Title: The Paris Apartment
Author: Lucy Foley
Publisher: HarperCollins
Synopsis:
Welcome to No.12 rue des Amants
A beautiful old apartment block, far from the glittering lights of the Eiffel Tower and the bustling banks of the Seine.
Where nothing goes unseen, and everyone has a story to unlock.
The watchful concierge
The scorned lover
The prying journalist
The naïve student
The unwanted guestThere was a murder here last night.
A mystery lies behind the door of apartment three.Who holds the key?
My review:
As a big fan of The Hunting Party, I was excited to read The Paris Apartment – the new novel by Lucy Foley, this time set in an apartment in Paris where Jess arrives from England, to visit her brother Ben. However, it soon becomes apparent that Ben has disappeared. As Jess discovers more about the apartment and its residents, things get very odd…
This book is incredibly readable. The characters – largely other residents – are entertaining (although many of them are not at all likeable, which only adds to the tension) and are satisfyingly complex. There’s a strong feeling of confusion in parts of the novel, reflecting Jess’ worry, desperation and vulnerability at being in a country where she can’t speak the language and may be taken advantage of…
The plot is also great fun. It’s not all action-packed – some parts are a little slower, but it never felt slow or unengaging. We switch between different characters, and at first I struggled to keep up with who was who, but I soon got to grips with it. Lucy Foley’s writing, like in The Hunting Party, flows brilliantly and she builds the atmosphere so well – I can vividly imagine the apartment and its residents!
I raced through The Paris Apartment in no time and the story has some great twists in it that I didn’t see coming at all! A gripping read.
My rating: 4/5
Many thanks to the publisher, HarperCollins, for providing a copy of this book on which I chose to write an honest review.
Dying to read this one, and your review has made me even keener! So many books so little time!