A female reporter in early 20th century Paris quickly becomes a part of the in crowd while she uncovers a murderous plot. Full of couture and vivre, Manning’s detailed story unfolds entertainingly and all is revealed in the end. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next.

Charlie James is a journalist determined to work the Paris desk of the London Times. It’s 1938 in Paris, prior to the outbreak of war, when there was a frivolity of balls and other social events. For Charlie to do her job, she had to get close to Lady Ashworth, a philanthropist who threw extravagant parties. When a man is murdered during one of these events, Charlie is on the scene to begin to assist the Inspector to solve the mystery. Paris is always the perfect setting, and this mystery has appealing characters too. Recommended. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This is a historical fiction novel that takes place in the 1930s. A female Australian journalist joins a newspaper in Paris and is sent out to cover her first story about one of the city elites when a murder happens a few hundred yards away. It takes you on an adventure as she investigates and navigates her new city's social scene while trying not to step on any unnecessary toes.

It's an incredibly fun era to be thrown into, and it's a light, fun read. There's fashion, lavish parties, diplomats, and titled expats. It left me guessing until the very end! There are several lead characters, but it's easy to follow. Overall, just an enjoyable read. I'd recommend this for anyone looking to escape into another time and place--especially a glamorous one--with a bit of mystery.

Australian reporter Charlotte “Charlie” James didn’t exactly lie to land her plum job as correspondent for the British-based newspaper The Times in 1938 Paris. After all, no one asked her if she was a woman. It certainly isn’t her fault that her new boss assumed from her byline that she’d be a man. To George Roberts’ credit, once the head of the Paris bureau gets over his surprise at her gender, he’s happy enough to give her the same opportunities he would offer to any of his other new hires.

Charlie’s first assignment is to ingratiate herself with Lord and Lady Ashworth who are leading lights in Parisian society, especially among the emigre set. For once her gender works to her advantage, allowing her to make the quick and easy acquaintance of the friendly if decidedly quirky Lady Ashworth. Charlie is bemused by many of Lady Ashworth’s eccentricities, but perhaps by none more so than her relationship with her much younger assistant, Conrad Mackenzie. Charlie’s well-connected co-worker Violet Carthage can neither confirm nor deny the nature of their relationship, but assures Charlie that whatever it is, it’s no big deal. While

QUOTE
In Sydney, such matters were clandestine and spoken about in hushed whispers; here, Lady Ashworth was free to be herself. In Paris, emotions were amplified, abstract ideas and dreams revered, and conventions shrugged off with French nonchalance. Charlie thought it was wonderful.

She had come to Paris to reinvent herself in the city that flouted rules. Break news. Break stories. Break with her past.
END QUOTE

Charlie has thus already been seduced by the glamor of Paris even before Lady Ashworth invites her to the Circus Ball, a glamorous fete that the Ashworths throw annually on the eve of the summer solstice. The extravaganza features beautiful people, scrumptious food and titillating entertainment. Secret assignations in the shadows of the wealthy couple’s sprawling Villa Trianon estate only add to the night’s air of romance, danger and mystery.

Real drama erupts, however, when the influential Maxime Marchand is found stabbed to death in the estate’s labyrinth. Charlie herself had had minimal contact with the wealthy financier, having previously been warned away from spending too much time with a man whose reputation earned him just as much mistrust as admiration. Her instincts had led her to heed that warning, just as they now tell her that staying at the forefront of his murder investigation could land her the scoop that solidifies her Parisian career.

Trouble is, Maxime was so well-connected that an alarming number of often conflicting political pressures keep coming to bear on both her and her paper’s coverage of the case. Getting to the truth would get almost everyone off of her and Roberts’ backs. The one exception, of course, would be the murderer, who has no intention of being brought to justice. Can Charlie avoid becoming the killer’s next victim in the course of her relentless pursuit of the truth?

The Paris Mystery is a transporting tale of a plucky young reporter in Gay Paree, brought to effervescent life by Kirsty Manning’s vivid writing. The food, the fashion and the heady atmosphere are all captured perfectly as Charlie balances her appreciation of her new home with her determination to develop her career. It is, after all, a job she’s worked hard to nurture, no mean feat for a woman in the 1930s, whether in Europe or in Australia where she first made her name:

QUOTE
It was only when she took over a murder story from an unfortunate junior beat reporter who’d had his appendix out that her boss had noticed she had some serious writing prowess. He’d raised his bushy eyebrows as he’d read her homicide copy and passed it to the subeditors, barking, ‘No changes,’ before adding quickly, ‘but make the by-line Charlie James. We want people to read it–it’s not the case of the missing handkerchief.’ He’d sauntered out, slamming the door behind him.

Standing in the middle of the room, typewriters whirring around her, Charlie had had the strangest sensation of being both hugged and slapped.
END QUOTE

This considered examination of both the good and bad of being a female journalist during that era serves to enhance the verisimilitude of a story deeply rooted in the pre-World War II years. The mystery itself offers plenty of twists as Charlie pursues both her scoop and an extraordinary new life in the City of Light.

Cheers to the days where you don't have to give yourself a male sounding nick names to get a job like poor Charlotte had to do. Come on news agencies, you cannot be this close minded. You could not be shocked when Charlie turned out to be short for Charlotte. If you hired this correspondent based on her work, let her do the work!

Charlotte was still given the job of covering society parties. She needed to hang out with glamorous women to catch drift of what their husbands were doing. She had to do the dirty work, so her male counterparts could write "significant" stories. Charlotte's mum didn't raise a quitter though! Charlie founds herself in the middle of a murder mystery where she was the only one to solve it.

Good book for anyone who is interested in European glam parties, fashion, murder mysteries and little bit of history.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this title. This is my first experience with this author.

The concept was interesting, as were some of the characters, however the writing was clunky at times. The flow of the story was off.

The protagonist did not pull me in. I found her to be the least interesting character in the book. The identity of the murderer was obvious from early on.

I don't think I will be reading more from this author. As an additional note, the formatting of the ARC was horrible and made it difficult to read.

This is one really great read. Hooked me in from the first page to the last. The characters are all spot on. Has you guessing and then rethinking that guess right up to the last page. Enjoyed this read and highly recommend. I way given an advanced reader copy of this very well written book by NetGalley and I am freely sharing my review.

Kirsty Manning delivers all the elements of a good mystery. Set in Paris in 1938, she delivers a main character who is a feisty and beautiful reporter who just happens to land in the middle of uppercrust, famous people and, oh yes, a murder.

In between fittings for designer gowns and running to glamorous parties, she partners with the police to solve the case. She is always in the right place at the right time. For me, it was all too predictable and there was no challenge to reading it. Happy accidents are the main character's forte and although Manning writes well, her talents seem wasted on this silly story.

Since this book is apparently part of a series, maybe the next one will be better.

Many thanks to Net Galley for my copy to read and review.

This light, cosy mystery is set in Paris in 1938. Australian reporter Charlotte has arrived to be the new news correspondent and finds herself in the midst of a political and high society murder investigation. Whilst having all the usual elements of this kind of story, I didn't resonate with the leading lady and the storyline. There is nothing inherently wrong with it, the characters have depth and the story had twists but this one just wasn’t for me. If you enjoy a little more of a cosmopolitan flavour with romance drama, this may be for you. It's a three out of five on the enJOYment scale.

This book is SO GOOD! It is intriguing, gripping, suspenseful, full of twist and turns, and so much more. Whenever I picked up "The Paris Mystery", I was whisked back in time to the 1930s, and could not put this book down!

Kirsty Manning is a phenomenal author. The story she is telling jumps right off of the page; from the historical details, to the characters, to the mystery, and locations. I found myself flipping the pages chapter after chapter, and hope there will be many more books in this series!

Charlie is such as strong, intelligent, brave, and hard-working woman. She is now a correspondent for The Times, and is invited to the circus ball at the Ashworth's to help her get to know lots of people in Paris. I do not want to say too much about the plot due to spoilers, but, I will say, this book has so much in it. When a death occurs, Charlie wants to solve exactly what happened, and find out who committed murder. She balances solving the mystery, along with her reporting work, and it was so interesting to see how the two are different in some respects, yet intertwine and inform one another as well in many others. I truly was hooked from the first page to the last.

I feel some elements are definitely a set-up for future books! Fingers crossed!

If you enjoy Historical Mysteries, I highly recommend this book! I look forward to reading what Kirsty Manning writes next!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin Random House-Vintage for the ARC of this book! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

In 1938 Sydney, Australia, Charlotte (Charlie) James leaves her broken marriage behind to move to Paris where she will be the new correspondednt for The Times. When she arrives in Paris it is obvious that her new editor thought he had hired a man but Charlie is undeterred and determined to prove her worth as a writer. Her editor tells her that they need a geat new story and in order to be able to get all the society news she must get to know Lord and Lady Ashworth and get accepted into their inner circle. The Ashworths are at the center of everything important that is happening in Paris. Lady Ashworth takes a shine to Charlie and invites her to the lavish circus ball that she is having at their estate. Everyone important will be there.

Charlie arrives at the circus ball and is enjoying all of the circus events when suddenly there is a scream and a wealthy but unscrupulous bussinessman is found dead. Then there is another murder. Determined to get to the bottom of what has happened she temas up with a Paris detective to investigate the long list of people who might have wanted to kill them.

I really enjoyed The Paris Mystery. Charlie is a feisty, smart young woman trying to reinvent herself after suffering a huge betrayal. The Paris setting is alive with the cafes, glamourous fashions and decadence of this pre-war time period and the reader is pulled right into it. I hope there is a sequel so we can continue to follow Charlie’s adventures.

The Paris Mystery was pubkished on July 25th. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguim Random House for the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest revi.ew.

Charlotte (Charlie) James arrives in Paris from Australia at the end of summer 1938 to begin her job as a correspondent to The Times, After her marriage fell apart, she left Australia with the intent of making a name for herself in her profession.
Her assistant, Violet, arranges her appointments and her first assignment is to write a feature piece about Lady Ashcroft, a wealthy Paris A-lister. Lady Ashcroft to her annual Circus Ball and Violet finds the perfect gown for Charlie through a couture in Paris. Toward the end of the night, however, a wealthy investment advisor is found murdered and Charlie finds herself deeply involved in the investigation.
The Times photographer has some photos that could be useful to the police investigation and coupled with Charlie's experience (at the side of her father a criminal prosecutor), she helps the police with the case.
This book brought together a good murder mystery set in Prewar Paris with all the glitz and glamor of the City of Light. I understand that this is the first of a series and it will be interesting to see what Charlie's future adventures will bring.
I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and the opinions expressed are my own.

This is the first book read by this author.

Interesting story. Many twists and turns. The lead character being a female reporter located in Paris, pre- WW II was unique. I enjoyed Charlie James and her method of sleuthing and deductive reasoning. The attention to details in the story, from describing a lamp to an altercation was amazing. Well done.

Hope to read more of this author’s works.

Thank you.

The Paris Mystery follows Charlie James, a reporter from Australia in the 1920s who has moved to Paris in an effort to start life anew. She gets a job with the London-based Times and quickly gets to work immersing herself in the who's who of Paris. A gala she is covering turns murderous, and Charlie finds herself entwined in a mystery where every Parisian socialite is a suspect.

What I loved:

-Charlie. She was a great protagonist and I loved rooting for her. Her friendship with Violet was one of my favorite parts of the book, and I enjoyed the hints of romance. She is smart and calculating, strong and fearless.
-Paris in the 1920's. What glam, what fun! The galas, the fashion, the food, the luxury. This was an enjoyable setting of both time and place.

What I didn't love:

-The mystery. It seemed underdeveloped and rather simple. I was expecting more twists and turns, more shocks and gasps. Once it was solved, it was underwhelming.
-The pacing. I know Manning needed to balance character development and the plot, but the book just kind of trudged along with no variation or nuance.
-The random "spicy" scene. Don't get me wrong, I love spice. But there was this one random scene that felt so out of the blue I didn't understand it. It was almost as if Manning thought the book should be sexier, so she threw something in last minute. The story didn't need it at all.

Overall I'd read the next book simply because I loved the protagonist so much, even though this one was a bit of a let down.

Thank you so much to @NetGalley and @PenguinRandomHouse for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is a great start to a series featuring Charlotte "Charlie" James who has moved from Australia to Paris to pursue a career in newspaper reporting. I found Charlie to be very likeable as well as intelligent. It was easy to keep track of the characters and the descriptions of life in Paris were wonderful. The investigation moved well and stayed on point throughout the book. I did not guess the ending, but found it to be a good solution.

This is a good first entry in a new historical mystery series.

Charlotte "Charlie" James is the new Paris correspondent for the Times newspaper, out of London. It's the 1930s, and she has to prove she is just as good if not better than the men to keep her job.

Her first assignment is a profile of Lady Ashworth, who can give Charlie an in with the wealthy citizens of the city. Lady Ashworth likes Charlie well enough, and invites her to the Circus Ball she is hosting. Charlie is dazzled by the extravagance and the amazing performers, but it's the dead body in the garden that steals the show. Charlie will do anything to get the story and solve the murder.

If you like historical mysteries, this is a good one. Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book.

How fun to be in the society world of 1938 Paris. Lush gowns, beautiful parties, intrigue, and murder.
Our heroine, Charlie, is new to Paris from Australia and is thrilled to be one of the first women journalists. She is put on the society page to do fluff pieces but lands right in the middle of the murder of a supposed pillar of the financial community. This allows Charlie to do what she really wants to do - cover the crime beat.
This is a fun book that takes you to a happy Paris between the two wars. We know what is on the horizon, but they don’t so they are just having a good time. I did, too.

I liked Charlie and enjoyed the descriptions of the fashion world and the historical background.
The mystery is a on the very light side but I had fun.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

While I enjoyed the historical setting and Charlie herself, I found the story a bit stereotypically formulaic and predictable. Since it was entertaining, though, and easy to fly through, I would still recommend, and am sincerely looking forward to the next installment in this series. So much potential.

The Paris Mystery by Kirsty Manning is set in Paris in the late 1930s. Chock full of intrigue, glamour and fashion it is the first of a new series. Quirky and feisty Charlotte "Charlie" James has left Australia to make a fresh start in Paris as a journalist for London's The Times, not the easiest thing to do in a man's world. In order to become enmeshed in society and make connections, she inveigles into the lives of Lord and Lady Ashworth and the world of the uber rich. She attends the annual Circus Ball but what happens there is what most don't anticipate. Death comes knocking and Charlie teams up with dashing Inspector Bernard in more ways than one.

The plot is not a unique one and on the whole left me underwhelmed. The story is a little fashion heavy but a very important aspect of the era, especially in Paris. However, I enjoyed the descriptions which transported me to Versailles and Paris in a heartbeat.

My sincere thank you to Penguin Random House, Vintage and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this entertaining novel.