Paul Gastebois, a “confidential inquirer” in Paris of 1788, usually avoids taking on missing person cases. “People in Paris are lost all the time, sometimes on purpose,” he says. Still, he can’t resist the challenge of finding Gaspard Bricon, an elderly man who spent his days singing and selling copies of his songs on the Pont Neuf, the city’s oldest bridge. One of Gaspard’s good friends is worried, and Paul feels touched by his concern. Besides, Paul’s well-paying gig of tailing a rich young Austrian diplomat around Paris for the police is pretty dull, and this new case fires up his curiosity. His search takes him to Gaspard’s lodgings, where a piece of crumpled parchment leads him to assume the song peddler was involved in high-level political blackmail.

The author’s skillful plotting keeps readers guessing as the mystery expands and transforms during Paul’s investigations through many Parisian neighborhoods. Our detective’s background is equally interesting; his younger sister Aimée is an apprentice seamstress, his brother is a churchman, and Paul had evaded his late father’s plans for him to join the butcher’s trade, preferring a career independent of the guilds (and smelly animal carcasses).

Lebow sets her series opener not in the popular French Revolutionary era but the less familiar time beforehand, and she incorporates the details to good effect. Louis XVI has agreed to convene the Estates General for the first time in over 170 years, and the commoners—who have grown more numerous and prosperous—place their hopes in finance minister Jacques Necker for fair representation and tax reform. Despite some people’s guarded optimism, there’s a fierce underground trade in scurrilous pamphlets, and Paul gets enmeshed in learning more about that risky business, too. Multifaceted characters, abundant local color, and dashes of wit (one of Paul’s disguises is laugh-out-loud funny) add to the appeal of this diverting mystery.

(from the Historical Novels Review, February 2019)

The Song Peddler of the Pont Neuf by Laura Lebow is the first book in the Paul Gastebois Mystery Series. This book came highly recommended and I was pleased by how much I enjoyed it. I am now a new fan and look forward to reading more books by this author.

I liked several things about this book, the first is that it was a well-researched, well-written mystery story that takes place in 18th century Paris. We are introduced to a young man named Paul Gastebois who is a confidential inquirer, what can be considered a private investigator today. He does some investigative work for the police spying on foreign diplomats which is not that exciting until he is hired to find a missing person, a song peddler who usually works on the Pont Neuf bridge.

Through his work on this case, we get to know more about our main character, Paul who is very likable. He has a sister who he adores and dotes on, a brother who serves as a priest and with whom he had a falling out, and he is well liked by his friends. Unlike the many books set in this era that I read that feature the aristocratic French, the characters in this book are lower-middle-class, eking out a living in hard times.

Lebow brings 18th century Paris on the brink of the French Revolution to life with its political tensions, poverty and daily life for its suffering citizens. And it is in this setting that the mystery unfolds with some good twists that I did not see coming. The only thing missing for me were French expressions that would have made the book even more atmospheric. I am fluent in French, living in Quebec and I know how important language is when it comes to culture. However, this did not detract from the story but is my personal preference when reading books set in foreign countries.

If you enjoy historical mysteries and especially those set in France, The Song Peddler of the Pont Neuf is the perfect book to cozy up with. I enjoyed it thoroughly and eagerly await the next book in the series.

VERDICT: Fascinating historical mystery on the eve of the French Revolution in Paris. Excellent integration of serious historical research into a clever and suspenseful plot.

After her great historical mysteries in the world of operas, Laura Lebow got the great idea to start a new series set in France! I’m thrilled to present to you The Song Peddler of the Pont Neuf and her private detective Paul Gastebois, in this first adventure set in Paris on the eve of the French Revolution.
Paul is actually a confidential inquirer, as was called at the time. On the side, he also works a bit for the police, mostly following foreign diplomats, just in case they would be up to no good.
One day, a man called Montigny comes to get Paul’s help to find his friend Gaspard. Gaspard is a song peddler on the Pont Neuf, but he has disappeared.
The beginning of the plot is quite straight forward, but what’s fascinating about the book is how Paul’s investigation will take him deeply into what’s going on then in the French capital, at the social, economical, and political level.
Lebow did a fantastic job of research – the bibliography listed at the end of the novel is a good hint. She was for instance very careful at using street names as they were named at the time. It’s not that easy, as many of these streets were destroyed later at the time of Napoleon in order to build larger streets.
As Paul goes along from clue to clue, he’s led to the world of bouquinistes and political pamphlets. Some were written in code, even seemingly given the appearance of erotic texts, in order to hide strong opposition to the monarchy.
The description of the streets, the poverty, the dirt, the smells makes you feel you are really there in Paris back in that time – far from the glamorous life of the City of lights…
And of course, there is plenty of fascinating information on the tough winter, the rise of the price of bread, and all combined elements that will make the time ripe for a revolution, when the people have had enough and can’t bear it any longer.
In these conditions, some dishonest people are ready to try anything to make money. Corruption is well depicted here among seamstresses and even the police.
And the reader meets people from all walks of life, including shopkeepers, actors, prostitutes, and monks.
The whole political situation is in fact connected to broader international issues, involving Austria of course (the land of origin of queen Marie-Antoinette), but also Prussia, Poland, etc.
Definitely a novel to recommend to anyone wanting to study the conditions and situations leading to the French Revolution, with serious historical research, details, plus the fun of a suspenseful plot. I’m looking forward to more adventures with Paul.

The Song Peddler of the Pont Neuf is a pretty good read. I liked being transported back in time to 1788 Paris, France. What a fascinating time in history. I thought Laura Lebow perfectly describes the historical details that brought the city and characters to life. The mystery and suspense that surrounds the story kept me fascinated and intrigued. I had no problem wanting to continue turning the pages until I was finished. I never knew what was going to happen next. I found there were a few twists and turns that I could not have predicted. I enjoyed the action, adventure and perfect pace of how it all flowed.
The Song Peddler of the Pont Neuf gets a well-deserved five stars from me. I highly recommend it. I look forward to reading more books by Laura Lebow in the future. She definitely has just earned herself a new fan of her work.
Great book!
I received this book from the author. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.

Thanks Settecento Press and netgalley for this ARC.

Laura Lebow knows how to create a mystery that keeps you reading til the end. Love the way the pieces all come together in a unexpected finale you won't expect.

A good, solid historical mystery. I loved the plot, the characters and the well reaserched setting.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC