Night Train to Paris is the second Fen Churche historical cozy mystery by Fliss Chester. Released 26th Nov 2020 by Bookouture, it's 282 pages and available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This series is competently written, with comfortable and intelligent characterizations.  The descriptions, of place and historical period, are presented believably and paced well. The language is clean, as well as a (mostly) chaste romance subplot. There are depictions of real historical characters and places (Sartre, Christian Dior, Les Deux Magots, Shakespeare & Co. and other period Parisian characters and attractions) which are skillfully woven into the narrative without seeming to be overt name dropping or window dressing. 

There's a subplot through both of the books concerning cryptic crosswords. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this thread, to be honest. They do provide an integral subplot to both books, but for cryptic crossword aficionados (like me), they're much too minor a plot device and to readers disinterested, they're intrusive and (I suspect) a trifle annoying. Either way, the graphic representation in the book took me out of my suspension of disbelief every time they popped up in the story. 

The first murder was bizarre and quite outré (and speaking as a medical professional, quite doubtful). It was also heavily foreshadowed during the book, so readers who are reading in order to solve the "whodunit", it will likely not present too much of a surprise at the resolution. 

Taken overall, however, it's an engaging and appealing read in a series which shows promise. I recommend it to fans of the genre, especially readers of British/European WW2 (and later) mysteries.  Four stars. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

This is the second book in the Fen Churche Mystery series and although I haven't read the first I wasn't lost in this one. I will say that I am planning to go back and read the first because I enjoyed this one so much. 

Fenella (Fen) has left Morey-Fontaine in Burgandy  and is on the night train to Paris with her new friend James. Her plans are to stay with a family friend in Paris and to get back to feelings she had before the war. A way to reconnect as many people did during that time.

While staying with the friend, Rose, she begins to hear rumors about stolen art work that belong to the Jewish families displaced or killed during the war. Most of us know this history and many of the stories behind it but I must say I loved hearing it from Fen's point of view. She made it all seem so much more real as she is hearing the stories herself.

One day she return's to Rose's apartment only to discover that Rose has been murdered. Together Fen and James decide that they will figure out who would want to kill Rose. The woman that so many people seemed to like with no conflicts. 

As I said earlier I enjoyed this book so much. There was so much history there but also so much depth. Fen is a great character who loves crosswords and was very intelligent. The secondary characters were all so wonderful as well.

This was a delightful second book in the series. The descriptions and setting were wonderfully evocative and made me miss being in Paris. The characters are so consistent, I'm very much looking forward to the next edition!

I really enjoyed the first Fen Church mystery A Dangerous Goodbye. I’m pleased to say that this book picks up pretty much where the first one left off and the transition is virtually seamless. 
After the sad findings at the end of the previous book, Fen heads to Paris to regroup. I thought that the author did a great job of capturing post-WWII Paris. Even as it was war-torn and battered, it still managed to maintain its mystery and the aura that made it famous. 
Although, in this case, that aura is most apparent in Rose’s (Fen’s godmother) apartment. I liked how the author used the beauty of art to show that Paris could return to its former glory (at least, that’s what I got out of it). 
Of course, nothing is going to go smoothly for Fen, and it isn’t long before she is thrust into the middle of another investigation. The historical angle of Rose’s work was fascinating to me because I have studied the era and the dealings that Nazis had with art are indicative of their depravity. 
It makes for a good basis to the mystery because Fen has to find out what part Rose played in the Jewish artworks trade. Was she part of a resistance or was she complicit? 
Of course, since it’s Fen, there are cyphers and puzzles involved with one in particular playing a major part in the plot. 
I enjoy how the author writes. It’s easy to understand but because of Fen’s love for crosswords and cypers, there’s some thinking to be done in addition to trying to solve the mystery. This makes it doubly entertaining. 
It’s another winning investigation for Fen Church, and I look forward to more.

Fenella Churche travels to Paris to stay with an old family friend. She finds the city and Rose significantly changed by the world war that ended justs months earlier. Rose is an artist and her knowledge was used by the Nazis as they plundered Jewish premises for fine art. However, she secretly labelled the stolen artworks in the hope they can one day be reunited with their true owners. Rose is murdered and Fen is determined to get justice for her and the victims of the art thefts.
Night Train to Paris is a historical murder mystery set in the autumn of 1945. Life and culture from the era are well researched and cleverly used to drive the plot. Displaced Jews are returning to their homes, searching for family and posessions.
The lead up to the murder sets the scene well but is a little lengthy. We see Fen's emotional connection to Rose and her pride that her friend is trying to help the Jewish community reclaim their art.
Author Fliss Chester uses the crossword motif again in this book but it doesn't have quite the same impact as the first book as the connection with Fen's beloved Arthur is not as prominent to the plot.
There is a little light relief from the murder in the form of Fen's travel companion James being the focus of affection for her flat mate Simone. Fen has slightly muddled emotional response to this as she quite likes him herself but is still mourning for her late fiance Arthur.
Night Train to Paris is an enjoyable murder mystery with plenty of clues along the way (but I didn't completely guess the solution :) )

Fen has come back to Paris hoping to put the nightmare of her fiancee's death behind her and also to try to get on with her life. Meeting up with old friends resurrects some of her history in Paris. However when her friend Rose with whom she is staying is found murdered in a brutal fashion, Fen knows that the past is really not behind her.

Rose's murder is definitely linked with her work during the War - the tracking and record keeping of all the works of art looted from Jewish homes and then either auctioned off or sent back to Germany. Rose was part of the process of getting the art back to their rightful owners. Now with her murder and Fen investigating it, Fen finds herself in the heart of the complicated history of Paris post war.

The story is compelling and matter of fact. All this happened and it is another aspect of the War - the greed which over ran principles of victory. The loot was fine even though it came from homes of people whom the victors were supposed to despise. 

The story highlights the fraility of human nature, the weakness for wealth which over rides most ideals and the inhumanity of man to man. Though it dealt with murder/s the book was a great read from the history angle as well. 

A book which was a No 2 in a series but does well as a stand alone.

Night Train to Paris was such a pleasure to read. I haven’t read a historical fiction book in awhile, and you all know I have a soft spot for books about the resistance. Some parts of the book are cozy and warm while other parts are full of mystery and unanswered questions.
Young Fen is thrilled to go stay with her godmother in Paris. She can’t wait to see the sights, sip tea, eat delicious food and enjoy Rose’s company. Nothing about her trip goes as planned, and Fen is devastated when she finds Rose has been murdered. Why would someone kill this sweet woman in such a brutal way? Fen realizes she must solve the crime on her own when a second victim turns up, and the killer starts to come after her! It appears these murders are related and there’s a reason the killer wants these people silenced.

Night Train to Paris is an historical murder mystery by Fliss Chester, the second book in the Fen Churche Mystery series.

After the war, Fen is invited to stay with her godmother Rose, along with a friend of her late fiancé, Arthur Melville-Hare, who had diappeared as an SOE agent during the war.  She was following clues that he left in hopes of finding out what happened to him.  After finding that her fiancé’s had died in the war, his friend, Captain James Lancaster, who had helped her find out what happened to Arthur, was travelling with her to see her godmother in Paris. 

Upon her arrival she finds that eccentric Rose may be involved in forging art that had been stolen by the Germans or secreted away during the war.  Some in the artistic world were trying to find the original owners and return the art to them.  But, some were trying to pass forgeries off as originals.  Fen arrives at Rose’s home one afternoon to find her murdered.  Rose had been involved with some unsavory persons and Fen and James were determined to solve the mystery.

This novel kept my interest piqued throughout!  Loved the book.

Fliss Chester’s fantastic heroine Fen Churche is back for another nail-biting adventure in the second engrossing and enjoyable instalment of this brilliant new series: Night Train to Paris.

In the autumn of 1945, Fen cannot wait to see her beloved godmother Rose who has asked her to come and stay with her in Paris. Fen has already planned to spend a couple of relaxing days strolling by the Seine, drinking tea in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower and feasting on delicious French food with her beloved godmother. However, Fen has barely unpacked and made friends with Rose’s bad-tempered poodle when returning to her Parisian apartment she finds a shocking scene awaiting her: her godmother has been murdered with a paintbrush lodged in her neck. Fen finds herself entangled in another perplexing mystery. Rose had no enemies to speak of and nobody has a bad word to say about her, so who could possibly want to murder her gentle-hearted godmother?

As Fen begins to look into Rose’s death, she uncovers a blackmail letter which makes her realise that the police have got it all wrong and that there is something far more sinister going on here than meets the eye. As Fen starts speaking to Rose’s friends, she makes yet another startling discovery: Rose was part of the Resistance during the War. As another of Rose’s contacts from the War turns up dead, Fen realises that she must act fast – before another life is claimed.

Will Fen be able to solve this mystery and get justice for her beloved godmother? With Fen in the line of the fire, she must trust her instincts and keep her eyes and ears open because one false move and the killer will strike and shut her up for good.

Fliss Chester beautifully evokes the sights and scents of the French capital in the 1940s and in Night Train to Paris, she has penned a beautifully layered and wonderfully intriguing murder mystery with the indomitable Fen Churche once again using her wits, intelligence and intuition to track down a dangerous killer and get justice for her beloved friend. Fliss Chester writes with plenty of verve and lyricism and brilliantly amps up the tension and throws red herring after red herring in order to keep her readers completely and utterly engrossed from beginning to end.

A captivating historical thriller from a talented storyteller, Night Train to Paris is another terrific read in Fliss Chester’s brilliant series featuring redoubtable sleuth Fen Churche.

October 1945: After uncovering a murderer in a Chateau winery along with the truth about what happened to her fiancé Arthur, Fen Churche travelled by train from Burgundy to Paris to visit an old family friend and bohemian artist, Madame Rose Coillard. Accompanied by her late fiancé's friend James Lancaster, Fen is looking forward to relaxing and showing James the galleries and beauty of Paris. The stage is set and the intrigue is about to begin. This is a post-war story, a story about stolen art by the Nazi's, the people involved with hiding these famous paintings and those who betrayed the French and art historians.  

A reading the first book, "A Dangerous Goodbye," I find this second not quite as engaging. Although it was a light read, it didn't hold my attention as I hoped it would.

My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My Review
Absolutely loved this book by a new author for me Fliss Chester...
What I didn't realise when I started Night Train To Paris was that it is Book two in the Fen Churche murder mystery series...
Actually it was my first time coming across a historical mystery series and I was completely intrigued.
We meet Fen Churche in this story heading back to Paris, hoping to stay with her exuberant godmother Rose.
Fen having just lost her beloved Arthur is determined to solve the mystery when Rose is found murdered.
Devastated, Fen can't understand who would do this to her lovely friend...
As she embarks on her journey to solve the case with the help of Arthur's friend James, it appears all is not what it seems in the life of Rose...
How well did Fen really know her friend...
I loved the quirkiness of Rose in the opening chapters of the book. Flamboyant with a huge passion for life, she loved everyone and I felt she was one of a kind....
Her poodle took its time getting to know you though...
I was really delighted to delve into this series most especially because I simply adore the city of Paris....
It is a very special place for me...
The setting I enjoyed because it is just after the war and Paris is starting to come to life again...
I found it quite interesting to read about the art world side of the war and what happened to it all...
So very well worth your time.
I think you will be very surprised at how engrossed in it you will become...

In the first book of the series, A Dangerous Goodbye, Land Army girl, Fenella (Fen) Churche and her fiancé, Arthur, share a love of cryptic crossword puzzles. To get past the redactors, Arthur uses cryptic clues in his letters to Fen. His final letter to her in 1944 reads like a goodbye. When Arthur doesn't return after the end of the war, Fen travels to France, following the clues in Arthur's letter, to find out what happened to him. In Morey-Fontaine, a village in Burgundy, she finds work in a vineyard, meets Captain James Lancaster, Arthur's friend, and sadly learns Arthur's fate.

Night Train to Paris begins with Fen's arrival in Paris accompanied by James Lancaster. She intends to spend a few days with her godmother and old family friend, Rose Coillard, before heading home to England.

Rose is an artist surrounded by controversy. Her passion is studying the techniques of famous artists and replicating their works, which gives rise to the rumour that she is a forger. However, it is her wartime activities that surprise and intrigue Fen. When Rose is murdered, and also one of her wartime contacts, Fen begins to suspect that these deaths are related to what Rose did as part of the Resistance.

The pilfering of art by the Nazis during World War II is the background to this latest mystery involving ex-Land Army girl Fen Churche. The role attributed to Rose Coillard in the novel was inspired by the true story of Rose Valland, an art historian and member of the French Resistance, who kept records of the details and whereabouts of national and privately owned Jewish art that was looted by the Nazis, thus facilitating the return of the artwork to the rightful owners after the war.

I found Night Train to Paris an excellent continuation of the series. Like the first book, I read it in an afternoon. The mystery kept me guessing, the characters were engaging and I enjoyed the depiction of Parisian life immediately after the war, which included the worlds of fashion and art. I'm hoping there will be another Fen Churche mystery soon.

Favorite Quotes:

Fen shook her head in disbelief. She’d heard of pretty girls turning men’s heads, but this one seemed to have twisted James’s noggin right off.

Her brother had once threatened to throw her over this bridge when she’d naughtily flicked one of his toy soldiers into the Seine. Her claims that the little fellow wanted to be a sub-mariner hadn’t cut the mustard and sibling relations had hit rather a low point.


My Review:

This was a head-scratcher and rollicking good multileveled mystery encompassing several complicated cases involved past participants of the French Resistance, art theft, forgery, and murder in post-war Paris. The highly likable main characters of Fen and her newly acquired friend, James, met the likes of a young Christian Dior, Pierre Balmain, and the already famous Josephine Baker.  My poor old coronary muscle squeezed each time the iconic Notre Dame was mentioned.  The engaging storylines were enjoyable and poked at my curiosity with tough cases and somewhat undecipherable clues while populated with an oddly unique and generally untrustworthy cast of secondary Gaelic characters.  Being a fan of crosswords, I particularly enjoyed Fen’s continued deployment of puzzle strategies in her efforts of working her way through the perplexing crimes.  

I garnered a new entry for my Brit Words and Phrases list with “up the spout;” which Mr. Google informed me has two meanings - one being something that was no longer in working order and for a woman - pregnancy.  I also learned the clever origin of the term “bangers” for sausages being the high water content used in the meats during the war that caused them to explode or “bang” in the frying pan.

A well written mystery. The beginning is a little slower paced filled with back story (this is part of a series but you can read this as a stand alone and be okay) and setting the scene for the mystery to come. This is a great read for fans of say Murder, She Wrote. There’s nothing gruesome or scary in this book but it makes you really explore the clues.

October 1945. Fen is travelling to Paris to stay with old friend, artist Rose Coillard, along with Captain James Lancaster. But when Rose is murdered Fen decides to unravel the truth of Rose's work during the war, and find her killer. If the motive is hidden in the war years, with many dead who can help her, especially when there is another killing. Although the Captain helps he is distracted by his new love.
Another entertaining well-written historical mystery with its slow build towards the climax. With its very likeable and well-drawn main characters.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

This is my first time reading the author. I thought Night Train to Paris was a fantastic book. I will definitely read the first and any new Fen Churche mysteries. Historical Fiction has become one of my most-read genre’s this year and I find new authors all the time. I loved the setting. Paris is my favourite city. The author does a brilliant job of bringing it to life during the era the book is set in. The book starts off innocently enough with Fen heading to the city of lights for a new start and in search of happiness, but peace is far from easy when an old friend is brutally killed, and accusations rise that she was involved in some nefarious activities. Fen is determined to prove her innocence and find out the truth. This is well written, engaging and I thought the characters were great.

Fen Churche is back! After solving murders and the disappearance of her fiance Arthur in A Dangerous Goodbye Fen travels with Captain James Lancaster to Paris. They visit childhood friend of the family Rose. Fen stays with her, but as Rose has recently let a room to a lodger, Simone, James is forced to stay in a nearby hotel.
James cannot take his eyes of the lovely Simone, who works as a model and used to work for La Resistance during the war. The three of them go out and have fun together, until one day Fen and James return to Rose's for the shock of their lives.

"... a paintbrush jabbed fully into her neck..."

As Night Train to Paris is part of the Fen Churche Mystery Series I was waiting for a murder to happen. At a certain point I was wondering if the murder would happen at all, until I almost cried out loud at the sudden brutality of it! Welcome back, Fliss Chester!

Although this second novel seems to have a slower pace than the first had, still it was again a lovely read. I love the way Fen cannot seem to hold her tongue and act like a proper lady. I can visualize her standing there in the entrance of a fancy hotel sopping wet from following someone on a whim during heavy rain. Then noticing James and Simone enjoying an intimate (and secretive?) moment in that certain hotel, them noticing her and causing her to blush heavily and while mumbling running out into the rain again. Simply adorable!

One of the most important things for me in a murder mystery is whether I guess correctly who the murder is or not. I can tell you I picked the right one, but couldn't figure out exactly how it must have happened. So even though I knew who the killer was before the end, I was still surprised by it!

A tummy bug and a blog tour stop at the same time could produce a terrible review but I will try to write something rational and intelligible as I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
I loved A Dangerous Goodbye, an excellent start for a historical mystery series, and I loved Night Train to Paris.
We met again Fen and we are in Paris, just after the WWII ended.
This is a well written, engrossing and highly entertaining story that kept me hooked.
The historical background is one of the elements that fascinated me as I learned something new about arts stolen from Jews by Nazis and I loved how the author describes the places and the atmosphere.
The character development is excellent and I loved Rose, a great characters, and Fen. Fen is clever and likable character with a knack for puzzle.
This is one of those mystery that creates the scene for the murder and there's plenty of clues and  backstory before you meet the victim. The mystery part is full of twists and turns and I liked the solution even if I guessed the culprit quite soon.
I can't wait to read the next book in this series, this one is highly recommended.
Many thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Now it’s 1945 & Fen Churche arrives in Paris, determined to put the horrors of the war behind her. But the city of lights has lost its spark, except inside the beautiful apartment of Fen’s godmother, artist Rose Coillard. Fen can’t wait to hear about Rose’s war work – under the nose of prominent Nazis, Rose created a secret list of the precious paintings they stole. Now Rose will be able to return them to their rightful Jewish owners. After a blissful few days reuniting with old friends, Fen finds Rose dead: stabbed through the neck with one of her own paintbrushes. Bewildered and scared, Fen is determined to solve her beloved friend’s murder, just like she does with her favourite crossword puzzles. Then she discovers the cypher that unlocks Rose’s list is missing. When Fen finds a blackmail letter in Rose’s mailbox, accusing her of selling Jewish-owned paintings to the Nazis, she can’t believe what she’s reading. Then another member of Rose’s Resistance network, who transported the artwork, dies in a volley of gunshots and Fen is sure the deaths are the work of the same villain. 
This is the second book in the series & it could be read on its own but to fully appreciate it I’d recommend reading the previous book first. I love Fen & how she uses her love of crossword puzzles to solve the mystery, I also love James & hope we find out more of his backstory as the series unfolds. A well written book that is a slow burner, it starts slowly but the pace gradually increases until I found myself engrossed & eager to find out if my guesses were correct. I look forward to more in the series
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Two of my favorite types of mysteries are historical mysteries, and mysteries set in France.   Night Train to Paris fits in both categories, so I was happy to receive an advance copy from the publisher to review.   And I liked it!

The book opens as Fenella Churche is travelling from Dijon to Paris - on the civilian “night train” that isn’t really supposed to be a night train, but actually is, since pretty much every other train on the tracks in the aftermath of World War II has higher priority than it does.   After learning details of her fiancé’s death in Burgundy during the waning days of the war, Fen is intending to stay in Paris for a while with her long-time friend, Rose.   (These events are apparently detailed in the first book of the series, which I haven’t read, but now intend to.   Not having read the first book wasn’t a problem, though, because author Fliss Chester provided enough background and information about the characters that I never felt lost.)

The overall story revolves around efforts to track paintings that had been stolen from Jewish families by the Nazis while Paris was occupied.   Fen’s friend Rose had been instrumental in coding these paintings at the time they were taken, and is now involved in trying to find and restore them to their original, rightful owners.   But soon after Fen arrives in Paris, Rose is found murdered.   And the story proceeds from there…   

One of the reasons I like historical mysteries is the chance to learn something, in a relatively painless way, about a time I don’t know much about.   Night Train to Paris delivered on this.   I knew some general facts about the German occupation of Paris, about art thefts during that time, about the Resistance, etc., but I enjoyed having these threads pulled together into the background for a nice puzzle.   And in this case, since I’m reasonably familiar with Paris, I also enjoyed recognizing many of the sites in the book.  I also just liked the mystery itself, which kept me guessing right until the end.  All-in-all, this was a solid read, which kept me up late into the night wanting to know who did it!    

Please note that I tend to try to fight star-flation a little bit, only giving five stars to maybe one in thirty or forty books that I read.  So four stars really is a good rating from me and means I definitely do recommend a book.    And my thanks again to Bookouture/NetGalley for the ARC!