The fast-paced and gripping third title in the bestselling Victor Legris mystery series
Paris, November 1891: The body of a barefoot young woman dressed in red is discovered on Boulevard Montmartre. She has been strangled and her face horribly disfigured. That same day a single red shoe is delivered to Victor Legris's Parisian bookshop by a goatherd. Suspecting more than just coincidence, the charming bookseller sleuth and his assistant Jojo are soon searching for the identity of both victim and murderer. Then, a body is discovered in a wine barrel at the same time as a famous performer from the legendary Moulin Rouge is strangled in her apartment. Victor's investigation takes him and Jojo into the dark alleyways and bustling cafes of the hills of Montmartre, on a trail of evidence that seems to point to a case that shocked the population of Lyons years ago.
From
The sights, sounds, and culture of 1890s Paris are brought to life in this densely written mystery, the third in the series. Bookseller Victor Legris becomes involved in solving another crime when a womanβs red shoe is dropped off at his shop. He learns that a young woman has been found dead, barefoot, her face disfigured by acid. Legris believes that there is a connection between the shoe and the barefoot victim, and as he investigates, additional murders occurβa man found dead in a barrel of wine and a famous performer strangled in her home. Along with his assistant, Joseph Pignot, Legris connects the killings with a scam perpetrated in Lyon years ago. Is one of the victims out for revenge? Meanwhile, Legris, unsure of the loyalty of his lover, the beautiful artist Tasha, struggles with jealousy. Populated with both fictional characters and real people of the time, the novel makes the most of fin-de-siΓ©cle Parisian nightlife as a setting for crime. --Sue OBrien
Review
Praise for THE MONMARTE INVESTIGATION:
"...a fin de siecle delight. The Montmartre Investigation is...another first-rate escapist pleasure...
charming, witty and beautifully evocative." --BookGeeks
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Praise for the Victor Legris mysteries:
"Izner combines a sparkling puzzle (reminiscent of one of Agatha Christie's most famous novels) with complex characters and appealing descriptions of Paris, and Murder on the Eiffel Tower is a well-executed beginning to a series with great potential." --_The Richmond Times Dispatch
"An extremely satisfying traditional mystery with lots of suspects and panache. Izner writes in a witty, breezy style, which conjures up the Paris of 1889 and the huge sprawl of the exhibition. The plot is terrific, and who can't enjoy another good time in the City of Light..."-- Providence Journal-Bulletin
"Fans of quality historical will welcome Izner's debut. The taut pacing and vivid period detail will have readers eagerly turning the pages." -- Publishers Weekly
"...the energetic curiosity of the hero dovetails nicely with the readers' interest in a fascianting era. The colorful supporting cast lays a solid foundation for Victor's further exploits." --Kirkus Reviews
_βReading Izner is like taking a ride into the belle epoque in a time machine. A wonderfully breathtaking ride.β --Boris Akunin, author of The Winter Queen, The Turkish Gambit , and Sister Pelagia and the White Bulldog