Book Review of ‘The Paris Apartment’ by Lucy Foley

Have you ever dreamt of running away from your old life and landing in a foreign city? Do you see yourself in a glamourous apartment in the heart of Paris? Oui bien sûr!  Well, pack your bags, and let me welcome you to floor three of No.12 Rue des Amants, your suite in a beautiful old apartment block.

This apartment block has everything that you could ever need: a watchful concierge, a scorned lover, a prying journalist and a naïve student. Oh, and Jess, the recently-arrived unwanted guest. Nothing here ever goes unseen, and everyone has a story to unlock. Something terrible happened in the apartment the night before Jess’ arrival. Who will hold the key to unlock the secret?

You know that you’re in a safe pair of hands with a Lucy Foley mystery. Her Christie-esque (that’s a word, right?) plots and multi-perspective narratives are becoming a well-loved staple on the mystery reader’s bookshelf and this latest novel won’t let you down.

Although it may not be as fast-paced as some thrillers on the market, Foley takes her time to explore the intricacies of each character’s emotions, motivations and back-story, rather than hurtling towards a climax. Readers may find this novel a little more risque in places than other mysteries (Agatha may well have blushed at these bits) but all-in-all, it’s a classic whodunnit with the pieces falling into place one after the other.

I was a little disappointed that there was so little of Paris itself despicted in ‘The Paris Apartment’, although there is plenty of the apartment and it’s neighbours, so it can hardly be acused of false advertising.

‘The Paris Apartment’ was published on 3rd March 2022.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lucy Foley and HarperCollins UK for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.