The Paris Mysteries

Confessions #3

by James Patterson, Maxine Paetro

The City of Lights sets the stage for romance, drama and intrigue in the latest Confessions novel from the world's bestselling mystery writer!

After investigating multiple homicides and her family's decades-old skeletons in the closet, Tandy Angel is finally reunited with her lost love in Paris. But as he grows increasingly distant, Tandy is confronted with disturbing questions about him, as well as what really happened to her long-dead sister. With no way to tell anymore who in her life she can trust, how will Tandy ever get to the bottom of the countless secrets her parents kept from her? James Patterson leads this brilliant teenage detective through Paris on a trail of lies years in the making, with shocking revelations around every corner.

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Fiction, Thriller, Romance, Audiobook, Crime

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 6, 2014

About the author

Official US Site
Official UK Site
JIMMY Patterson Books
ReadKiddoRead

James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time and the creator of such unforgettable characters and series as Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride. He has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton, Dolly Parton, and Michael Crichton, as well as collaborated on #1 bestselling nonfiction, including The Idaho Four, Walk in My Combat Boots, and Filthy Rich. Patterson has told the story of his own life in the #1 bestselling autobiography James Patterson by James Patterson. He is the recipient of an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.

Reviews

[Kayla]

That cliffhanger ending from Book 2 was not okAY.
JAMES PATTERSON.

[Kirsty-Marie Jones]

#3?

[Hannah Cook · Rating 2 out of 5]

Firstly:


Secondly: I averaged my rating for this book based on how I felt during each half. The first half was a 1.5-2 stars rating (We'll get to why in a second) The second half was a solid 4 stars. Now, let me tell you about this below-average addition to what was previously a great series.

First off, this title is ridiculously inaccurate. "The Paris Mysteries", my butt. There was exactly one mystery, if it could even be called that. The mystery of Katherine, which barely required Tandy to do anything but read and bossily demand people to give her answers. Well, I suppose there was the mystery of WHAT HAPPENED TO THESE CHARACTERS?? WHAT DOES THIS BOOK HAVE TO DO WITH THE REST OF THIS SERIES?,but that was more a mystery on the reader's part than on Tandy's. Let my break down this particular mystery for you all:

SUSPECT NO. 1: TANDY ANGEL. Who is this chick, and what has she done with the real Tandy Angel? Because this was definitely not her. For the first half in particular, this girl was overly whiny, unobservant,annoying and just plain stupid. I loved Tandy in the first two books, but I was having trouble liking her at all in this one. She seemed like an entirely different person. I mean, the second half of this book, she was more like her old self, but for the first half I was completely alienated by the new Tandy. Her constant suspicion of EVERY SINGLE PERON EVER got old really fast. SO fast. There were some promising concepts thrown in, but none of them seemed to get resolution. Does Tandy think to ask Katherine about the thing with Uncle Peter? NOooO of course not. And what about the aging thing Tandy found out about, with the pills? That could've been taken so many places, but again, it almost seemed like she forgot about it by the end of the book. And I was surprised by some of the idiotic decisions she made. You find out your uncle, who lives in New York, wants to kill you and your whole family? I know what to do! Let's go back to New York! Because plot! FINAL VERDICT: WILL SOMEONE SMACK THIS GIRL'S PERSONALITY BACK INTO HER HEAD?

SUSPECT NO. 2: HARRISON ANGEL. Are you telling me this totally sweet, adorable, emotional, brilliant musician is a drug addict? Unacceptable. There were next-to-no traces of the Harry I knew and loved, who was replaced by this obnoxious, self-absorbed, druggie. FINAL VERDICT: WILL THE REAL HARRISON ANGEL PLEASE STAND UP?

SUSPECT NO.3: HUGO ANGEL. Isn't this kid like ten years old? Why is he acting like a surly teenager? What happened to this silly, crazy, tough little boy he was in the first two books? FINAL VERDICT: WILL HUGO'S EVIL TWIN PLEASE LEAD US TO THE REAL HUGO?

SUSPECT NO.4: C.P. Excuse me, who is this boyfriend-stealer? We saw two TOTALLY POLAR OPPOSITE personalities of this girl in The Paris Mysteries. There was the funny, supportive girl from the phone call, and the cheater/boyfriend stealer, who was a COMPLETE JERK with zero regrets over stealing her ONLY FRIEND IN THE WORLD's boyfriend, and who proceeded to rub this fact in Tandy's face. I don't understand...what happened here? How did C.P. even get James's number in the first place? Why would she completely disregard girl code for a guy who broke her best friends heart? WHAT ABOUT HARRY? FINAL VERDICT: SOMEONE TREAT THIS GIRL FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA!

SUSPECT NO.5: JAMES RAMPLING. What is up with this guy? Were we getting a different view of this guy than he actually was because of Tandy? Or is this another 180 personality switch? I mean, he was being all romantic in the beginning of this book (for, you know, the thirteen pages he was actually present), and then, what, a MONTH later, after leaving Tandy for her safety because he loves her SOO DANG MUCH, he's hooking up with her best friend? Is this seriously the guy Tandy was fawning over for two and a half books? Are we sure? Because I see no carried over personality traits from what she described. When Tandy confronted him, he was so casual about everything, like "Oh hey yeah what's up, yeah we totally had something but it totally was no biggie right?" Are you actually kidding me. Really. This from the guy who wrote those postcards in book 2? Who was so concerned over Tandy's safety, he would do whatever it took to protect her? Nope. Something went wrong here. FINAL VERDICT: ...WHAT...

SUSPECT NO.6: KATHERINE ANGEL. What a cliche. And who didn't see it coming? The classic dead-loved-one-is-actually-alive-SURPRISE cliche. Seriously, have I used the word cliche enough yet? It's not that I don't like her, she's fascinating, and I would love to see more from her, but THE PREDICTABILIY killed me. FINAL VERDICT: PLOT DEVICE


How I would sum up the mystery of why these characters were so different, in the worst possible way:

*Le conversation between James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, Part 1*
James: *calls Maxine* "Hey, aren't we supposed to publish a new Confessions book in like 2 months?"
Maxine: "Um yeah, you still haven't told me anything about the plot... or the characters... or, you know, anything at all."
James: "Oh oops haha my bad. Um ok let's see. Let's...let's have James be evil, and let's make CP hook up with him, and... let's make Harry a druggie and get in lots of trouble, and Hugo getting into fights! OH, and I know! Let's make Tandy suspect Jacob for almost the entire book, even though he was perfectly trustworthy in the last book, and has been nothing but good to the Angels. And...Peter has a creepy crush and Katherine, who is TOTALLY ALIVE BTW!! I think that's enough to work with, right!
Maxine:...
James: Maxine??
Maxine: "Yeah sure ok whatever you want. You're the boss!" *Internally* "What is happening, how am I supposed to pull this off, DARN YOU JAMES!"
James: "Awesome! Man, I'm great at this. What else was there to talk about again?"
Maxine: "Um, how about a plotline?"
James: "Hmmmmm..."
*TO BE CONTINUED*


Speaking of plot...let's talk about that for a while. And we're also going to lump my complaints about the plot in with the complaints I have about the writing style, since those are pretty closely related anyway.
This book felt so completely off from the other books. It was like I was reading an entirely different series! Part of the problem was definitely the characters, but the writing itself felt different as well. It was choppy and disjointed, jumping from one chapter to the next with barely any explanation of how we got there. And I know James Patterson's thing is short chapters, but they were barely connected. I especially noticed this with the first few chapters. I felt disoriented, like I was in the middle of a whirlwind. It just jumped from one place to the next. All the stuff with James happened so abruptly I barely had time to process it. And then all of a sudden Tandy's in a room of lawyers. And then she's at some random boarding school, and... it was just ridiculous. A lot of chapters, and I mean a lot of chapters, started with Jacob waking her up by yelling. Or knocking. Or just Jacob. I think sometimes James Patterson thought, "How do I start this chapter? IDK. Let's get Jacob."
And another problem I had was the constant rehashing of the other books. You don't need to explain to me that her parents are dead. Believe me, I'm aware. Yes, I do know who Matty is, stop telling me. It was a constant spoon-feeding of already-known information.
Besides the writing style, the plot was very basic. You had your half fleshed ideas tossed in but never really resolved, you had your cliches, you had about fifty arguments between characters, and then some action. The fundamental plot was, "Hey, whoa, what's up with Katherine's death" and then "Where's James?" That was it. That's the whole plot. And here's the summary of the resolution: Katherine's not dead SURPRISE, and James is in New York casually cheating on Tandy. The End. There was the occasional good moment, a few good ideas, but they felt like they were just tossed in here and there without an actual plan behind them. Overall, nowhere NEAR as good as the first two books. Not even close.


*Le conversation between James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, Part 2*
James: "Okay, so for the plot, I want it all to lead up to Katherine's actually being alive. That'll totally shock them! NO one's ever used that twist before. And I want Tandy to find evidence of Uncle Peter being totally pervy towards Katherine. And let's throw in some stuff about Gram Hilda in there for some reason with thr side effects of the pills. Hmm, and I want there to be a fire and a car chase. And I want James to cheat on Tandy."
Maxine: "...Ok...how do you want all these things to be related..."
James: "We can work out the details later. Ta-ta, must go work on another book in the never-ending Maximum Ride series!" *hangs up*
Maxine: "This book publishes in like two months... better make it a short and rushed! I hope the readers don't notice..."
*The End*

That mostly sums up my feelings on The Paris Mysteries. I think I made it sound much worse than it was, though. I did enjoy the second half of it, which was semi-similar to the previous books, which I actually thought were very good. There were a few good action scenes near the end, and it was fast-paced, which is always good. I finished it in about a day and a half. But still, this is easily the worst book in the series. I think if there's another book, I'll still read it, just because I do still care about these characters (mostly), and there are some things I want to know. What's up with Kath's baby? Where's the plotline with Peter going? Will Tandy please kick James's sorry butt to the curb? And I really REALLY want more with the side effect of the pills. Also, what about Katherine and Dominick? Questions...that will hopefully someday be answered instead of dragged out through all of eternity. *cough cough Maximum Ride series cough cough*

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an okay story, but the pace was a bit slow in places. We did get a couple of twists though, including someone coming back from the dead.



6 out of 10

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. This third romp with teenage sleuth, Tandy Angel, is not very good and doesn't even include a mystery.

In "The Paris Mysteries" Tandy and her two brothers are moved to Paris by their Uncle Jacob. Naturally they live in a huge mansion because, while they were stripped of all their money in the 2nd installment, Grandma Hilda was fabulously wealthy and left them everything. Tandy meets up with James, her teenage lover, who beds her and abandons her in a Paris hotel.

Then things get really depressing with Hugo starting fights and Harry descending into drugs while somehow becoming a major recording artist. If there's a mystery in here, I couldn't find it. Tandy locates a box of her dead sister's stuff which if mildly interesting but ultimately leads no where. Then, after another murder attempt, the 3 siblings flee back to New York.

This book was clearly written for the money, not because someone had a great idea. The chapters are extremely short and often go nowhere.

Very disappointing installment to a series which showed great promise.

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately I have to say that this book in the series did disappoint me. I liked it but due to so many unanswered questions and to me, undeveloped story lines, I couldn't love it. :o(

I didn't see/hear the snarky Tandy from the previous books. I just feel like this book lost its pizzazz, and I hate to say that but it's true.

Why have characters of major importance only to bring them in and out of existence? I can't say more or I'll give too much away, but simply suffice it to say that too much made no sense to me.

Recommendation: If you read books 1 and 2, I'd still read this one because you might obviously like it better. Besides that I hate leaving books out of series, especially last books. I am still confused though!

[Rita Shaffer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very disappointed in this third book. There really was no mystery and I found some parts of the book useless and rushed.

[Saskia · Rating 1 out of 5]

SPOILERS


Confessions: The Paris Mysteries is a disaster. This book is not a book. It is a collection of random plot lines and unnecessary events, strung together in no particular order. We have a house fire, an accusation of murder, a drug abusing brother, a dead but not dead sister, a mysterious and long-lost, ex-commando uncle, an all consuming love, the betrayal of a best friend, a momentarily missing child, a mental institutionalization, a few new songs, perverted letters from the other uncle to the dead sister, and we all move to Paris. That's not even close to all of the strange and disjointed things that happen.

The first two books of the Confessions series were great. I liked the main character, Tandy Angel, and I liked the plot of the dead parents who ran the pharmaceutical company and who dosed their children with experimental drugs that made them smart and artsy and athletic, but since then, this book has gone off the deep end and completely diverged from the main plot line. All we got in this book that even talked about what happened in those books were letters of understanding that Tandy wrote to her parents. Nothing from their old lives was an issue anymore, Matty got to go back to playing professional football almost immediately after being accused of three murders and being torn up in the press for many weeks. None of that mattered to his employers, who rely on the public for much of their income!

It was also blatantly obvious that this book was written by two authors. There were two different voices throughout the whole thing and the disjointed plot was the result. I can imagine the process of writing it being something like this:
"We should start with this..."
"Okay, let me just write this in, I've always wanted to write something like this,"
"Wait, hold on. I wasn't finished with this part, I'll just add more in here without reading the part you just wrote."
"Alright, now we'll do some reminiscing."
"After that I'll add some action."
"I'm putting in more action of a different variety because I forgot that you just wrote some."

It wasn't very realistic either. They went to school for nine pages and three periods before getting kicked out. Tandy had the ability to relocate the family over the phone and without permission in the middle of the night. I don't really think that would be possible for a sixteen year old girl in the real world, even if she does know every landmark in Bhutan in the language of Dzongkha. They let things be possible in this book that shouldn't be made possible. Hugo navigated the metro and found his favorite restaurant (A place they've only been to once before) in a strange city where he does not natively speak the language. And Tandy somehow knew he would show up there.

Finally, the emotions that Tandy goes through are incredibly ridiculous. She does have the excuse of just getting off of the emotion reducing pills that her parents put her on, but it's completely over exaggerated and I laughed every time that she was sorting through her feelings. I nearly suffocated in the beginning when she reunited with her long lost and accidentally suppressed boyfriend. My favorite line was this, "Our knees touched and our feelings arced between us like lightning." I didn't know that could happen, I hope it doesn't hurt and I dearly hope it never happens to me.

Overall, The Paris Mysteries was inconsistent, not well thought out, superficial and careless. I don't recommend it unless you've read the other books and, like me, have to read it because you already paid for it.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short book was different then the first two. So much was revealed...some good and some sad. It was also thrilling.

I’m gave this one 3 stars. I knocked it down one star because they changed the narrator. If you’ve ever listened to an audiobook you understand when I say the narrator becomes the characters. Sometimes when they change a narrator it makes no difference. This time it did. The change was not subtle...it was night and day. Lauren Fortgang is a great narrator. She doesn’t disappoint. I still enjoyed her voice. This time however, her voice and style caused me to take a few days before I could listen to her narrating this audiobook. She is not Tandy. I am still starting the next book now.

[Kirsty-Marie Jones · Rating 1 out of 5]

You see that, series? It's you and me breaking up.

[Abigail Spracklen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Contains spoilers maybe
Ugg The end of this was so unexpected Idk what to think. I hate James and Peter. (and CP but not as much).
Katherine????

[Sara I · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt like this book was probably my least favorite of the series. I felt like Tandy was all over the place and everything that happened was kind of spastic. Like she was with James for literally two chapters and then she spends the rest of the book bemoaning the fact that he's left her. And then loosing sleep over what she was going to do without him there and how she was going to be able to get him back. It seemed a bit ridiculous. I think the plot was pretty good overall. I mean it stuck with things that had been hinted or mentioned in the previous books and now they get some light. Some of the things did seem a bit fantastic but this is a very fantastic group of characters so I can't really say anything. Speaking of characters, I really enjoyed spending time with the Angel's again. I really like all the characters, the siblings and their Uncle Jacob. They're unique and interesting. And pretty funny.

This book reads very quickly and is pretty exciting. Not quite as exciting as the other two books but still things are happening and the Angels lead a very interesting life. However a few of these events, namely one that relates to Tandy's dead sister, seemed a little questionable. Why was this happening now? Why wouldn't they have heard about this, etc. The ending also seemed off and very sudden. So much happened in the last chapter or two and it left me putting down the book when I'd finished and trying to figure out what had just happened and if there had been any hints that it would happen.

Overall, I was disappointed with this book. Tandy seemed too up and down to me, maybe that's what the author wanted to portray, based on the ending, but it still made me dislike it. The ending was surprising and almost didn't seem to fit with the book. I'm assuming there's going to be another book in this series and I hope it will be able to turn the series back in the right direction.

[Megan Pimentel · Rating 4 out of 5]

OMG I NEED IT NOW!

Can't even express how I feel every time I re read the ending of the last book, NOT COOL PATTERSON!!!!!! Gosh I can't wait for this book I need to know what happens!!!!

[katelyn ❀ · Rating 3 out of 5]

if my friend slept with the person i was in love with i would’ve done more than slap her

[Tiffany PSquared · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audible Review

I felt like this was a little disjointed. I know it's supposed to be the journal of a 16-year-old girl, so in that sense, it does read like that - scattered.

I marked it 2 stars not because it was awful, but because it was "just ok".

[Wendy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was one of the worst books I have read in a long time. Shame on you James Patterson.

[Tanner · Rating 1 out of 5]

Review to come. maybe, if I need to rant.

[Yvonne (It's All About Books) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Finished reading: February 20th 2017

“It was a crazy theory. But when Angels are involved, crazy is almost normal.”

This is me trying to live up to my promise to finally start finishing at least a few pending series... I started the Confessions series last year and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the first book. The prose doesn't read like a train; it's probably closer to a rocket launch! Besides the lightning fast pace, the first book was also very entertaining even though the main character was quite annoying. I was looking forward to the rest of the series, but unfortunately the books so far don't exactly live up to the first book. And while The Private School Murders was still ok, I can't say the same of The Paris Mysteries. In fact, even though the prose reads just as fast as the first book, the beginning of this third book had me almost DNFing it. There is a LOT of cheesy romance involved in this one, topped with a VERY annoying main character I seem to have no further patience for. Tandy Angel managed to convince me in the first book, but now the only thing I wanted for her to shut up or disappear... Or both. I also felt the focus of this story was all wrong. For example, the whole 'superpills' angle is very intriguing, especially with such a rich potential subplot involving the 'guinea pigs'/victims. But no, the focus is on Tandy, her messed up romance and her messed up family. The Paris Mysteries is by far the weakest book of this series so far, and I'm seriously afraid of what the final book will bring.



WARNING: Possible spoilers! Please don’t read this summary if you haven’t read the first two books of this series yet. I’ll keep the summary super short but it’s impossible to keep it completely spoiler-free…

Tandy Angel and her brothers have been through a lot, with their parents murdered and Tandy investigating multiple homicides back home. They are ready for a fresh start, and they are about to begin a new adventure in Paris. The Angels have moved into their grandmother Hilda's mansion, but their new life in France doesn't mean they won't be getting into trouble. What about Tandy's lost love? And what really happened to their long-dead sister Katherine?



There is no doubt that this series is a superfast read, but I'm having the feeling the Angel family would have worked better as a stand-alone. The sequels seem to be losing their quality and I actually struggled to finish The Paris Mysteries. Even an easy read is difficult when you despise the main character and feel the urge to vomit whenever another cheesy scene makes its appearance... And the only truly interesting angle has only been touched briefly. All in all quite a disappointment unfortunately.

P.S. Find more of my reviews here.

[Teresa mcgaha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I devoured the first two books in this series within one day of started them. I started this book but the action was lackluster and then couldnt find book. Stumbled across it the other day and finally finished it. The family has fled NYC to Paris to their deceased Grandmother's estate. Upon arriving they have meetings with lawyers who lay out a very complicated future in order to inherit riches beyond anyone's dream. Tandy has a moment with James. Matty returns to NYC to fulfill his football career. Harry becomes a singer quite suddenly and Hugo seems to court trouble at every turn. This novel wasn't a nonstop read because more mysteries appeared without clear answers and at times it spiral out of control and by the time you processed all that info more questions appear than answers.

[Erica Paré · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually have been reading this series in the opposite order lol I realized that I had read book #4 first. Due to this, I was a little confused during the book but was able to get the gist of things. I just found that although the writing itself was good, the storyline was very lacking. It was as if the entire book went over like a week period. The focus on the whole first half of the book seems to be about the kids not following rules and doing things they shouldn't. The other half seems to be about the dead sister and the family having a bad apple.

[Tgordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m almost done with this series. They are ok for young adult books but not great. They are YA books so they move fast with several well stops where I want to say “please stop, slow down and get more in depth”. However they march on. So I’m almost done with the whole series and I’m looking forward to a great climax.

[Sabrina Bain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg this was the best of the series, fast paced and filled with secrets

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this very engaging and at the end of this one, was yearning to get the next book. I don't find that the case often. I hope that series maintains it's level of quality and suspense. I like the characters and the dynamic plots that they are placed into. Tandy and her siblings are a great fun escape...

[Megan (ReadingRover) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book but I didn't. I was going to give it 2 stars but the more I thought about it I just couldn't. Honestly it was short and felt rushed. The only good thing about it was the few bits of new info we got on the Angel family. There were more questions left in the end than answers. The plot line gets more and more complicated as the series goes on and we never really get any satisfaction. Also, I found the characters to be much less likable in this book than the other two. Maybe I was kidding myself thinking that I liked Tandy at all in the first 2 books but in this one I just found her irritating. Hugo was barely even in this book. Harry's parts were out of character and uninteresting for the most part. And WTF was up with CP. Sorry but how did that fit in other than for the shock factor. Sorry Patterson but it was a sad attempt. The book was pretty disappointing overall. I hope that the next book makes a big comeback because if it doesn't I'm just going to keep reading this series and disliking it more and more. This has made me a sad panda :(

[Trisha · Rating 2 out of 5]

"I'd been savagely betrayed by so many people I had loved.
I was even furious with myself for ever loving any of them."

I'm so disappointed. This book felt disjointed and all over the place. The plot felt forced and so many things felt....ridiculous. The Angel family has always been quirky but for the first time...I didn't even recognized them. I don't feel like they were acting like they did in book 1 or book 2.

And, probably most disappointing, is that everything I'd looked forward to in book 1 and 2 - all the things that I felt were implied and even promised to be delivered in this one. They just....weren't. Instead I was just let down.

Is there more in this series? I don't know I'll keep reading.................

[Izac Gonzales · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the 3rd book to the "confessions" books and I have to say, I was impressed. Although it started off slower than the first 2 books, the ending had me wanting to read more. There was great character development and major plot twists.

[Whitney Ortega · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I actually read this one instead of listened to. It kinda drug some and then the ending helped redeem it! Didn’t think I’d read the last one of the series but thanks to the ending now I’m going to have to.

[♡Julalicious Book Paradise♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

review to come.

[Rachael Cahoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book.. idk if it was me or what but i felt like it lacked some of the energy and action then the other books.. but i still LOVE ITTTT

[Mackenzie Bumgarner · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was really good.