Only a few days ago million-copy bestselling author Lucy Foley posted on her Instagram account that The Paris Apartment, her latest murder mystery is number one in the New York Times bestselling list for the second week running. And then a day or so afterwards she posted again showing that The Times has made The Paris Apartment its March ‘Book of the month.’ The nail-biting thriller was released on 3 March 2022.
I’m not a bit surprised, especially as I also made The Paris Apartment my ‘Book of the month‘ in my book column in the March issue of the The Didsbury Post. Why? Because it is an addictive murder mystery with an almighty and very clever twist.
Now who does that remind you of? Yes, you’ve guessed it – Agatha Christie. Not surprisingly Lucy Foley has been hailed as ‘this generation’s Agatha Christie‘. So if you’re a lover of ‘whodunits’, then I strongly recommend you read The Paris Apartment.
The sinister story focuses around Jess, who having to suddenly escape her complicated life in England runs away to Paris to descend on her half-brother Ben who lives there. Yet when Jess arrives at Ben’s home located in a beautiful old apartment block, deep in the backstreets of Montmartre, he has vanished. Although he was not thrilled about her sudden visit, Jess is uneasy about Ben’s disappearance, especially as his cat is smeared in blood.
Jess’s unease intensifies as she attempts to locate her missing brother. This unease grows as Ben’s neighbours, in their pursuit to make it clear to Jess that she is not welcome, display to her that they are all hiding something. But what exactly are they hiding and why?
Why is Antoine who lives on the first floor so jealous and why has his wife just left him? Why is Sophie who lives in the penthouse so hostile? Why is the concierge creeping around the apartment block, sneaking up in unexpected places? And why is Ben’s friend Nick who also lives in the old block not always so friendly?
Claustrophobic and menacing, this is a book that had me guessing right to the very end. It was so easy to read with its short, tense and compelling chapters that completely drew me in and wouldn’t let me go. Then the final twist completely blew me away; I definitely did not work it out, which I loved. I was in awe at the simple brilliance of the twist. The only other author that could develop such a brilliant plot twist like this is the great Agatha Christie herself.
Thank you to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to the blog tour of The Paris Apartment. It is a stunning read that had me hooked from beginning to end. Thank you also HarperFiction for my gifted copy in return for my honest review.
To follow the blog tour, please see below.
