Strangled in Paris

Liliane Korb and Laurence Lefevre, writing together as Izner, bring readers to Belle Epoque Paris in 1894. An anonymous former seaman rescues a woman from a shipwreck on the coast of Normandy and finds papers linking her to Paris. He travels there to see if he can find out why she ended up on the ship. Meanwhile, the body of a well-dressed woman wearing a velvet mask turns up near the abattoirs of La Villette in Paris. Maurice Laumier asks bookseller Victor Legris to investigate. Newly married, Legris is more interested in spending time with his wife, an artist, and pursuing his photography. His brother-in-law, an expectant father and bookstore employee, wants to help with the case. The two are puzzled when two wealthy men are murdered in the next few days. Are the cases related? Both victims were members of the Black Unicorn Society, an organization dedicated to finding the philosopher's stone. Legris and his brother-in-law need to conceal their detective work from their wives, who frown on their interest in mysteries. They also need to cope with their nosy and imperious housekeeper. Readers will enjoy the Parisian atmosphere and the colorful cast of artists, poets, and working girls. A satisfying entry in a consistently strong historical series.--Bibel, Barbara Copyright 2010 Booklist

At the start of this brooding and atmospheric mystery set in belle epoque Paris, the sixth and best yet from Izner (the pseudonym of sisters Liliane Korb and Laurence Lefevre), lame recluse Corentin Jourdan rescues an attractive young woman, Sophie Clairsange, from a schooner wrecked during a powerful storm on the Normandy coast. After Sophie recovers from her ordeal, she heads to Paris, followed by Jourdan. About a month later in Paris, Martin Lorson, a professional stand-in for a variety of workers in need of a break, is serving one night as a watchman at the La Villette meat market, where, to his horror, he witnesses a man strangle a masked woman. The crime attracts the interest of bookseller and sleuth Legris, who's tantalized by the one clue left behind by the killer: a medallion with an engraving of a unicorn. Tense, dramatic, and clever, this puzzle should deservedly broaden the series' readership. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

A sinister society provides a point of entry for sleuthing Parisian bookseller Victor Legris to solve a baffling series of murders. On the first Sunday in January 1894, as a violent storm wracks the Normandy coast, ship's captain Corentin Jourdan rescues a young woman from the icy water. After neighbors whisk her off to safety, Jourdan looks into her bag and is annoyed when he realizes that its contents compel him to travel to Paris. Once there, he awkwardly searches in the Tenderloin District for certain people whose names appear in a notebook from the girl's bag. Not far away, tippling vagrant Martin Lorson witnesses a murder: A man in a felt hat strangles a woman to death. Martin finds, near the body of the opulently dressed victim, an unusual black pendant that he pockets. Hoping to avoid claims of dereliction and also help his sad friend Martin if he can, watchman Alfred Gamache asks for help from Victor, who spends countless hours in his bookshop discussing local events with his assistant, Joseph, aka Jojo. Before Victor can gain any traction in the case of the murdered Louise Fontaine, Baron Edmond de La Gournay and famous couturier Richard Gatan, both members of the unconventional Black Unicorn Society, are also found murdered under similar circumstances. Could they be connected to the dead Louise? Though Izner's sixth (In the Shadow of Paris, 2011, etc.) rambles quite a bit, the digressions provide a delightfully frothy wide-angle portrait of colorful belle-epoque characters and settings.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Liliane Korb and Laurence Lefevre, writing together as Izner, bring readers to Belle Époque Paris in 1894. An anonymous former seaman rescues a woman from a shipwreck on the coast of Normandy and finds papers linking her to Paris. He travels there to see if he can find out why she ended up on the ship. Meanwhile, the body of a well-dressed woman wearing a velvet mask turns up near the abattoirs of La Villette in Paris. Maurice Laumier asks bookseller Victor Legris to investigate. Newly married, Legris is more interested in spending time with his wife, an artist, and pursuing his photography. His brother-in-law, an expectant father and bookstore employee, wants to help with the case. The two are puzzled when two wealthy men are murdered in the next few days. Are the cases related? Both victims were members of the Black Unicorn Society, an organization dedicated to finding the philosopher's stone. Legris and his brother-in-law need to conceal their detective work from their wives, who frown on their interest in mysteries. They also need to cope with their nosy and imperious housekeeper. Readers will enjoy the Parisian atmosphere and the colorful cast of artists, poets, and working girls. A satisfying entry in a consistently strong historical series. Copyright 2013 Booklist Reviews.

At the start of this brooding and atmospheric mystery set in belle epoque Paris, the sixth and best yet from Izner (the pseudonym of sisters Liliane Korb and Laurence Lefevre), lame recluse Corentin Jourdan rescues an attractive young woman, Sophie Clairsange, from a schooner wrecked during a powerful storm on the Normandy coast. After Sophie recovers from her ordeal, she heads to Paris, followed by Jourdan. About a month later in Paris, Martin Lorson, a professional stand-in for a variety of workers in need of a break, is serving one night as a watchman at the La Villette meat market, where, to his horror, he witnesses a man strangle a masked woman. The crime attracts the interest of bookseller and sleuth Legris, who's tantalized by the one clue left behind by the killer: a medallion with an engraving of a unicorn. Tense, dramatic, and clever, this puzzle should deservedly broaden the series' readership. (Sept.)