Despite the books title, there is no sign of a mystery at all in the first quarter of this new novel by Kirsty Manning, but there is a delightful escapade through 1938 Parisian high society. The main character is a young Australian journalist, who has just taken a new position as a foreign correspondent for the British newspaper, the Times, in their Paris bureau. Hired sight unseen based on her reporting in her hometown newspaper, Charlie (Charlotte) James surprises her new boss upon arrival, when, based on her name, he expected a man to appear. Immediately, he lets her know that she must excel in her very first reported story or he will quickly replace her.

Charlie’s first assignment will be to explore the private world and political network of Lord and Lady Ashworth, who have recently relocated to Paris from London due to the Lord’s appointment as a diplomat. The Ashworths are one of Paris‘ wealthiest and most prominent society hosts during a troubled time in Europe’s history, when Germany’s growing aggression is causing increasing concern among Europe’s leaders and powerful people. As Charlie ingratiates herself with Lady Ashworth and infiltrates the pre-WWII world of Parisian high society known as le tout-Paris, readers follow her attempts to learn more about their inner circle of friends and their political sympathies. She is introduced to society’s beautiful people, and readers accompany her as she learns about their preferences in couture apparel, wines and champagnes, lavish food, and luxe residences. Of course, she, and readers, also hear numerous whispers and innuendo about clandestine liaisons, drug secrets and extramarital affairs. Having successfully gained the friendship of Lady Ashworth, Charlie is invited to Lady Ashworth’s famous masked circus ball, which very exclusive guest list even includes Wallis Simpson and the Duke of Windsor. While waiting for something sinister to occur, we are entertained by a delightful frothy overview of the extravagant behavior of this elite circle. Then, in the middle of the elaborate festivities, a bloody body is discovered.

Charlie is told very directly by her new boss that to secure her post with the Times, she must scoop the other top newspapers that have raced to print “Society Murder” headlines, in her reporting of facts on the crime. Charlie is determined to play amateur sleuth and discover the truth as quickly as possible, not only to secure her reporting position, but to aid some of her new society friends who are coming under suspicion. No grisly facts must be dealt with, the mystery is not overwhelmingly complicated, and Charlie has a reasonably smooth path ahead to solve the mystery with a little help from a charming and handsome police inspector. She faces her challenges without needing to work too hard or sacrifice her new love of independence and French indulgence. The remainder of the book is a charming, breezy adventure in which Charlie achieves her goals while never turning down a glass of wine, a martini or a flute of champagne!

Thank you to Net Galley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
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Charlotte (Charlie) James relocated from Australia to Paris in order to be a reporter on the Paris desk for the London Times. The daughter of a well known prosecutor, she was raised to be independent and dogged in spirit. She was divorcing her husband of two years for his infidelity and needed a fresh start. Although surprised that “Charlie James” turned out to be an attractive female, her new boss quickly assigned her to covering Lady Ashworth and her charity functions. She becomes involved with a variety of characters, including a dress designer, an American photographer, a British commander, and many more. She uses her investigative skills to solve the Paris mystery. Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC.

What a wonderful read! This was a very enjoyable mystery with a cast of quirky characters with lots of personality. I loved every second of the audacious dream that is Paris and its excesses. I would highly recommend this very fast paced fascinating novel. Looking forward to the next Charlie James mystery!

It took a really long time to get to the mystery (nearly 25% of the way in).

If you’re looking for vivid descriptions of food, parties, and Paris in general you’ll definitely enjoy this book.

I wanted more action from Charlie and less conversations. The amount of characters who all spoke the same made it difficult to differentiate between them.

The mystery plot line was good; it just dragged on too long with irrelevant informaron shared either as a red herring or background knowledge.

This is the first entry in a planned series by Australian author Kristy Manning.

Reporter Charlie (Charlotte) James, seeking to start a new chapter of her life as she divorces her unfaithful Australian husband, lands a job as a reporter for the London Times in Paris. Eager to prove herself in a male dominated career, she's quickly immersed in reporting on the lives of some of Paris' rich and famous. In less than a week a murder occurs at a fancy party given by a wealthy expat British couple who live in a cottage on the estate of Versailles. Charlie is curious and tenacious and improbably manages to immediately insert herself in helping the chief inspector solve the case.

The Paris Mystery is a light, fast mystery with a look into 1938 Paris high society and fashion on the brink of WWII. I will look forward to future installments of Charlie's story - the premise is a good one - plucky, likeable young reporter turned sleuth at a momentous time in history, with the backdrop of one of my favorite cities. The pace of the plot strained credulity, the characters needed more development and her writing style could be tightened up, but the author did a great job of setting the scene and obviously did a lot of research. And that cover is fantastic! Overall it was an enjoyable read for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Vintage Anchor for the opportunity to read an advanced coy.

Paris, 1938. Charlie James arrives looking for a fresh start and what better place than Paris to get a second chance in life? But trouble is just around the corner!

From Amazon:
Charlie James is chasing her first big scoop as correspondent for British-based newspaper The Times, and she needs to prove to her boss that she can do this job as well, if not better, than her male counterparts. The best way to forge the necessary contacts quickly is to make well-connected British expats, Lord and Lady Ashworth, her business. Lady Eleanor knows everyone in Parisian high society, and at her sumptuously extravagant annual party, a Circus Ball, Charlie will meet them all.

On the summer solstice eve, the Circus Ball is in full swing, with the Parisian elites entranced by burlesque dancers, tightrope walkers, a jazz band . . . and a horrific murder. A wealthy but unscrupulous investor is dead, and the list of suspects is a veritable who's who of le haut monde. As Charlie tries to determine who the murderer is, she finds herself drawn into the magical parties, couture houses, and bohemian wine bars of the City of Lights. Soon secrets start to unravel, including some Charlie has a personal stake in keeping hidden.


I. LOVED. THIS. It was great fun and very fabulous. The author did an excellent job of transporting us to Paris in all of it's opulent glory. The mystery was solid. The main character is great. I look foward to further installments in this series.

Many thanks to Penguine Random House for the digital advanced reader copy in exchange for and honest review. The novel will be published this coming Tuesday, July 25, 203 and I highly recommned it.

historical-fiction, historical-figures, historical-places-events, historical-research, historical-setting, history-and-culture, mystery, thriller, international-crime-and-mystery, international-tensions, occupied-France, romantic, fashion, intrigue, feminist, murder, murder-investigation, suspense, twisty, amateur-sleuth, unputdownable, new-series, first-in-series*****

An Aussie girl with ambitions to be a journalist heads off to Paris at the very beginning of WW2 with all the dangers she cannot foresee. The characters and the situations are very clearly depicted and the whole plot is very well done and drew me along until I finished it in near record time.
I requested and received an EARC from Penguin Random House/Vintage via NetGalley. Thank you!

Australian Author

Intriguing novel mixed in with the delicious sights and sounds of Paris and an intrepid reporter all make for a dazzling mystery, except for the boring title - The Paris Mystery. Charlie James finds her dream job with the Times in Paris. Her first story is an indepth intervivew with Lady Ashworth, one of the movers and shakers of Paris society. Invited to Lady Ashworth extravaganza Circus Ball, Charlie has high hopes for her career and the article until she finds a dead man in the bushes. He is a wealthy, but unscrupulous merchant and investor. Everyone is a suspect and Charlie finds herself caught between her journalism job and friendship. An excellent first in a series and I am looking for more.

The Paris Mystery Review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wow! I have never read a novel by Kirsten Manning before, but I can say this will not be my last read by her. I loved this historical fiction mystery. The setting was so descriptive, and exciting! I also absolutely loved the representation of a woman trying to prove herself in a ,then male dominated, profession. The characters were so well developed, and the plot had me reading this in one sitting. I can’t wait for this series to be continued!

Charlie has left her failed marriage behind in Australia and moved to Paris. It's 1938 and she's determined to make herself the best crime reporter in town. She gets a good start when a man is killed at the Circus Ball, which she's attended thanks to Lady Ashcroft, a wealthy British expat. Charlie links up with Inspector Bernard and we're off. It's an interesting take on a historical cozy - and it's got room to grow as a series. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC, A good read and I'm look forward to more from Manning.

It’s 1938 and Charlie, short for Charlotte, has just landed her dream job as a reporter for The Times in Paris. (Her masculine byline may have something to do with that but who’s counting!) Charlie has just arrived as her marriage back in Australia is ending and she’s looking for a fresh start in the legendary city. Almost immediately she’s drawn in to the intrigues of high society and it’s not as glamorous as it seems. In fact, it’s dangerous and deadly. In the background Hitler is making noise and Europe is on edge, afraid of another war.

This is a fun, interesting whodunnit. Paris is a lovely setting and I find the ‘intrepid girl reporter’ trope entertaining. I enjoyed it and am looking forward to the rest of the series.

This is a new series starting Charlie James. A sassy, head strong red headed news reporter from Australia, living in Paris.
Charlie and her boss George and his secretary Violate are all ver likable characters.
While covering a summer ball, a Murder takes place and Charlie’s on it. This was a refreshing mystery. It had me wrongly thinking about whom the murderer was until the end. I look forward to the second book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for a honest opinion. 3.5

This gave me all the Agatha Christie vibes! It is 1938 and Charlotte, (Charlie) James is a young, ambitious Australian journalist. She is given the opportunity of a lifetime to be a foreign correspondent for The Times, a British-based newspaper, in Paris. It comes at the prefect time, as she needs a fresh start, away from her crumbling marriage in Sydney. She needs a big story to prove herself, and she finds just that when a man is murdered at the Ashworth’s Circus Ball. The victim was a man who had many enemies, which means there is a long list of likely suspects. Charlie will stop at nothing to solve the crime, and get the story.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for this e-arc.*

Charlie James is full of surprises. Hoping to start a new life she arrives in pre World War II Paris and is met by her boss, who expected Charlie, not Charlotte, an attractive, ambitious, and talented news reporter. Hoping to secure a position as the Paris Correspondent for the London Times she strives to prove herself worthy of the position, regardless of her sex. Though initially to get close to the politically “in crowd” she interviews the influential Lady Ashworth and gains an invitation to the Spring Ball Gala. Drama, murder, friendship, and relationships are woven into an intricate plot with several surprising twists. I am not sure that all the detail about Charlie’s ex husband added to this tale, but since this is the first of a series there may be relevance in future books. Charlie is a very likeable character and I am glad that this is the first of a series so I will enjoy more of her adventures. Since this first book takes place in 1938, the war is brewing so I suspect (and hope) that there may be some historical events included in subsequent episodes. This is the first book authored by Kirsty Manning that I have read. I hope to read some of her previous books and look forward to additional books in this series.
Thanks to Net Galley for providing an electronic prepublication copy of this book for me to review.

Set in Paris 1938 Charlie is a female trying to be a journalist for the British paper.
She is to cover a special event with important people when a murder is committed.Charlie tries to gather all the facts to solve the murder.
Intriguing story with good characters,suspense,danger,twists and mystery.Voluntarily reviewed.

On a rainy gray Sunday morning I whizzed through this story. It has everything--romance, mystery, haute couture, gourmet dining, international intrigue, women's rights. I was so fascinated I didn't realize that it had turned into a beautiful sunny afternoon.

1938, Paris, murder and secrets. What a way to start of book one of The Charlie James series.
Charlie is an Australian reporter making her own way in Paris. Little does she know what’s ahead. A fun, historical fiction with a female lead that’s a comparison to Shiela Grant Duff.
Looking forward to more in this series.

Pub Date: 07/25/2023

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I didn’t really like this one. It was more of a cozy mystery which is not my vibe. I didn’t really dare for this.

I really enjoyed this book! The timeline, the setting, all the characters, were vivid. Charlie especially was memorable, but the supporting characters were well-developed and I was hoping for a series!

My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the book in exchange for my honest thoughts. This was my first read by the author, and I’ll definitely be looking for more. Such a delightful story.

A newspaper reporter attends a society ball where a murder has occurred and helps with the investigation of the murder.