What’s the story?

Jess turns up at her half brothers Paris apartment, looking for somewhere to crash after leaving London in a hurry.  She wonders how he managed to afford something so luxurious and would ask him only he doesn’t seem to be around. So she waits and starts to become concerned about Ben, but the other inhabitants of the building aren’t very friendly and a bit strange, and everything she discovers only leads to another question.

There seems to be a secret behind each apartment door in this strange building and Jess starts to wonder exactly what she has stumbled into….

My Thoughts

I have read the bestselling ‘The guest list’ and found it an entertaining read in the mystery genre, so I’ve been keeping an eye out for new books by Lucy Foley. So the multiple viewpoints, switching between characters, was something I was familiar with. And I suppose if you’ve written one bestselling mystery novel, you’d be silly to change a winning formula.

‘The Paris Apartment’ is definitely a slow burner, and I really felt it took me a while to get into this. It sometimes felt there were too many narrative switches and that began to jar with me. I also found it difficult to engage with some of the characters, and felt at best ambivalent towards them.

Jess was my favourite narrator, as she was as just in the dark as we were in terms of what was going on, so the plot was being revealed bit by bit to us both. The fun, of course, is in trying to work out what the other characters are hiding, and I did change my mind quite a few times as to the hidden secrets of the other apartment dwellers. Lucy Foley is very good at leading you up the garden path in terms of making you think you know what’s going on, and believing in the intentions and motivations of the characters.

Plot twists

I did guess one of the plot reveals before it happened - this definitely didn’t happen with ‘The guest list - but there were a couple of reveals that I absolutely didn’t see coming - and it certainly got a bit dark towards the end. It’s certainly well put together, with some really clever twists and turns.

I did like the setting of Paris (bit of topical rioting going on in the background) and the apartment building itself felt both menacing and claustrophobic. The pace certainly picks up towards the end and I found myself zipping through the last few chapters at pace. Of course it’s well written, as we’ve come to expect.

The Paris Apartment Summary

I’d recommend ‘The Paris Apartment’ if you like mysteries that are fast paced, a bit dark, well plotted and easy to read, and I’m sure it will do well. But for me it’s just not as strong as ‘The guest list’ and perhaps I’m just a little tired of the genre at the moment and I find a mystery novel every once in a while enough for me. I will read ‘The hunting party’ at a later stage as I do enjoy books by Lucy Foley and this is another strong addition to the mystery thriller genre. Definately will be one of the most popular thriller books of 2022.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest book review.

The Paris apartment by Lucy Foley
Harper Collins, to be published 3rd of March 22.
320 Pages

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What other bloggers say:

James from Whatwereading: 'Lucy Foley is one of our favourite thriller writers, and The Paris Apartment is a great example of how her skills have grown over the years. A pulsating mystery set against a Parisian backdrop of style and sophistication, the twists and turns are shockingly good and the change in formula from previous works such as The Guest List or The Hunting Party make this an enthralling read for Foley fans new and old!'