The Paris Apartment

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The two-paragraph version: Jess arrives to stay with her half-brother Ben at his apartment in Paris, but Ben is missing. She explores the building which has an extensive wine cellar and meets the various other residents of the building. Also, the “twist” that Camille and Dominique are lovers? Totally out of left field and also, who cares? I love books set in Paris but feel burnt out on WW2 books, so I went into The Paris Apartment with low expectations. I am happy to say I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. I enjoy books about missing/stolen art and that's what elevated this book for me, not to mention Kelly Bowen's beautiful and moving writing. The book has two different timelines and three main heroines. In WW2 occupied France the lives of two brave women, Estelle Allard and Sophie Seymour, collide when they are thrown together on a dangerous mission against the Nazis. My con's for this novel were few. It was primarily the overly, overly, lengthy details and conversations, sometimes so much so that it was boring so I hurried ahead on audio. Sometimes the wording or convos were so long and plain that I felt the author must think us simpletons. Also, the pushy and outspoken housekeepers, who worked 2 generations for one family, were very out of place, regardless of their generational relationships, bc “help” are the underlings. As Jess digs deeper into the residents at Bienvenue au 12, Rue des Amants she finds that the neighbors are none too happy to see her. Jess is determined and tough and won’t give up until she finds out the TRUTH, AS DARK AS IT MAY BE!!!

The story opens in the summer of 2017 in Paris France to an apartment left empty and buried under years of dust by Aurelia 'Lia" who inherits the apartment from her great grandmother for whom it seems has a secret past, and Lia is determined to find out. Inside the apartment is a lavishly furnished home with art, couture gowns, and some memorabilia from the past she hoped her great grandmother was never a part of.While this one had a whole different vibe from her other thrillers, it shares some of the same stylistic techniques, from the short chapters told by different characters, to the cliff hanger chapter endings that make you want to keep reading. In addition, her description of this lux, overwhelming, and shadowy apartment complex is so detailed, I can see every square inch in my mind’s eye. This helped me stay engaged as the action unfolded.

I honestly just didn’t care about any of the family members’ perspectives and was more engaged with Jess for sure (even though some of her actions were murky too). Ben’s Story He remembers he's still recording the voicenote, drags his gaze from the window. 'Just ring the buzzer. I'll be up waiting for you-'Lucy Foley’s The Paris Apartment was one of the most popular books from 2022, with the British author once again proving why she is amongst the best in the business when it comes to thrillers.