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A Forgery in Paris
Nagourney takes her readers on a deep plunge into the dark underside of the Parisian and French high art milieu, casting unwelcome light on the low lives who play an outsized role in that milieu. Her fast-paced page turner, populated by multiple and ever-changing personalities, keeps us guessing not so much “who-dunnit” but “are they really going to get away with it?” -- Tom Peebles, TomsBooks
Welcome to A Forgery in Paris
A female-led international thriller revolving around art forgery, deception and murder in the French art world.
Alex Thornhill thought returning to Paris would be a quiet new beginning. Instead, a friend's violent mugging draws her into a world of stolen paintings, sophisticated forgeries and a criminal empire reaching beyond Paris. She teams up with a disgruntled FBI agent to infiltrate a violent organized crime operation in a world of villas and galleries, navigating a lethal atmosphere of art, money and murder.
Recently returned translator Alex Thornhill becomes convinced that powerful magazine publisher Jacques Mornnais is behind the attack on her friend. Alex adopts a false identity and joins Mornnais' company at his secluded villa, discovering an operation trafficking in stolen paintings and international art cons. Romantic tension builds as Alex meets disgruntled FBI agent Eugene Spector, who is conducting his own investigation of the forgers.
Pulsing with an exquisite, authentic eye for the richly textured world it inhabits, A Forgery in Paris is the first book in the French Deception series. The series combines compelling characters, surprising plot twists and continental intrigue as the story moves from Paris and its outskirts to the cities of Lyon, Marseille, and Toulouse.
About the French Deception Series
A sophisticated international thriller about a woman who enters the dangerous world of art forgery, A Forgery in Paris is the first book in the French Deception series. The series combines compelling characters, surprising plot twists, and continental intrigue as the story moves from Paris and its outskirts to the cities of Lyon, Marseille, and Toulouse. Beneath the tales of art capers gone wrong lies a deeper deception—how we deceive others and ourselves. In this series, deception becomes a trap from which no one escapes, driving the story toward its stunning conclusion in Montenegro.About the Author
Janice Nagourney is an American author living in Marseille. In the French Deception series, she brings the French art world, cities, and culture to life from the inside. Janice previously founded an international speaker bureau, booking speakers for hundreds of events in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the United States. She graduated from Cornell University and NYU Law School and completed pre-doctoral studies in international law at the University of Paris law school.
EXCERPT
PROLOGUE
...
The woman in bed with my husband pulled the sheets up to her chin and sat there, frozen. My breath returned. I pulled my cell phone out of my coat pocket and took a few pictures.
I looked at the woman. “You have five minutes to get out of my house before I throw you out.” Then to Peter, “You had better leave as well.”
Anyway, that was my seagull’s wing-flap moment. It was time to change, to do something completely different. I had spent my childhood in France, and I wanted to return to that country. Immediately.
Of course I started in Paris—doesn’t everyone?
Alexia Chase Thornhill
Malmousque, Marseilles
Welcome to A Forgery in Paris
A female-led international thriller revolving around art forgery, deception and murder in the French art world.
Alex Thornhill thought returning to Paris would be a quiet new beginning. Instead, a friend's violent mugging draws her into a world of stolen paintings, sophisticated forgeries and a criminal empire reaching beyond Paris. She teams up with a disgruntled FBI agent to infiltrate a violent organized crime operation in a world of villas and galleries, navigating a lethal atmosphere of art, money and murder.
Recently returned translator Alex Thornhill becomes convinced that powerful magazine publisher Jacques Mornnais is behind the attack on her friend. Alex adopts a false identity and joins Mornnais' company at his secluded villa, discovering an operation trafficking in stolen paintings and international art cons. Romantic tension builds as Alex meets disgruntled FBI agent Eugene Spector, who is conducting his own investigation of the forgers.
Pulsing with an exquisite, authentic eye for the richly textured world it inhabits, A Forgery in Paris is the first book in the French Deception series. The series combines compelling characters, surprising plot twists and continental intrigue as the story moves from Paris and its outskirts to the cities of Lyon, Marseille, and Toulouse.
About the French Deception Series
A sophisticated international thriller about a woman who enters the dangerous world of art forgery, A Forgery in Paris is the first book in the French Deception series. The series combines compelling characters, surprising plot twists, and continental intrigue as the story moves from Paris and its outskirts to the cities of Lyon, Marseille, and Toulouse. Beneath the tales of art capers gone wrong lies a deeper deception—how we deceive others and ourselves. In this series, deception becomes a trap from which no one escapes, driving the story toward its stunning conclusion in Montenegro.About the Author
Janice Nagourney is an American author living in Marseille. In the French Deception series, she brings the French art world, cities, and culture to life from the inside. Janice previously founded an international speaker bureau, booking speakers for hundreds of events in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the United States. She graduated from Cornell University and NYU Law School and completed pre-doctoral studies in international law at the University of Paris law school.
EXCERPT
PROLOGUE
...
The woman in bed with my husband pulled the sheets up to her chin and sat there, frozen. My breath returned. I pulled my cell phone out of my coat pocket and took a few pictures.
I looked at the woman. “You have five minutes to get out of my house before I throw you out.” Then to Peter, “You had better leave as well.”
Anyway, that was my seagull’s wing-flap moment. It was time to change, to do something completely different. I had spent my childhood in France, and I wanted to return to that country. Immediately.
Of course I started in Paris—doesn’t everyone?
Alexia Chase Thornhill
Malmousque, Marseilles
372 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 7, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 23, 2023
Pace, cleverness, deft character development, absorbed my interest in this unusual adventure around the world of French art in Paris. Rich local environs and settings sparked my imagination and longing ti “be there.” Ms. Nagourney evinces a lovely descriptive gift of both city and country, enriching the flavor of the story.
I admire her consistent focus on the motivations of the variegated personalities throughout the story. As complexities mushroomed, her sharp management of possibility and surprise energized the plot.
The characters are both wonderfully duplicitous and foolish, sometimes enraging. (E.g., ‘How could she be so stupid!’). As a frequent museum visitor, art lover and collector, I felt right at home in the passionate world of art for art’s sake - thugs, forgers and opportunists notwithstanding.
I admire her consistent focus on the motivations of the variegated personalities throughout the story. As complexities mushroomed, her sharp management of possibility and surprise energized the plot.
The characters are both wonderfully duplicitous and foolish, sometimes enraging. (E.g., ‘How could she be so stupid!’). As a frequent museum visitor, art lover and collector, I felt right at home in the passionate world of art for art’s sake - thugs, forgers and opportunists notwithstanding.
March 26, 2023
I loved this book! The author did a great job with character development and tying together their relationships. The plot keeps you guessing and wanting to read more to find out what happens next. Lots of twist and turns which really sucked me in. The writing was really descriptive, I could picture the various protagonists in my mind and towards the end of the story, I found myself really loving and hating some of the characters. I could definitely see this becoming a TV series. Can’t wait to read the next book!
April 3, 2023
Just read A Forgery in Paris, convinced that deception "à la française" is quite french. The unusual plot is set throughout France, and includes a gaggle of french notables, an unforgettable european, and some ubiquitous americans, all circling the art scene in the capital. The sudden twists of the fast-clipped thriller leaves one unsure whether these misdealings will be untangled or not until the very end. It's wonderful to see French idiosyncrasies deftly illustrated, making the reader wonder in the end if the French are adorable or arrogant. Or both.
A fine, unconventional page-turner.
A fine, unconventional page-turner.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews