I did not finish this book - just didn't hold my interest and seemed very 'formula'. Also, a huge irritation for me - using random french words in text. Readers don't need to be reminded that the events are in another country and dumping in très difficile, etc just pulls the reader from the story narrative.

The Books of the Dead by Emilia Bernhard is the second book in this series and was an engaging read . I had not read the first book in this series but Ms. Bernhard provided enough of a backstory for Rachel, Magda and Allen that I didn't feel left out while reading.

The plot is smoothly paced, the characters are developing as they sleuth through Paris, there were twists and turns to keep a reader guessing and only a few suspects as the body count grew. I enjoyed reading the descriptions of Paris provided throughout the book as Rachel and Magda investigated by following their suspicions.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. All of the above opinions are my own.

The second book in Emilia Bernhard's charming Death in Paris series, featuring two American sleuths in the City of Lights, is perfect for fans of M. L. Longworth and Juliet Blackwell.

Parisian summers are for strolls in the park . . . and solving a murder--or two.

When American sleuth Rachel Levis stumbles upon an employee of the French national library strangled in the bathroom of a cafe, she's not surprised to be asked to help with the investigation by her old acquaintance Capitaine Boussicault--after all, she and her best friend Magda solved a tricky murder only eighteen months before.

But right from the start, this case proves to be très difficile. When Rachel goes undercover as a librarian to determine which of his book-loving colleagues loathed the man enough to kill him, the library is rocked by more bad news: a priceless antique book has been mutilated. And the very next day, her favorite suspect for the murder is found dead in the stacks.

Just as the case is heating up, Boussicault pulls Rachel from the investigation. Undeterred, she and Magda decide to forge ahead with their own investigation--even if it could put them at odds with the police and in serious danger. With evidence and suspects piling up, it will be up to them to find the culprit--and stop more innocent books from being harmed--before anyone else checks out for good.

This was quite fun to read! I really enjoyed Rachel and how she handles the situations that come up. Great plot well-developed characters.

*Book received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

A second in a new mystery series, ex-pat Rachel, and her friend Magda are mystery buffs, living in Paris. Their hobby becomes real when Rachel stumbles upon a dead body in a men’s room of a cafe. A light entertaining read.

Books, Paris and a mystery! This book had all the ingredients for a good read. But ... the characters and setting both came off as flat. Overall, I was disappointed. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

A soldi mystery. The main character is engaging and the supporting characters are interesting. The plot has enough twists and turns to keep most readers guessing. The setting in Paris, and more importantly at the Bibliotheca National, is done very well and makes the novel stand out. This is the second in a series but enough is explained that the reader can read this one without having read the first.

I didn’t realise this was the second in a series. I’d recommend reading the first one, just so you have all the ideas and background, although I managed ok starting with book 2.

The best thing about this book is for once I had no idea how it was going to end. I love books that confuse me and totally take me by surprise!

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first I have read of this author, but I would categorized this title as a cozy. Some may not recognized it as such and I wasn't sure at the start. However, once that clicked, I settled well into the read. The setting is in France and the book is laced with French terms but a glossary is provided with translations for those unfamiliar with the language.

An interesting little mystery! Enjoyed the characters and the story. Kept me guessing til the end! Thank you for the early copy

A delightful book about the theft of pages from the rare book section in the French Bibliotheque Nationale. This is the second offering in the series of "A Death in Paris Mystery" but is easily read as a standalone. Don't be put off by the frequent French phrases because the author has thoughtfully included a guide with translations.

The characters are skillfully crafted and easily imagined to be real people. The murders are clever. I had no idea who the culprit was until the reveal. The thoughts of the protagonist, Rachel Lewis, are interesting: "Solving a murder... was ordering the world...a demonstration that ugliness did not always win."

I received an Advanced Readers Copy from Crooked Lane Books through NetGalley.The opinions expressed are entirely my own.
#TheBooksOfTheDead #NetGalley

I read the first book in this series and wasn’t really impressed. In fact I found it just silly but with potential so I wanted to read the follow up. And I am so glad I did. This story is SO much better! A very clever mystery and the main character, Rachel, has been developed in a much better way than in the first book. Fun dialogue and a lovely and well described setting for the mystery. I am now really looking forward to the next mystery for Rachel! Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

There is one thing I just couldn’t understand. Why would a policeman need the help of a civilian who thinks she is in a crime book and can’t add anything to the investigation? The way she acts is just plain stupid and I couldn’t stop thinking: why her? What does she have that makes her the perfect choice to help with the investigation? I read the first 20% of the story and I still didn’t have that answer so I stopped reading.

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy.

Rachel was ecstatic to be included in the Paris police force as a consultant, which left her best friend and investigative partner out. Magda was ticked but soon changed her mind when Rachel calls for her help after realizing the police were patronizing her and she hated to be patronized. Together they went about trying to solve the two murders that were obviously linked to the stealing of the antiquarian illustrations. These two had their own personal style and rules for their sleuthing. An intriguing and entertaining package.

Rachel Levin is an American living in Paris who also happens to stumble upon dead bodies. This happenstance has turned her and her best friend, Magda, into amateur sleuths.

When Rachel stumbles upon a dead body in the men’s room of a local cafe, she finds herself working under cover with the local police Capitaine Boussicalt to help find out more about who killed the man who was a librarian in Bibliotheque Nationale’s rare book reading room. While there a second librarian is murdered and it is discovered that pages from rare books have been stolen. While Rachel has helped to gather some additional information on the case, her cover is exposed so that she can listen in the interviews to translate and point out any discrepancies in statements.

Lots of twist and turns, and not just in the stacks, along with several suspects makes for lots of red herrings and second guesses. While I did not read the first book in the series, I had no trouble reading this second installment as a stand alone. It did take me a few chapters before I became fully vested, but once I got into it, it just flew by from there.

When American sleuth Rachel Levis stumbles upon an employee of the French national library strangled in the bathroom of a cafe, she's not surprised to be asked to help with the investigation by her old acquaintance Capitaine Boussicault--after all, she and her best friend Magda solved a tricky murder only eighteen months before.

But right from the start, this case proves to be très difficile. When Rachel goes undercover as a librarian to determine which of his book-loving colleagues loathed the man enough to kill him, the library is rocked by more bad news: a priceless antique book has been mutilated. And the very next day, her favorite suspect for the murder is found dead in the stacks.




Thank you to net galley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book it was a great experience

This was a fun mystery story that had me guessing until the end. All of the suspects were plausible and the more you came to know about each of them the more believable a suspect they became - and the actual killer ended up being just want you want in a story like this. The scenes with Rachel and Magda as amateur sleuths were very funny, but also showed how invested they were in being investigators. I also really liked finally reading a mystery where there was nothing but a professional relationship between the female lead and the police detective (not that I don't like in other stories, just that it was refreshing to take the dynamic in another direction). Boussicault sees that Rachel has an interest in and natural talent for investigating and rather than brushing her off does what he can to give her more experience - but of course also has to have those moments when he reminds her that she is not actually a police officer. Alan has the patience of a saint, but his willingness to help out Rachel when she needed it also showed what a great partner he is for her. I will definitely check out future books to see what cases Levis and Stevens (or Steven and Levis) Investigatrices solve next.

I really enjoyed this book! I think the plot was very comprehensive, and the characterization deep. I especially liked the way the writing was evocative and helped you feel and think the same way the characters did! - All in all an excellent book, everyone should read it!

The Books of the Dead is a good mystery that takes place in Paris. The writing is good, interesting characters, and I enjoyed the descriptions.

I love mysteries and I love Paris, so this book called to me, and I was excited to read it.

The book was well-written, unfortunately, it didn't engage me. I found it too far a stretch to believe the French police would involve a citizen, especially an American ex-pat, to the degree they did in this book, even to the point of letting Rachel sit in on interrogations. And, credibility standpoint aside, that choice also took away what I love best about amateur-sleuth novels--watching the sleuths find ingenious ways to get information the police won't release to them. There was some of that, but not a complete journey I could root for. I felt like I, via Rachel, was being spoon fed the plot, which took away the intrigue and fun for me. Because of that, the plot felt washed out. But that's a personal preference and others may love this approach.

I wanted to like Rachel and Magda, but their jealousy and constant fighting put me off. Fairly early on I found myself hoping Rachel would just leave Magda out of it. Or, join forces with her husband, so it wouldn't feel like he was rescuing them from themselves when they got too far off track.

A large part of why I read a book like this is to be immersed in the location, but this book didn't give me any sense of Paris. If you changed the names (people and locations), this could have been set in New York or Chicago, etc., just as easily, which was disappointing.

Overall, I think there are many readers out there who will like this book, so I'm giving it three stars. It's just not the right read for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author/publisher for the chance to read this in exchange for an honest review.

When Rachel accidentally on purpose walks into the men's room of her favorite cafe she discovers a murdered man. When the police discover that the murdered man worked at the National Library, they ask Rachel to go in undercover.
This is the second book in the Death in Paris series, I have not read the first book,
I found the main characters annoying at times, acting as if they were children instead of women in their 40s. I would have liked better descriptions of Paris and the Biblioteque Nationale.