Countess of Harleigh Series: Book 7
Publication Date: June 25, 2024
Filled with Victorian-era intrigue for readers of Rhys Bowen, Deanna Raybourn, Tasha Alexander, and Julia Seales, Dianne Freeman’s Agatha Award-winning series takes a delightful jaunt to the City of Light as Frances Wynn, the American-born Countess of Harleigh, encounters a murder scene at the Paris Exposition.
Frances and her husband, George, have two points of interest in Paris. One is an impromptu holiday to visit the Paris Exposition. The other is personal. George’s Aunt Julia has requested her nephew’s help in looking into the suspicious death of renowned artist Paul Ducasse. Though Julia is not entirely forthcoming about her reasons, she is clearly a woman mourning a lost love.
At the exposition, swarming with tourists, tragedy casts a pall on the festivities. A footbridge collapses. Julia is among the casualties. However, she was not just another fateful victim. Julia was stabbed to death amid the chaos. With an official investigation at a standstill, George and Frances realize that to solve the case they must dig into Julia’s life—as well as Paul’s—and question everything and everyone in Julia’s coterie of artists and secrets.
They have no shortage of suspects. There is Paul’s inscrutable widow, Gabrielle. Paul’s art dealer and manager, Lucien. Julia’s friend Martine, a sculptress with a jealous streak. And art jurist, Monsieur Beaufoy. The investigation takes a turn when it’s revealed that George has inherited control of Julia’s estate—and another of her secrets. While George investigates, Frances safeguards their new legacy, and is drawn further into danger by a killer determined to keep the past buried.
In Dianne Freeman’s latest, An Art Lover’s Guide to Paris and Murder, Frances Hazelton fears that life with her charming husband, George, may becoming a bit “routine.” She needn’t have worried.
When an invitation and request for help from George’s Aunt Julia arrives, they quickly pack their bags and are soon on their way to Paris. Julia’s hint at the possible murder of Paul Ducasse, not only an up-and-coming artist but someone “special” in her life, as well as the draw of the World Exposition in Paris, there is much for George and Frances to see and do.
The reunion between aunt and nephew is quickly cut short when, upon visiting the Exposition, Julia herself is murdered. Two deaths so close together must be related. They can’t just be coincidences, but what’s the connection? George and Frances decide to honor Julia’s original wish of investigating the death of Paul Ducasse as a murder. Their quest draws them deep into the art world of Paris as well as into the peaceful French countryside when it is discovered Julia has a daughter, Lisette.
George and Frances are tenacious investigators, discovering clues even the intrepid French police have difficulty uncovering. While plentiful, the clues still must be aligned carefully in order to reveal the true villain or villains and prevent possible harm from coming not only to Lisette but to George and Frances as well.
An Art Lover’s Guide to Paris and Murder by Dianne Freeman is a charming and delightful murder mystery. It is perfectly paced with colorfully vibrant descriptions, not only of the Exposition and Paris but of the characters themselves. Feeling as if you’re working alongside George and Frances, the streets of Paris and the peace of the French countryside are vividly real as you feel yourself carried along in their quest for the murderer’s identity. As a fun extra, not only are locations distinct and real, but the clothing descriptions are equally so that it’s not difficult to imagine yourself stepping out in the latest Parisian styles right along with Frances.
An Art Lover’s Guide to Paris and Murder is not only a beguiling murder mystery at its most intriguing and stylish best but also a substantive portrayal of the art world and life in Paris at the height of the World Exposition of 1900.
Dianne Freeman is the acclaimed author of the Agatha and Lefty Award winning Countess of Harleigh Mysteries, a two time finalist for the Macavity’s Sue Feder Memorial Award, and a finalist for the Mary Higgins Clark Award. She spent thirty years working in corporate accounting and finance and now writes full time. Born and raised in Michigan, she and her husband now split their time between Michigan and Arizona.
