The Paris Mystery focuses on Charlie (Charlotte) James, a young Australian journalist hoping to make it as the Paris correspondent for a large British newspaper in 1938, and to leave her broken marriage behind. Charlie's tryout in her new job necessitates her involvement with "le tout-Paris"-- the upper class, affluent elite--and she successfully wangles invitations to high-end events, including those sponsored by wealthy British expatriates Lord and Lady Ashworth. At one of these events, a prominent Paris businessman is found with his throat slashed, and Charlie may have seen something that will be helpful to the police inspector, not to mention fodder for her newspaper articles.

What I particularly enjoyed are the lavish descriptions of high-end events, including a decadent circus ball and a banquet at the Louvre, glorious couture gowns, impressive estates, and beautiful gardens. Although this isn't the sort of plot that requires a lot of character development, my favorite characters were Charlie's vivacious new friend Violet, office manager at the news bureau, and green-haired Lady Eleanor Ashworth, a former actress and interior decorator--both of whom are sympathetic to Charlie's efforts to succeed in her job. The mystery of who killed the businessman and another victim is well developed, although I found the final twist a bit difficult to accept. At the end of the book, we still don't know a lot about Charlie's background, but as this is the first in an expected series, it leaves a lot to be explored in future series entries.

My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House, Vintage for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

The first in a new series. Charlie James becomes the Paris correspondent for The Times, and she almost immediately gets caught up in a murder. Set in the late 1930s with great descriptions of the setting, the clothes, and the threat of imminent war. Interesting characters with lots of hidden motives. The plot of the murder wandered a bit and some parts were implausible (the French police detective shared a surprising amount of information with an unknown foreign journalist, and Charlie breezes rather quickly over some ethical dilemmas like accepting free clothes) but overall a good start to the series. Between 3 and 4 stars. Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC.

Your new favorite cozy mystery has entered the chat.

I was in a huge reading slump for WEEKS, but this is the book that got me out of it! The entire story was nothing but fun from the start to the finish. If you’re looking for a really creepy mystery, this isn’t it. If you are looking for a crossover episode between The Great Gatsby and Nancy Drew, this IS it. I fell in love with Charlie’s character in this story, and I had a blast reading about her ambition and lack of tolerance for people who underestimate her. It was so nice to read about women who were strong, resilient characters whose lives had multiple aspects to them.

The author’s descriptions throughout this book were INCREDIBLE. The pure opulence of some of the settings and outfits kept me dazzled the whole way through. This story was fast paced, and felt like it was just the right length. It didn’t drag at any point, but I also didn’t wish for it to be any longer. There were some aspects that weren’t my favorite, however. One thing that I really didn’t enjoy was Charlie being written to consistently think of the men in her life. It seemed exceptionally out of place for Charlie to be solving a murder but only ever contemplating her feelings for the men she knows. In addition, the ending didn’t come together quite as seamlessly as I hoped. It was a decent ending overall, but to me it felt like some aspects were a little forced. Overall, I gave this read a 3.75 star rating! I will definitely be tuning in for the series to get my fix of cozy mysteries.

Thank you to Net Galley and Penguin Random House for this ARC of The Paris Mystery!

This historical mystery wad good, very good infant. It had a great story line and I loved Charlie! Can't wait to see what other adventures she goes on!!
I just reviewed The Paris Mystery by Kirsty Manning. #TheParisMystery #NetGalley
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Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for the opportunity to read The Paris Mystery by Kristy Manning. Yay! A new series by a superb author. And set in Paris! What more could a girl ask for! I loved this book. Charlie and her friends and co-workers are delightful, smart, stylish, (Violet rocks! ) and i am already impatient for their next adventure.