Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley Narrator: Clare Corbett, Daphne Kouma, Julia Winwood, Sope Dirisu, Sofia Zervudachi, Charlie Anson
Published by HarperAudio on February 22, 2022
Genres: Mystery, Suspense
Length: 12 hours, 25 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible, Libro.fm, Barnes & Noble, Apple
Jess needs a fresh start. She’s broke and alone, and she’s just left her job under less than ideal circumstances. Her half-brother Ben didn’t sound thrilled when she asked if she could crash with him for a bit, but he didn’t say no, and surely everything will look better from Paris. Only when she shows up – to find a very nice apartment, could Ben really have afforded this? – he’s not there.
The longer Ben stays missing, the more Jess starts to dig into her brother’s situation, and the more questions she has. Ben’s neighbors are an eclectic bunch, and not particularly friendly. Jess may have come to Paris to escape her past, but it’s starting to look like it’s Ben’s future that’s in question.
The socialite – The nice guy – The alcoholic – The girl on the verge – The concierge
I love a mystery set in a different location. The setting is Paris but the main character has come from England. Jess is the younger half-sister of a journalist, Ben, and comes to visit him in Paris after things go bad for her at work. She’s had a tough background with her mother dying and ending up in foster care. She has little money or educational advantages but she has street smarts which serve her well when her brother isn’t there when she arrives.
The Paris Apartment is very suspenseful because from the beginning it seems clear something horrible has happened to Ben and Jess is in dire trouble there with no one on her side. She doesn’t even speak French! She has a bad relationship with police. But she is good at asking questions and catching on to things. It does feel like she is TSTL (too stupid to live) a few times as she puts herself in horrible situations trying to get more information.
I didn’t twig to any of the various secrets and facts until Jess and others unrolled them for me. I enjoy just feeling and realizing the story as I read. There is a satisfying conclusion to this dark, suspenseful journey.
Narration:
There were six narrators, handling different points of view, which was very enjoyable. Mostly we got the stream of thought from the different characters and the voices seemed to fit well. There was very little actual dialog in conversations. The characters were a combination of English and French each of which sounded appropriate but I am no expert. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip:Â Â
About Lucy Foley
I live in London, but love traveling – both in real life and on the page (hence the appearance of some far flung locations in my writing).
My debut novel, The Book of Lost & Found, published in early 2015.
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I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 22-COYER
I’m coming to enjoy these mysteries where I have to just sit back and roll with the stories. Excellent review, Anne💜 Just got this one.
Thanks Jonetta. I hope you love it. The characters are very flawed; I’m not sure there is a good guy.
I wish I had time to read this now, maybe later. It sounds like a really good mystery!
It’s an enjoyable read. Everything I thought I knew I didn’t have it other than Jess was in danger.
Terrific review, Anne. I love your acronym TSTL (too stupid to live).
Thanks Wendy. Jess was just reckless for the situation and she knew it.
I loved The Guest List by Foley and I’m eager to listen to this too. I’ll try not to be frustrated by the TSTL moments. I’m happy to hear there was a satisfying conclusion, because that isn’t always the case with suspense/mystery/thrillers. That can make or break a book for me. Wonderful review, Anne!
I also LOVED The Guest List. This was well plotted too. Jess was reckless considering how street smart she is.
I love any book set in Paris! And I’m glad to know you liked this one so much. It does sound good. 🙂
I enjoyed it. I seem to favor this author.
I still need to read The Guest List but this sounds like one that I would like. I enjoy books with multiple narrators so that would be a big draw for me.
I enjoyed both and they both have “European” type setting with multiple narrators and accents.
I too love a good mystery and this sounds perfect. I dislike when characters put themselves in unnecessary danger. Glad to see you enjoyed despite the TSTL heroine.
She’s smart just a bit reckless / determined. Jess worked things out for her brother and others, not just herself.
Oh this one looks good!
I really enjoyed it.
Ooh I just started this one tonight. 🙂 For some reason I love stories like this- suspenesful and set in foreign cities. The movie frantic was like that for me too.
I hope you love it too Greg.
I enjoy Foley’s books so I’m excited to read this one and love that it’s set in Paris.
I wouldn’t say it gave me any sense of Paris other than the French language parts but I did really enjoy it.
I’ve liked other books I’ve read by Foley, but haven’t been really sure about whether to pick this one up. I think the audio might be the way to go.
I always enjoy the audio because then you get the regional voice differences and the narrator can infuse the emotion into the tone. Plus I can do things while listening to audio like walking Lulu or cooking.