Title: The Paris Apartment
Author: Lucy Foley
Page count: 406 pages
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
My Rating: 4 stars out of 5
The Premise
The book is set in Paris (duh!) and follows a woman named Jess Hadley. She’s an English bartender visiting her brother, Ben Hadley, at his apartment. Jess and Ben are half-siblings—they share the same mother but have different fathers. From the very beginning, we see that Jess is struggling. She and Ben were adopted as children, but they had very different fates. Ben was lucky enough to be placed with a wealthy, kind family, while Jess had a tougher life, facing several hardships.
Ben is a journalist, and their relationship is far from perfect. It’s clear that he isn’t exactly thrilled about Jess coming to stay with him. Meanwhile, Jess is running away from something that happened at her job. She needs an escape, and living with Ben in Paris seems like the best option.
Intriguing Prologue
The book starts with a prologue from Ben’s perspective, setting the perfect mysterious tone. It describes Ben facing an intruder in his apartment.
"What are you doing here?" he asks. Calm, reasonable.
Nothing to hide. Not afraid. Or not yet. "And why—"
Then he sees what the intruder holds.
Now. Now the fear comes.
This is how the prologue ends, and it immediately grabs your attention. I believe that in mystery books, the first chapter is crucial. It determines whether the reader will be hooked enough to continue. This book does a fantastic job of creating intrigue right from the start.
Jess arrives at Ben's apartment, but he is nowhere to be found. Just like Jess, you are completely lost. Where did Ben go? Why isn’t he answering his phone? Why does everything feel off?
From this point onward, the book pulls you into a well-crafted mystery. As Jess starts looking for answers, the reader gets sucked into the story along with her. Although, the pacing does seem to be a little uneven and got a tad boring for me at times.
Multiple Characters
The story introduces several intriguing characters, each with secrets of their own. Every person in the apartment seems to know more than they’re letting on, making them all potential suspects.
- Sophie Meunier – A wealthy and sophisticated resident of the apartment. She’s complex, secretive, and clearly concealing something about her past.
- Mimi – A young, troubled woman who seems to be obsessed with Ben. Her behavior is unsettling, and you constantly question her motives.
- Nick – One of Ben’s friends and the first person Jess deems trustworthy. But can she really rely on him?
- The Concierge – An old woman who has been at the apartment forever. She gives off a creepy, stalkerish vibe and seems to know everyone’s secrets.
Each character adds to the eerie atmosphere of the apartment, making you question who is telling the truth and who is lying.
The book is written from multiple perspectives, giving us insight into five different characters. Each of them has some connection to Ben, and the way they interact with each other makes everyone seem suspicious. As a reader, you keep switching between suspects.
One moment, you're convinced one character is guilty. Then, you read the next perspective and think, "Wait, maybe it’s this one instead!" This constant back-and-forth keeps the story engaging.
I’m a big fan of multiple POVs in mystery books because they let you see the story from different angles. But it has to be done well to maintain clarity and flow. It's also important that each character has a distinct voice so that you feel like you're inside the heads of different people. Lucy Foley does a great job with this.
One thing I'll admit, I'm not very good at predicting the ending. Its a 50-50 shot. And I don't really spend time in thinking or trying to figure out the mystery either. I love to be surprised and shocked when the mystery is finally unveiled and that's what I look for in mystery/thriller books.
With this book too, I didn’t have a specific culprit in mind. Everyone seemed to have a motive to hurt Ben. And for a good part of the story, you don’t even know what exactly happened to him. Is he dead? Missing? Something else entirely? The suspense keeps you guessing.
Final Thoughts
The Paris Apartment is a solid mystery novel that keeps you hooked from start to finish. The eerie apartment setting, the suspicious characters, and the constant feeling that something isn’t right—all of it creates a tense, thrilling atmosphere.
If you love mysteries where everyone is a suspect and secrets unfold slowly, you’ll enjoy this book. It’s engaging, suspenseful, and full of twists. Lucy Foley knows how to keep her readers on edge, and she does it brilliantly here.
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It is a well-written and well-developed review, highlighting the key elements to make it effective, while drawing the reader's attention to the novel. Suspense is a very effective discursive strategy, especially if you know how to use the regulation of information. Perspectivism is also one of my favorite resources. Best regards, @yugadi.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment! I'm glad you found the review well-developed and engaging. Suspense and perspectivism definitely add depth to storytelling, and it’s always interesting to see how different authors use them. It’s great to hear that you appreciate these elements as well! Best regards to you too!