes for entertaining reading. Uncle Jake, the possible jewel thief, is rather nervous to be under the close scrutiny of Sherlock Holmes. Mycroft Holmes also has a brief appearance, but the brothers are not seeing eye to eye here, and Sherlock mysteriously gives Mycroft an address in France to check out. Great fun, and a fairly low stakes mystery. What the reader doesn’t know until very late in the story is what plans Jake has for the Jewels if and when they’re found.

Brenda

Murder Takes a Vacation

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Murder Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman

Widowed Muriel Blossom, 68, has recently won the lottery, bought an apartment in Baltimore, and is on her way to Paris. She has invited her longtime friend Elinor on a cruise to Normandy, and is spending several days in Paris first. Mrs. Blossom (the annoying way Muriel refers to herself) is a large woman who is sensitive to comments about fitness, overeating, or caftans, though she regularly goes for five-mile walks. It’s been ten years since her husband died, but she is planning her trip partly around places and activities he would have liked.

As with many trips, all does not go smoothly. First, she misses her flight from London to Paris, and spends the time talking with attractive and attentive Allan, who even convinces the claustrophobic Mrs. Blossom to take the train through the underground Chunnel instead of rebooking her flight to Paris. Her hotel room in Paris is searched, as is her cabin on the riverboat, but she doesn’t report it to anyone. Allan mysteriously disappears, as does another acquaintance. And then there’s charming Danny, who takes Mrs. Blossom shopping, and even talks her into buying a caftan. Danny seems to turn up rather too often. Could there be a connection with the room searches and a missing statue with sapphire eyes?

I was really looking forward to reading a mystery set in gorgeous Paris and on a wonderful riverboat cruise in France, but I didn’t feel immersed in the setting. There was more about shopping and accessories than there was about the cruise experience. I was also surprised that a woman who had worked for a private investigator and has been single for ten years would let strangers and acquaintances have so much influence on her. Mrs. Blossom spends more time missing her daughter and granddaughters, who recently moved to Tokyo, than about solving the mystery. That said, this was a fun adventure, with good food, a bit of French scenery, and a little suspense and mystery. Mrs. Blossom does stand up for herself and her friend Elinor before the end of the cruise, and an epilogue shows her enjoying her new life in Baltimore.

This is a quick, easy read, perfect for the beach.

Brenda  

The Paris Gown

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The Paris Gown by Christine Wells

This engaging novel is set in Paris in 1956, featuring three women who met at Le Cordon Bleu several years ago. They have lost touch but reconnect in Paris. Parisian Claire is cooking at her father’s brasserie, but has dreams of cooking haute cuisine; especially challenging for a woman at that time. American Gina has broken off her engagement to Hal, an aspiring politician, after her father lost his fortune. She is writing a novel and works part-time at a bookstore.

Margot has returned from Australia, but is now going by Marie. She is working as a shop assistant at The House of Dior, and hasn’t let Claire know she’s back in Paris. Claire is gifted a gorgeous Dior gown, but has no occasion to wear it, so gives Gina the first chance to be fitted for the gown. Gina is invited to a ball where she’ll encounter her former fiancé Hal, who she still loves.

Cooking, fashion, and writing fill their days as the three women slowly reveal their secrets and alternately argue with and then support each other. Life for career women in 1950s Paris is challenging, and they all have decisions to make, as well as the chance for romance. Mid-century Paris is brought to life, making for an absorbing read that is neither lighthearted or too dark. Readalikes include Jacqueline in Paris by Ann Mah and Jennifer Robson’s The Gown and Coronation Year.

Brenda

Murder Among the Pyramids

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Murder Among the Pyramids by Sara Rosett

A new historical mystery series from Rosett is always welcome news. I listened to the audiobook on Hoopla Digital, with excellent narrating by Elizabeth Klett. Rosett researched 1930s Egypt, lady explorers, and more to creating the first Lady Traveler in Egypt mystery, featuring Blix Windway and Hildy Honeyworth. Blix was introduced in the 6th High Society Lady Detective series, Murder on a Midnight Clear. The author intends to continue the earlier series.

Blix is a resourceful young woman, traveling the world, taking photos, and delivering lectures to women’s groups. Often, she works as a lady’s companion to fund her travels. Arriving in France after a rough channel crossing, Blix needs to find a new patron to cover her travel past Paris. In Paris, Blix and her new traveling companion, Hildy Honeyworth, participate in an exciting road race in Paris.

They travel on to Marseilles, Alexandria, and then to Cairo, Egypt. There is a death in a tent near the pyramids, and an Egyptian diary and expensive jewelry go missing. When society gossips start whispering that Hildy is a suspect, Blix investigates. With the help of reporter Mr. Denby and the scornful Mr. Heathcliff, who works with but not for the police, Blix finds many clues, and almost gets caught up in a street riot. Egypt of the 1930s is vividly described, and Blix is a very appealing amateur detective. I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery, which is wonderful historical armchair travel. I look forward to Blix and Hildy’s next adventure, on a trip down the Nile.

Brenda

The French Art of Living Well

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The French Art of Living Well: Finding Joie de Vivre in the Everyday World by Cathy Yandell

While not French herself, the author has a good idea of French life and what makes it special. Beginning at age 19, Cathy Yandell has made so many visits to France, mainly to Paris, that she’s lost count. Her two daughters attended school in Paris during three different years, and she’s accompanied many student groups to Paris, as well as doing research in France. Yandell is a professor of French language, literature, and culture at Carleton College in Minnesota. Also, not mentioned in this book, she’s been knighted by the French government.

Yandell shares many observations about how the French have a unique perspective on life. Her friends and acquaintances, many of them from French-speaking African countries, seem to take more time to savor life, from meals, coffee, walks, visiting museums and parks. Sometimes it’s about enjoying the moment with others, even strangers. During the pandemic, the French government greatly increased funding of arts and culture, resulting in numerous outdoor concerts and other entertainment in the summer of 2021, when Yandell was staying in Paris. She shares the experience of a special afternoon in a Paris park, listening to an actor read fiction aloud.

Lengthy Christmas and wedding feasts are described, although this is not a foodie memoir of France. Time at a traditional hammam, relaxing in the waters with a couple of women friends, is another happy memory. World Cup soccer, watched on TV in a bar, helped unite people. French literature, art, and philosophy are discussed, as well as the challenges of parenting a toddler in Paris. Yandell doesn’t strive to be French, but clearly loves the extended time she has spent there, adding up to several years over the past couple of decades. This is a pleasurable, leisurely read. Readalikes include The Good Life series by British expat Janine Marsh, especially My Four Seasons in France, and the novel Lucy Checks In by Dee Ernst.

Brenda

The White Lady

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The White Lady by Jacqueline Winspear

This historical novel set in Belgium, France, and England, is not part of the author’s celebrated Maisie Dobbs mystery series. Featuring Elinor White, or Linni DeWitt, this is a story set in three different time periods, all narrated by Elinor. In 1947, Elinor is living in a cottage in Shacklehurst, and has a flat in London. When her neighbors Rose & Jim Mackie and especially their young daughter Susie are threatened by members of a London gang, Elinor draws on her connections from work with the SOE (Special Operations Executive) during World War II, which sent her to Belgium with Steve Warren, now a Detective Chief Inspector. As a girl, Linni and her older sister Cecily, along with their English mother Charlotte, worked with the Resistance in Belgium during World War I, then later escaped to London to live with her grandmother. The Belgium setting during the two world wars made for a very interesting though very dark setting. There are a number of dramatic plot twists and turns, with a few too many coincidences. Elinor is a fascinating character, and this is a compelling read. Readalikes include books by Cara Black and Laurie King, along with The Bookbinder by Pip Williams.

Maggie Finds Her Muse

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Maggie Finds Her Muse by Dee Ernst

Maggie Bliss, 48, has writer’s block. The second book in her romantic adventure Delania trilogy is to be published soon, and she is completely stuck on the final book. Her boyfriend Greg is completely unsupportive, even when Maggie misses a deadline. Her agent Lee and his partner Martin have an apartment in the Marais section of Paris, and invite her to stay there and write. Maggie gets to spend time with her daughter Nicole, who’s living in Rennes, and Nicole’s father Alan, who’s just retired. They tour the Musée d’Orsay together, and visit Versailles. Lee and Martin have a live-in housekeeper Solange, whose son Max often travels to Paris on business. There’s also a cute dog Jules, who keeps Maggie company when Solange is out of town. Handsome Max becomes Maggie’s muse, and she has trouble writing when he’s out of town, leading to a desperate Maggie lying about trouble between Nicole and her boyfriend Louis. The descriptions of life in Paris, especially the wonderful meals, make for perfect armchair travel, and the possibility of romance between Maggie and Max, or Maggie and Alan, make for very entertaining reading.

I really enjoyed the author’s newest book, Lucy Checks In, set in Rennes, in northwest France.

Brenda