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I came across this book while doing a little shopping in preparation for my trip to Paris. It had the word “Paris” in the title, so I couldn’t pass it up. Let’s call it research. And while I probably didn’t learn all too much about the Paris that I’d be visiting in a matter of weeks while reading the book, I did find myself caught up in a fascinating story.
Paris Requiem takes place in Paris in 1899. Boston law professor James Norton has been sent to Paris on his mother’s orders -- to bring his younger brother and sister home to America. Rafael and Ellie have been gone too long, and their letters have been cryptic. Ellie is sick, and Raf is seeing a woman who’s not only an actress but is a Jew as well. It’s time for them to come home.
Once James arrives in Paris, he finds himself caught up in a murder investigation -- the woman his brother loved, an actress known as Olympe Fabre, has been found dead. Raf is convinced that the death wasn’t a suicide, and he becomes obsessed with finding her killer. Before James realizes it, he, too, becomes obsessed with finding Olympe’s killer. James’ investigations take him through Paris high-society and the city’s dark underbelly, and he uncovers information that makes him realize that there’s more involved than just murder.
Though it’s far from a quick and easy read, Paris Requiem is nonetheless a captivating one. Appignanesi takes the reader through the most intriguing circles of turn-of-the-twentieth-century Paris -- and explores the colorful world of the theater, the sophisticated dinner-parties of the wealthy, the terrifying starkness of the city hospitals and the local asylum, and the darkness of the city’s multitude of brothels. While the writing style is a bit awkward and could have used another run-through by the editor, the story itself is entrancing. Pick up a copy, and before long, you, too, will find yourself obsessed with the mysterious Olympe and the circles in which she traveled.
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