#BlogTour ‘The Paris Apartment’ by Lucy Foley

About the book…

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Guest List comes a new locked room mystery, set in a Paris apartment building in which every resident has something to hide…

Jess needs a fresh start. She’s broke and alone, and she’s just left her job under less than ideal circumstances. Her half-brother Ben didn’t sound thrilled when she asked if she could crash with him for a bit, but he didn’t say no, and surely everything will look better from Paris. Only when she shows up – to find a very nice apartment, could Ben really have afforded this? – he’s not there.

The longer Ben stays missing, the more Jess starts to dig into her brother’s situation, and the more questions she has. Ben’s neighbors are an eclectic bunch, and not particularly friendly. Jess may have come to Paris to escape her past, but it’s starting to look like it’s Ben’s future that’s in question.

The socialite – The nice guy – The alcoholic – The girl on the verge – The concierge

Everyone’s a neighbor. Everyone’s a suspect. And everyone knows something they’re not telling.

Hugest of thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things for the blog tour invite, and publishers Harper Collins for my gifted review copy of ‘The Paris Apartment’ by Lucy Foley, published on 22nd February in hardcover and e-book formats!

It reminds me very much of the Peter Sellers movie, ‘A Shot In The Dark’, wherein a murder takes place in a small , enclosed building , and around a garden and courtyard.

Tonally it gives you snapshots of each of the individuals who live and work in the building whose peace is shattered by the arrival of Jess,half-sister of journalist Ben, who, at the book’s opening believes he has the story of a lifetime to pitch.

Everything is shared in grey, you find it hard to dissociate between the characters who are viewed through windows, by the reader,as if we were voyeurs on the microcosm of life in this Parisian apartment block.

You have Jess who is running away from something bad, towards a half brother she barely knows. You have Ben, her brother,who has vanished and appears to have just left behind everything important -keys, wallet, cat-so Jess has to somehow break into his flat.

Our sense working overtime,you suspect a murder but not having seen one, you remain in the highest state of alert.

Each of the residents including the ancient concierge,has their own quite literally perspective, from Mimi and Camille on the fourth floor, to Sophie,Jacque, and Benoit, her dog in the penthouse, to Nick, Ben’s friend on the second floor.

None of them seem overly helpful so it is left to Jess to try and pull apart the clues which will hopefully lead her to Ben. But will he be alive when she finds him or will she even survive her stay in Paris? She has clearly got an air of mystery,but has she brought more than that across the Channel?

A brilliant locked room mystery which has you digging for clues in what amounts to a flicker book of characters, across short, precise chapters, this is an immediate and engaging reading experience.

There is an economy of words to the novel which belies its length leaving you guessing and wanting more as the narrative both swerves and reveals. Each of the people who narrates ‘The Paris Appartment’ had a very strong sense of identity yet there is still room for you to add your own layers and thoughts.

Lucy has done it again, she gives you so many twists and turns and you are happy to wrongfooted time and time again!

About the author…

Lucy Foley studied English Literature at Durham and UCL universities and worked for several years as a fiction editor in the publishing industry, before leaving to write full-time. The Hunting Party is her debut crime novel, inspired by a particularly remote spot in Scotland that fired her imagination.

Lucy is also the author of three historical novels, which have been translated into sixteen languages. Her journalism has appeared in ES Magazine, Sunday Times Style, Grazia and more.

Twitter @lucyfoleytweets @annecater @HarperCollinsUK