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Georgia Lee Maxwell Mysteries #1
Magic Mirror
ASIN B00EJXIO7U moved to the most recent edition
Florida transplant Georgia Lee Maxwell doesn't take to Paris at first, despite the fact that she's at least leaving a no-good man and a hated job as a society editor. Now she's a Paris correspondent, thank you very much—a dream come true for any journalist.
There's just a slight down side—she arrives in freezing rain, gets caught in a traffic jam caused by a bomb scare, and hates her apartment; but the real Bonjour is finding herself face down on a museum floor during a robbery. "Killed for a boring story!" she thinks. But as it happens, she isn't the one who dies. Three terrifying masked gunmen shoot the unfortunate security guard.
They could have stolen all the treasures of Monte Cristo's cave, so to speak, but it turns out they've made off with only a mirror. True, it once belonged to the French seer Nostradamus, but it may be the museum's least valuable item.
Does it have some prophetic ability? Does someone know something the gendarmes don't? Here's what Georgia Lee knows: If she finds out first, she's a journalistic hero. If she doesn't, she's dead.
Florida transplant Georgia Lee Maxwell doesn't take to Paris at first, despite the fact that she's at least leaving a no-good man and a hated job as a society editor. Now she's a Paris correspondent, thank you very much—a dream come true for any journalist.
There's just a slight down side—she arrives in freezing rain, gets caught in a traffic jam caused by a bomb scare, and hates her apartment; but the real Bonjour is finding herself face down on a museum floor during a robbery. "Killed for a boring story!" she thinks. But as it happens, she isn't the one who dies. Three terrifying masked gunmen shoot the unfortunate security guard.
They could have stolen all the treasures of Monte Cristo's cave, so to speak, but it turns out they've made off with only a mirror. True, it once belonged to the French seer Nostradamus, but it may be the museum's least valuable item.
Does it have some prophetic ability? Does someone know something the gendarmes don't? Here's what Georgia Lee knows: If she finds out first, she's a journalistic hero. If she doesn't, she's dead.
226 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 1988
407 people are currently reading
1637 people want to read
About the author
Mickey Friedman
21 books12 followersBooks are now republished under the name of Michaela Thompson.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 155 reviews
February 2, 2014
This was a completely serviceable mystery story, but also not at all memorable. I think that some of the plot twists were interesting; I did not figure out the solution. I enjoyed some of the details in how this was written. Also, I appreciated that the author didn't fall for some of the easy endings in the relationships involved. However, the story takes place in Paris, and I didn't get a sense of place from the writing, which is too bad for me. Also, it occurs to me that I might like a more interesting character development than this book gave me.
I wouldn't tell you not to read it, if someone dropped it in your lap, I'd just say it isn't worth searching out.
I wouldn't tell you not to read it, if someone dropped it in your lap, I'd just say it isn't worth searching out.
February 6, 2014
I found this book for free on Amazon and bought it based upon the title alone. I remember watching a documentary in middle school about Nostradamus and have been intrigued about ever since. The premise of this book centers around a mirror that was once owned by Nostradamus that you could look into and see your future. This mirror is now being stored in a museum and various groups are trying to obtain it so they can see their future. The story takes place in Paris, it uses some French language and many Parisian settings but this will not take away from the story in any way but instead adds a sense of mystique to it. I realize this is the first in a series so we are introduced to many characters that will probably continue to be in the books which is a good thing since the characters are likeable. There is some personal emotional drama the leads are going through that do not get completely worked out but will probably carry over to future books. This is a stand-alone novel except for the personal lives of the characters so if you don't want to read anymore, you can still finish this book with a feeling of closure. Overall, this was a pretty good book and I would give it a 3.5 if possible. I liked it and if there were some of this series in the library I would probably read them but I just don't have the urge to buy any of them right now. That being said, this was a good book with a good mystery and I am glad I read it.
January 31, 2018
This book had a strong start and then it dipped into repetition. It was hard to finish. But the plot twist at the end took it up to four stars.
June 17, 2019
A new reporter in Paris, when at the museum, she encounters a robbery and the only thing of really no value is a mirror that was taken, as a reporter, she wants to find out why. An easy to read, not a lot of action.
January 23, 2019
Interesting plot and characters. Not totally clean but passable.
August 3, 2020
"Legend claims that the mirror once belonged to the prophet Nostradamus," he said. "There is absolutely no proof that this is true."
November 23, 2014
Magic Mirror, A Georgia Lee Maxwell mystery
by Michaela Thompson (first published under the pseudonym Mickey Friedman)
This was a delightful mystery with just a touch of the supernatural. In it, the main character, Georgia Lee Maxwell, is a newspaper reporter in Florida who decides, after a failed love affair and a print setting fiasco involving one of her articles, that it's time to change her life. She moves to Paris, where she does a bit of freelancing and tries to get her reporting toe in the door with a local newspaper. She is invited to go to a family-based museum to do a story on an art restoration expert who will be repairing water damage to one of the museum's pieces. During that visit, the museum security is breached, the security guard is killed, and the only thing taken is the purported scrying mirror of Nostradamus. In following the story, Georgia becomes embroiled in a multitude of plots, from schemes of the robbers, to schemes of the Speculatori, a group who also desires possession of the mirror, to the desires of the last living member of the museum's founding family. She finds herself in hot water not only with the local police, but with all of those who desire to possess the mirror.
Thompson has crafted a dandy mystery. Lots of action, intriguing and engaging characters, an interesting premise and, of course, Paris. The plotting is flawless, with every chapter moving the action along and keeping the reader fully engaged in the storyline. There were no editing or proofreading errors that I noticed. The writing seemed a bit stiff for something originally written and published in the late 1980s, but once I got used to the style, that ceased to concern me.
As this was listed as "a Georgia Lee Maxwell" mystery, I assume there are others. Yes, I'm going in search of them.
by Michaela Thompson (first published under the pseudonym Mickey Friedman)
This was a delightful mystery with just a touch of the supernatural. In it, the main character, Georgia Lee Maxwell, is a newspaper reporter in Florida who decides, after a failed love affair and a print setting fiasco involving one of her articles, that it's time to change her life. She moves to Paris, where she does a bit of freelancing and tries to get her reporting toe in the door with a local newspaper. She is invited to go to a family-based museum to do a story on an art restoration expert who will be repairing water damage to one of the museum's pieces. During that visit, the museum security is breached, the security guard is killed, and the only thing taken is the purported scrying mirror of Nostradamus. In following the story, Georgia becomes embroiled in a multitude of plots, from schemes of the robbers, to schemes of the Speculatori, a group who also desires possession of the mirror, to the desires of the last living member of the museum's founding family. She finds herself in hot water not only with the local police, but with all of those who desire to possess the mirror.
Thompson has crafted a dandy mystery. Lots of action, intriguing and engaging characters, an interesting premise and, of course, Paris. The plotting is flawless, with every chapter moving the action along and keeping the reader fully engaged in the storyline. There were no editing or proofreading errors that I noticed. The writing seemed a bit stiff for something originally written and published in the late 1980s, but once I got used to the style, that ceased to concern me.
As this was listed as "a Georgia Lee Maxwell" mystery, I assume there are others. Yes, I'm going in search of them.
June 30, 2015
This had a good mystery, interesting characters, but it simply did not do it for me.
Georgia Lee Maxwell has decided to restart her life in Paris. Her job is boring and her boyfriend is cheating on her.
She wangles a job writing articles for a magazine and begins her new life with her cat in a Paris apartment.
During what should be an innocuous interview with an art restorer, she is witness to a robbery and murder. And she decides, with a little encouragement, that she will investigate the robbery and murder and write about it.
At this point, there were some exciting and interesting events. For me, the story should have moved forward with clues and events to help the reader figure out what was happening. We get descriptions of what people are eating, Metro stations, what people wear, and other things that are not vital to the story. For me they were not even interesting. I felt bogged down.
I wanted to like this book. I wanted to like Georgia Lee. Neither thing happened.
There is a mystery. There are murders. There are villains. There are characters who could be fascinating. For me, it did not happen.
Georgia Lee Maxwell has decided to restart her life in Paris. Her job is boring and her boyfriend is cheating on her.
She wangles a job writing articles for a magazine and begins her new life with her cat in a Paris apartment.
During what should be an innocuous interview with an art restorer, she is witness to a robbery and murder. And she decides, with a little encouragement, that she will investigate the robbery and murder and write about it.
At this point, there were some exciting and interesting events. For me, the story should have moved forward with clues and events to help the reader figure out what was happening. We get descriptions of what people are eating, Metro stations, what people wear, and other things that are not vital to the story. For me they were not even interesting. I felt bogged down.
I wanted to like this book. I wanted to like Georgia Lee. Neither thing happened.
There is a mystery. There are murders. There are villains. There are characters who could be fascinating. For me, it did not happen.
June 11, 2016
This was an easy afternoon read. A journalist, Georgia Lee, tries to start a new life in Paris. She becomes the witness to an art theft and murder. The art object has some supposed paranormal ability as it is said to have been the mirror owned by Nostradamus. In pursuing the story, Georgia Lee is herself abducted and later becomes a suspect in the crimes.
Georgia Lee is a rather bland character whose life outside of her job revolves around her cat. The characters and various storylines are confusing at times. The police involvement and procedural is minimal and doesn't fit in with what would be expected of crimes of this nature. There is a twist at the end which is unexpected. This is an OK book for the first in what appears to be a series.
Georgia Lee is a rather bland character whose life outside of her job revolves around her cat. The characters and various storylines are confusing at times. The police involvement and procedural is minimal and doesn't fit in with what would be expected of crimes of this nature. There is a twist at the end which is unexpected. This is an OK book for the first in what appears to be a series.
December 21, 2016
It might be this Christmas season and the rush but I had a difficult time keeping up with this story line. Even at the end I never would have figured out parts of it. Even Georgia Lee and the Inspector had not figured out some of the twists until the very end. I also have a hard time with people who seem irresponsible to just throw off their responsibilities and do whatever takes their fancy. The idea of a whim is buying a new outfit. Not leaving everything and moving to another continent without a job. That seems foolhardy to me.
October 10, 2014
when I was young moving to Paris and living there sounded sooo romantic. at 67 it still does. although these days I'm more practical and would probably choose to live in London where they speak a language I might understand and visit Paris frequently....My schoolgirl French is long gone. but reading about living in Paris is still romantic. even if this story involves murders, kidnapping, armed robbery.
May 11, 2015
Georgia Lee Maxwell is unlucky in love, which in turn causes her to be unlucky in her choice of employment. The plucky southern girl calls in a favor and moves to Paris, hoping to change her life and her luck around. I think the story had well developed characters, and I found Miss Georgia to be quite a plucky thing, even though the story line at times is unbelievable and hard to follow. But it was a free Kindle book, and I found it to be enjoyable!
February 3, 2018
I enjoyed this little mystery that takes place in Paris. The main character, a journalist who lives in Florida, moves to Paris on a whim and becomes involved in trying to solve a murder which revolves around a mirror supposedly belonging to Nostradamus.
Although there was some repetitiveness, I thought the story was well written, with nice touches about Paris, and the mystery was interesting.
Although there was some repetitiveness, I thought the story was well written, with nice touches about Paris, and the mystery was interesting.
June 7, 2017
Good read
I would give this a 3+ if it would let me. Almost a 4 . Easy read, a few twists. I didn't take to how Georgia Lee got to Paris and the continuity of that in the storyline just didn't work for me. But I will read another by this author so as to see if the next one is a 5. Pretty sure she has a 5 in her!
I would give this a 3+ if it would let me. Almost a 4 . Easy read, a few twists. I didn't take to how Georgia Lee got to Paris and the continuity of that in the storyline just didn't work for me. But I will read another by this author so as to see if the next one is a 5. Pretty sure she has a 5 in her!
April 5, 2014
The first in a series of mysteries featuring Georgia Lee Maxwell- a transplanted Floridian in Paris. Throw in some mystical circumstances and murders and you've got a quick, easy read. I'd recommend it.
June 8, 2015
Definitely fun, with a main character to care about (Georgia Lee Maxwell). A few stumbles in suspension of disbelief, but not enough to stop me from reading. I enjoyed it and might read another in the series.
September 11, 2015
Spellbinding.
A very intriguing mystery. Since I am not familiar with Paris I had a hard time with some of the detailed landmarks and descriptions. I liked Georgia Lee but felt at times like I was reading a travel brochure rather than a novel.
A very intriguing mystery. Since I am not familiar with Paris I had a hard time with some of the detailed landmarks and descriptions. I liked Georgia Lee but felt at times like I was reading a travel brochure rather than a novel.
July 23, 2017
Not sure my review is totally fair
Decent but not great. Somwhow it felt lacking in clues, although that feeling might be heavily influenced by my being sick the day I read it. It provided moderate distraction when I needed more.
Decent but not great. Somwhow it felt lacking in clues, although that feeling might be heavily influenced by my being sick the day I read it. It provided moderate distraction when I needed more.
May 4, 2015
This was okay. It was a free Kindle book, so I thought I would give it a try. It kept me entertained enough to finish it, but it was only okay. It's worth 2.5 stars out of 5.
April 18, 2015
Fun to read
Georgia Lee is an interesting character who feels very real to me. I see lots of hints for future books, but still felt a sense of closure for this particular story.
Georgia Lee is an interesting character who feels very real to me. I see lots of hints for future books, but still felt a sense of closure for this particular story.
September 20, 2015
Cute, easy read mystery.
April 25, 2015
This is the second mystery I've read where the main character, not the French police, solve the crime. An enjoyable read that will entertain you for a few hours.
August 17, 2015
enjoyable read, read in a day. Light hearted detective story
October 30, 2015
What a fun book. I liked the characters and the plot, I didn't even figure out the ending! Can't wait to read her next book in the series.
February 23, 2016
Funny heroine
Average mystery story line but entertaining and relatable heroine. The bad guys were amateur, so it all tied together neatly.
Average mystery story line but entertaining and relatable heroine. The bad guys were amateur, so it all tied together neatly.
March 13, 2016
Nice easy read
If your looking for something to pass away a quiet Sunday afternoon this is a good choice not too heavy but keeps you entertained all the way throughout
If your looking for something to pass away a quiet Sunday afternoon this is a good choice not too heavy but keeps you entertained all the way throughout
February 24, 2017
Enjoyed the mystery about the Nostradamus mirror. The character's relationships were not nearly tied up to suggest more books in this series
April 10, 2018
Cute
A fun mystery, with a likable heroine. I mostly got this for the hint of paranormal, mixed with mystery. I am not disappointed. This is a good book.
A fun mystery, with a likable heroine. I mostly got this for the hint of paranormal, mixed with mystery. I am not disappointed. This is a good book.
July 3, 2018
Entertaining cozy mystery.
September 22, 2018
Very enjoyable reading with a complicated, but easy to follow plot.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 155 reviews