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    Cyril Lignac MesDesserts

    Cyril Lignac MesDesserts

    Food & Drink and Photo & Video

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    Back to school, bake off, with MesDessert, put the favourite French chef in your pocket. Cyril...

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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2271 KP) rated The Paris Mistress in Books

May 16, 2024 (Updated May 16, 2024)  
The Paris Mistress
The Paris Mistress
Mally Becker | 2024 | Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Who is Bribing Dr. Franklin?
It’s been 10 months since Daniel Alloway went to Paris for his new employer, and Rebecca Parcell is thrilled to finally be joining him, with plans to wed while they are there. Daniel has been staying with Benjamin Franklin, and, not too long after Rebecca arrives, Dr. Franklin receives a note bribing him to end the Revolutionary War in England’s favor. When Daniel and Rebecca start to investigate, a dead body soon turns up. Can they figure out what is going on?

While I love the time period, I usually prefer to focus on what was happening in the colonies at the time. I am glad this book was set in France, however, since it allowed me to see how our war as impacting them. I really appreciated that insight. The plot is good. I was beginning to suspect where things were going, but there were so many secrets that I really wasn’t sure. Daniel and Rebecca are still a great team, and I enjoyed seeing them in action again. The characters, whether real or fictional, were just as good. If you enjoy this period of history, you need to read these books.
  
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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Breakdown in Books

Jan 21, 2018  
The Breakdown
The Breakdown
B.A. Paris | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
6
8.0 (16 Ratings)
Book Rating
Easy-to-read (0 more)
Predictable (1 more)
Silly plot
Cass is driving home one rainy night--taking the back road to her house--when she sees a woman stopped by the side of the road. Cass pauses to help her, but eventually drives home without making any contact. She feels bad about not assisting, but the crazy storm prevents her from even seeing who is in the car. It's only later that her husband tells her that someone was murdered that night, and Cass realizes that it was the same woman she saw. Eventually Cass realizes it was a woman she knew, Jane, and she feels even worse. After, Cass is consumed by Jane's murder. She feels watched and is convinced the murderer is calling her house repeatedly. She's forgetting things, unable to work her household appliances, and receiving items she swears she never ordered. Is Cass truly going crazy--and is the murderer coming for her next?

This book was a weird one for me. I'm one of the few who didn't read Paris' first novel, but I'd heard all the hype and was curious to try this one. The novel relies on the unreliable narrator trope big time; I was certainly befuddled early on whether Cass was indeed an unreliable narrator going mad, or whether someone was messing with her. The problem, for me, was that I was expecting an amazing thriller, but I found the novel rather predictable from the get-go. I figured things out early on. Still, I have to give it to Paris: I felt compelled to keep reading despite it all. The book is a page-turner, for sure.

However, the plot is based on silly secrets and a lack of communication (both huge pet peeves of mine). Cass won't go to the police about seeing Jane's car simply because she doesn't want to tell her husband she took a shortcut she promised she wouldn't take? Seriously? Her friend's life is worth less than that? Further, she won't tell anyone about her dementia fears and forgetfulness. It was very frustrating and often times, I found myself more baffled than intrigued by the mystery.

In the end, this was an interesting one. I found it very predictable and honestly felt like I'd read this novel already (I swear I've read a book with a very similar plot: something that will drive me crazy forever). Still, it was compulsively readable and easy-to-read. Overall, probably about 2.5 stars for me. However, it seems like most people loved this, so take my review with a grain of salt!

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review.