Verve Books GHOSTS OF PARIS, THE.

Billie Walker Mystery #2

by Tara Moss

In a world still reeling from the Second World War, glamorous private investigator Billie Walker searches for a wealthy client's missing husband, a commission that sets her on a collision course with an underground network of Nazis.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Historical, Fiction, Audiobook, Crime, Australia

Paperback

First published June 7, 2022

About the author

Tara Moss is an internationally bestselling author, documentary host and human rights advocate. She is the author of 15 books, published in 19 countries and 13 languages. Her latest, The Italian Secret, follows on from the internationally bestselling historical thrillers The War Widow, and The Ghosts of Paris, both set in the postwar 1940s and featuring '‘staunchly feminist, champagne-swilling, fast-driving Nazi hunter’ investigator' PI Billie Walker.

Moss is an outspoken advocate for the rights of women and children, and people with disabilities, and has also published two best-selling non-fiction books, The Fictional Woman and Speaking Out - A 21st Century Guide for Women and Girls.

She has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2007 and as of 2013 is UNICEF Australia’s National Ambassador for Child Survival, and has visited Australian hospitals, maternity wards and schools as well as Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon in her UNICEF role. In 2015 she received an Edna Ryan Award for her significant contribution to feminist debate, speaking out for women and children and inspiring others to challenge the status quo.

Her in-depth novel research has seen her tour the FBI Academy at Quantico, spend time in squad cars, morgues, prisons, the Hare Psychopathy Lab, the Supreme Court and criminology conferences, take polygraph tests, shoot weapons, conduct surveillance, pass the Firearms Training Simulator (FATSII) with the LAPD, pull 4.2 G’s doing loops over the Sydney Opera House flying with the RAAF, and acquire her CAMS race driver licence. She has hosted the true crime documentary series Tough Nuts – Australia’s Hardest Criminals on the Crime & Investigation Network, ‘Tara Moss Investigates’ on the National Geographic Channel and the author interview show Tara in Conversation on 13th Street Universal. In 2014 she was recognised for Outstanding Advocacy for her blog Manus Island: An insider’s report, which helped to break information to the public about the events surrounding the alleged murder of Reza Barati inside the Australian-run Manus Island Immigration Detention Centre.

She has earned her private investigator credentials (Cert III) from the Australian Security Academy.

Moss is a dual Australian/Canadian citizen. Visit her at TaraRaeMoss.com

Recent Awards and Accolades:

2012 Australia’s 20 Most Influential Female Voices

2013 Australia’s Most inspiring Women ‘who push boundaries, create change and motivate’

2014 Outstanding Advocacy Award for Manus Island: An insider’s report

2014 Cosmo’s The Women Who Made 2014 Better for The Fictional Woman

2014 Influential Women of 2014, alongside Malala, Laura Bates, Angelina Jolie and more

2014 The Hoopla‘s The Female Eunuch Award for The Fictional Woman

2015 Best Designed Non-Fiction Book Award, for The Fictional Woman designed by Tara Moss and Matt Stanton

2015 Part of the University of Sydney’s Leadership for Good

2015 Edna Ryan Award - ‘Grand Stirrer Award’ for making a feminist difference by speaking out for women and children, for a significant contribution to feminist debate and inciting others to challenge the status quo

2016 Champion of the West award for community service

2017 The Order of Lambrick Park

2018 International Top 50 Diversity Figures in Public Life ‘recognises the achievements of individuals who have used their position in public life, for example as a campaigner, politician or journalist to make an impact in diversity.’ Listed alongside Malala Yousufzai, Angelina Jolie, Bernie Sanders, Emma Watson, His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet and more.

Reviews

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s 1947 and war reporter Billie Walker has been back in Sydney for three years. Her husband, photojournalist Jack Rake disappeared in Poland in 1944 and is still missing, possibly dead. A strong, independent woman, Billie has taken over her father’s private investigation business following his death and has become quite well known after her capture the previous year of a Nazi war criminal who had been trading in goods stolen from concentration camp victims.

Now Vera Montgomery, a wealthy women has asked Billie and her assistant Sam to go to Europe to look for her husband. He disappeared two years ago on a work trip to London and Paris with a post war exhibition promoting Australia. Now she wants to know if he is dead or has deserted her, in which case she wants a divorce so she can move on with her life.

While in France Billie also hopes to find out what happened to Jack, while trying to trace Vera’s husband. There are lots of ghosts waiting for her in Paris to remind her of her time with Jack. She also soon discovers she is being followed by someone who doesn’t like her snooping around and will do anything to stop her.

I very much enjoyed this historical mystery, especially the sights and sounds of post war London and Paris. Descriptions of the fashions, the cars and the hotels (the Strand Palace and the Ritz) are also full of historical detail. Billie and Sam’s trip on the Qantas Lancastrian service was fascinating to read about. It was considered the fast way to get to Europe (along with the mail) with only three days of travel from Sydney to London with six stops along the way, although several days rest afterwards are required to get over the headache from the noise and vibration of the plane! With Billie and Sam exploring both the highs and lows of Paris life, this is a fun and thrilling read with plenty of action, sleuthing and a little romance.

With thanks to Penguin and Dutton via Netgalley for a copy to read

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Ghosts Of Paris is the second book in the Billie Walker Mystery series by award-winning Australian/Canadian author, Tara Moss. It’s the late autumn of 1947 in Sydney and while Billie Walker, of B. Walker Private Inquiries is beginning to find the work of locating errant husbands and proving their infidelity a bit tiresome, even if the latest case is unusual, and it does provide a necessary income.

Mrs Richard Montgomery, too, wants her wealthy husband located, but her case is a little different. Vera Montgomery has not heard from her husband for two years, when the ad man was working for the Bureau of Information in Paris. Billie has been recommended by a satisfied former client, and Mrs Armstrong is insisting she fly to London on the next available flight. Traveling to Paris will also be required, and her capable assistant, Sam Baker will need to come along.

Billie can’t help her immediate impulse to add on a search for her own missing husband, Jack Rake, although she is realistic enough to understand it will probably be his grave that she locates, if anything at all. And even if DI Hank Cooper disapproves of her intention to see what she can find out about the European associates of a certain Nazi war criminal with whom she’s had a recent run-in, that won’t deter her.

Once in England, having endured a three-day flight in an ex-Lancaster bomber, and gained scant information from Australia House and those people Vera recommended they see, Billie and Sam head to Paris. What they do learn paints a very different man to the one Vera describes and, in Paris, the opinion of Billie’s former Resistance colleague turns their search in a new direction.

Meanwhile, back in Sydney, Billie’s indigenous informant, Shyla Davis is reluctantly dealing with correspondence at the PI office, where her handling of a certain serious incident proves both Shyla’s mettle and her initiative, and provides some entertainment when Billie’s mum, Baroness Ella von Hooft gets involved.

Moss gives the reader a fast-paced plot filled with intrigue, some nasty villains and a heart-thumping climax, or two. With mentions of historical period detail, the scarcity of certain commodities, homophobia, sexism and racism, Moss easily evokes the era and ambience of immediate post-war Sydney, London and Paris.

Billie is feisty and determined, and manages to hold her own, through disapproval and prejudice, even when she grapples with an Austrian assassin. She also climbs up the trellis of a grand home, visits a lesbian bar and, together with Sam, survives a dangerous car chase in an Armstrong Siddeley Hurricane, an awful visit to the Paris morgue, and visits to many gay clubs. Luckily, she’s a dab hand with her little Colt 908.

Moss gives Billie a marvellous support cast, whose character and role expands with each instalment, and the dialogue offers occasional moments of dark humour. Billie’s narrative is interspersed with flashbacks to her pre-war and later encounters with Jack, and in Paris, after three years of guessing and wondering, she finally gets a definitive answer about Jack’s fate. This is another excellent dose of post-war Aussie noir.

[Mandy White (mandylovestoread) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Billie Walker is back!!

I absolutely loved Dead Man Switch (or The War Widow in the US) and could not wait to dive back into the world of private investigator Billie Walker in 1947 Sydney. Once again, Tara Moss has blown me away. The Ghosts of Paris is a wonderful historical mystery book that was exciting, emotional and addictive. I can't recommend this book and series more

Billie and Sam are hired by a wealthy woman to find her husband, a business man who travelled to London and Paris 2 years ago for work and never came home. The chance to go back to Europe is snapped up by Billie, who sees it as a chance to also do some more digging into what happened to her husband, Jack Rake who never came home from Warsaw during the war. A long 3 day trip and they set straight to work, but it soon becomes clear that this won't be an easy job. A string of close calls and Billie realises that somebody doesn't want them to succeed.

It was fascinating to learn about life after the war, not only in Sydney but in Paris and London. Things that we take for granted these days were just not options in 1947. For Billie, as a woman it was even harder. Being a woman who worked and didn't take no for an answer.

I just love Billie and I hope we will see more of her. The world is changing quickly around her and I can't wait to see how she deals with it.

A big thank you to Netgalley and Dutton Books for my advanced copy of this book to read. The Ghosts of Paris is published June 7th.

[Erin Clemence · Rating 4 out of 5]

As seen on www.mysteryandsuspense.com

The Second World War is over, and although countries worldwide are still paying the price, trying to rebuild what was destroyed, Billie Walker seems to have finally found herself as a private investigator. Mostly making a living off the discovery of cheating husbands, Billie encounters something out of the ordinary when a wealthy client hires her to find her missing husband, to determine not only his whereabouts, but if the husband is actually missing. Billie and her assistant, Sam, travel to London and then Paris, following in Mr. Montgomery’s footsteps, and hoping to make some leeway in uncovering his whereabouts. But Paris holds a lot of memories for Billie and she is torn between looking for Montgomery and uncovering the truth about her own missing husband, who was presumed dead in the war. Add to that a very angry group of men who don’t like Billie’s past hunting for Nazis, and both Billie and Sam are quickly in well over their heads.

“The Ghosts of Paris” is the second novel in the Billie Walker series by author Tara Moss. Billie is a grieving war widow, or at least she thinks she is (not knowing the fate of her own husband), following her father’s path into the world of investigation. From Sydney, to the streets of London, to Paris, “Ghosts” takes the reader on an emotional journey that also serves to quench some wanderlust.

Right off the bat this book reads like the sequel it is, although it is not necessary to have read “The War Widow” first (though I highly recommend it!). Moss gave me enough of Billie’s background to be able to piece together anything I might have missed by not reading the first book. Although some of the plot points were predictable (the romance between Billie and Sam was brewing from page one), the powerhouse twist at the end was a complete surprise!

Moss is a self-touted Feminist, and this novel reinforces that. Referring to a “God” as a “goddess” (for example Moss will say “good goddess” instead of “good God”) and having Billie insist on being called “Ms” instead of “Miss” are just a few. Granted, the novel takes place in 1947 so although some things have changed (not enough, unfortunately), I both laughed and cheered when Billie took charge, leaving her male companions baffled and flustered.

I love Billie as a character; not only is she an independent woman who is trying to make a name for herself in a business where, as a female, that just isn’t done, but she blasted stereotypes without thinking twice (and wearing “Fighting Red” lipstick to boot!). Sam, too, was completely atypical as a male “assistant”, but he was charming, dapper and utterly competent, the perfect match to Billie’s personality.

Set in a post-war Europe, with an emotionally gripping storyline and well-developed and relatable characters, “The Ghosts of Paris” (and the entire Billie Walker series for that matter) not only turns the world of private investigation on its head, but it provides ample entertainment and gripping twists and turns to boot!

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second of the Billie Walker mysteries, The Ghost of Paris by Tara Moss continues the adventures, a year on from the last book. It’s Sydney 1947 and Billie is a former reporter, now a ‘private inquiry agent’, hired to track down a missing husband. The investigation takes Billie and her assistant Sam to London and then Paris, where they will discover not one missing man but two, along with the secrets and consequences of the not long-finished War. This is fine historic literature, that captures post-war Paris ambivalence and the detective noir of the 1940s so well. It may seem to be unlikely exploits of a woman detective, but it is a most enjoyable read with a four and a half star rating. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own and freely given.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

How to rate this? Danielle Carter's is a 3★ star rendition of a 5★ novel. Breathy, strangely paced, weirdly over-emphatic, with some dodgy pronunciation. Might give further audio by this narrator a miss.

The Ghosts Of Paris is the second book in the Billie Walker Mystery series by award-winning Australian/Canadian author, Tara Moss. It’s the late autumn of 1947 in Sydney and while Billie Walker, of B. Walker Private Inquiries is beginning to find the work of locating errant husbands and proving their infidelity a bit tiresome, even if the latest case is unusual, and it does provide a necessary income.

Mrs Richard Montgomery, too, wants her wealthy husband located, but her case is a little different. Vera Montgomery has not heard from her husband for two years, when the ad man was working for the Bureau of Information in Paris. Billie has been recommended by a satisfied former client, and Mrs Armstrong is insisting she fly to London on the next available flight. Traveling to Paris will also be required, and her capable assistant, Sam Baker will need to come along.

Billie can’t help her immediate impulse to add on a search for her own missing husband, Jack Rake, although she is realistic enough to understand it will probably be his grave that she locates, if anything at all. And even if DI Hank Cooper disapproves of her intention to see what she can find out about the European associates of a certain Nazi war criminal with whom she’s had a recent run-in, that won’t deter her.

Once in England, having endured a three-day flight in an ex-Lancaster bomber, and gained scant information from Australia House and those people Vera recommended they see, Billie and Sam head to Paris. What they do learn paints a very different man to the one Vera describes and, in Paris, the opinion of Billie’s former Resistance colleague turns their search in a new direction.

Meanwhile, back in Sydney, Billie’s indigenous informant, Shyla Davis is reluctantly dealing with correspondence at the PI office, where her handling of a certain serious incident proves both Shyla’s mettle and her initiative, and provides some entertainment when Billie’s mum, Baroness Ella von Hooft gets involved.

Moss gives the reader a fast-paced plot filled with intrigue, some nasty villains and a heart-thumping climax, or two. With mentions of historical period detail, the scarcity of certain commodities, homophobia, sexism and racism, Moss easily evokes the era and ambience of immediate post-war Sydney, London and Paris.

Billie is feisty and determined, and manages to hold her own, through disapproval and prejudice, even when she grapples with an Austrian assassin. She also climbs up the trellis of a grand home, visits a lesbian bar and, together with Sam, survives a dangerous car chase in an Armstrong Siddeley Hurricane, an awful visit to the Paris morgue, and visits to many gay clubs. Luckily, she’s a dab hand with her little Colt 908.

Moss gives Billie a marvellous support cast, whose character and role expands with each instalment, and the dialogue offers occasional moments of dark humour. Billie’s narrative is interspersed with flashbacks to her pre-war and later encounters with Jack, and in Paris, after three years of guessing and wondering, she finally gets a definitive answer about Jack’s fate. This is another excellent dose of post-war Aussie noir.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Ghosts of Paris is the second book in the author’s historical thriller series featuring Australian private enquiry agent Billie Walker. I definitely think it’s possible to enjoy The Ghosts of Paris without having read the first book, The War Widow, since the descriptions of the main characters and references to events in the previous book are sufficient to bring new readers up to date.

As in The War Widow, the legacy of the Second World War is never far away. Whether that’s physical scars, such as that of Billie’s assistant Sam, or continuing efforts to being Nazi war criminals to account. The terrible atrocities committed during the war, particularly on the population of Poland, are illustrated in the dramatic prologue.

Billie’s involvement in hunting down a criminal on the run has brought her notoriety and plenty of new clients, many of them women seeking evidence about errant husbands. Her latest client, Vera Montgomery, has a case that is a little too close to home, concerning as it does the unexplained disappearance of her husband Richard. That’s because the mystery of what happened to Billie’s husband, Jack, also remains unresolved. Can he still be alive having been missing for over two years or is he, as Billie has come to believe, dead?

The new case takes Billie and Sam to London and then Paris, a place Billie spent some time in during the war. There she is truly is surrounded by the ghosts of the past. More than she realises, as it happens. Their enquiries take them from the glamour of the Ritz hotel to the back streets of Montmartre. All the time, Billie can’t shake off the feeling that she’s being watched. But by whom and with what motive? She’s made plenty of enemies in her time, that’s for sure. Lucky then that she has her trusty pearl-handled Colt revolver tucked in her garter and loyal Sam at her side.

The standout scene in the book for me was Billie and Sam’s visit to the Paris morgue as they attempt to rule out the missing man’s disappearance is not the result of accident or foul play. It is utterly chilling.

All the different threads of the story are wrapped up pretty rapidly in the final chapters. But some things are left to be picked up in a future book, notably the changing relationship between Billie and Sam, and the lingering threat from those who still cling to Nazi ideology.

I could have done with a few less mentions of Billie applying her ‘Fighting Red’ lipstick, donning her sturdy Oxford shoes or exclaiming ‘Good Goddess’ but that’s probably just me. However, the twists and turns of the story, including a perilous encounter at Notre-Dame cathedral, and Billie’s tenacious pursuit of the truth kept me absorbed. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Corinne Davies who captured Billie’s feisty nature really well.

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charged, compelling, and intense!

The Ghosts of Paris is a thrilling, absorbing tale set in 1947 that takes you into the life of Billie Walker, a Sydney female inquiry agent whose latest case takes her back to Paris to find the missing husband of Mrs Vera Montgomery while also providing her with the perfect opportunity to discover, once and for all, what really happened to her own husband, Jake Rake who hasn’t been seen or heard from since 1944.

The prose is fluid and rich. The characters are independent, resourceful, and trustworthy. And the plot is an enticing mix of life, love, loss, secrets, passion, heartbreak, betrayal, tragedy, survival, danger, friendship, and war.

Overall, The Ghosts of Paris is a captivating, heart-tugging, atmospheric tale by Moss that transports you to another time and place and immerses you so thoroughly into the feelings, lives, and personalities of the characters you can’t help but be fully engrossed and utterly invested.

Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Claire Ehrenfeld · Rating 2 out of 5]

This started off very promising , but after a lot of running around in Sydney, London and Paris I found this book quite tiresome. After all of the adventures the heroine endures, it winds up in a very few pages at the end. I did not realize that this was the second book of this series, as it did not seem to matter.

[theliterateleprechaun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tara Moss has made sure that readers have an immersive reading experience by incorporating details about fashion and architecture, as well as era-specific mindset and verbal expressions, societal issues and post-war reality. The author’s love of this time period is evident in her work and results in a better experience for her readers. I’m still thinking about the Bakelite clock and the female tied to the front gun of a tank!

“Stay out of it. Girl. Was that a threat?”

You’ll read about an Australian private investigator, the formidable Wilhelmina ‘Billie’ Walker and her hunky partner, Sam Baker, who follow clues to London and Paris in search of their client’s missing husband. You’ll love reading about the glitz and glamour of Paris and identifying with Billie’s heartbreaking connection to the City of Lights. Moss brings the quintessential image of the 1940s silver screen female P.I. alive for her readers and mixes in car chases, Tussy’s Fighting Red lipstick-wearing and gun-toting females, espionage, reflective moments shrouded in Lucky Strike cigarette smoke, and a foray into the dark world of an underground Nazi network.

Give the author time to set the backstage and then be prepared for a fast-paced journey back in time as Billie wrestles with the ghosts of her past while trying to solve a case. A compelling story full of secrets and intrigue set in postwar London and Paris, this engaging novel and the series need to be on every historical fiction lover’s reading list.

While this is book two in the Billie Walker Mystery series, it can stand alone.

I was gifted this advance copy by Tara Moss, HarperCollins Canada, HarperAvenue and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

[Guylou (Two Dogs and a Book) · Rating 4 out of 5]

📚 Hello Book Friends! THE GHOSTS OF PARIS is the second book in the Billie Walker Mystery Series by Tara Moss. In this book we discover more about Australian P.I. Billie Walker and her assistant Samuel Baker. They are hired to find a woman’s missing husband who was last seen in Paris. Going back to Europe will not be easy for Billie as she too lost her husband; presumably killed in the Warsaw Uprising of 1943. But was he? When Billie meets an old friend, she is told that he might be in Paris… alive. Now she must solve two mysteries while being targeted by Nazi sympathizers because of an incident that happened in the first book. This story is full of action, romance, and heartbreaks. The post WWII setting is awesome and offers the readers a view of the post war recovery. This series is marvelous, and I recommend you read the first book before this one, although it can be read as a stand alone too.

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[Robyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

THE GHOSTS OF PARIS
Tara Moss

I tried to listen to this but the narrator was on my last nerve. I hated her accent and her voice... it just grated me... I gave up.

DNF auidobook

Happy Reading!

[Helen - Great Reads & Tea Leaves · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am ever so happy to have been lost in Billie Walker’s world - my new historical female heroine! The Ghosts of Paris is the second novel in the Billie Walker series by Tara Moss and I loved it! Although not necessary to have read The War Widow (Tara does provide a catch up and some background) I highly recommend you do. This is a post WWII private investigator you will not want to miss out on!

‘My dear girl,' Basil said, looking quite appalled. You think this kind of work is appropriate for a woman?' 'Well yes, Basil, I do. I grant it's not for everyone, but it's appropriate for plenty of women and men, given the chance.’

The Ghosts of Paris will take you from Sydney, to London, to Paris. Tara recreates the streets of Sydney and brings alive the post war struggles of two European capitals with all the sights and sounds. The storyline reels you in on so many bases. Not only is there a challenging missing husband case to solve but Billie is also wondering if this trip might shed some light on her own husband missing from the war years. There are twists, turns and action aplenty from this riveting tale.

Full credit to Tara for giving readers such a strong, confident and independent leading lady with her Fighting Red lipstick yet also able to demonstrate Billie’s softer and more vulnerable side. With just enough sprinkling of historical details there is much at play in this post war mystery. You will be cheering Billie on as she fights the good fight - literally and figuratively - against her male peers and always with the trusty Sam supportively by her side.

‘Ah, Paris. You see? You are the right man for this job,’ Vera declared, raising her glass victoriously. ‘I knew it.’ ‘I do hope so’, Billie cautiously agreed. ‘I may even be the right woman.’

I highly recommend this series and reading the books in order. The Ghosts of Paris is such a wonderful historical mystery book filled with exciting, emotional and highly addictive storyline’s. I can't wait to see what Billie gets up to next.




This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

[Paul Kerr · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5.
Great idea for a story and the main character (Billie) is easy to like. I liked the description of post-war Australia and Europe but thought some of the historical connections could have been used far more effectively. I didn't find this very tense, even towards the end. I would read another and I am sure one is coming.

[Davida Chazan · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75/5 stars. Okay, she got me. Now I'm going to be impatient for the 3rd book in this series! You can read my book review here https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2022/06/1...

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really enjoying this post-WWII historical fiction series featuring Billie Walker, an Australian private investigator who in this book is hired by a woman looking to prove her husband is dead and another one looking to prove her husband is unfaithful so she can get a divorce. The author does such a good job bringing to life what post-war society was like for women especially. In particular how dependent many women still were on their husbands in spite of the gains women had made during the war. Great on audio and highly recommended!

[Jeff Dickison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book begins slowly as the author fills us in on what happened in the first episode. But it picks up very nicely and in the end is an excellent read. The main character is a strong-willed woman private inspector in Sydney, Australia making her living mainly with divorce cases. One such case leads her to adventures in London and Paris. Very well done. Recommended.

[Katie Hanna]

excuse me, ma'am, I was promised ROMANCE

(also I just felt the mystery wasn't very interesting, especially not compared to the last book)

[Joshie Nicole readwithjoshie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Billie is back at it in this second instalment of this mystery series. Once things get going, the plot is engaging, with shocking, unpredictable twists and turns. In this book, the reader follows Billie from Sydney to London and Paris which was a nice change of pace from book 1.

Billie is a fierce protagonist and her take charge approach and intelligence are so fun to read. I also love the way the author incorporates historical details into the story; her written descriptions of the fashion, mannerisms, cultural beliefs, architecture, and so on enrich the story and help immerse the reader in the time period. I continue to appreciate the romantic tension between Sam & Billie, and the entire storyline with Jack was one of the best parts of this book!

Where I struggled with this one was the pacing. The beginning was a slow start, and while I recognize that it was laying important groundwork for the mystery to come, I felt it could have been tightened up. Additionally, the ending was anticlimactic and a bit confusing. When the reader finally learns the mystery of Richard Montgomery, it was not as exciting as earlier moments. There were also some storylines that I had hoped would develop further (such as Shyla’s); I wanted more from her perspective. I imagine she’ll feature prominently in the next book.

Overall, this was not as exciting as the first in the series, but it does deal with some very real issues of the time (such as homophobia) and I learned more about the underground queer community in Sydney, London, and France at this time.

While it can be read as a standalone, there are many references to the mystery of the first book that the reader would benefit from understanding going into book two.

⚠️TW: violence, shooting, homophobia

[Jo | Booklover Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars. I adored Tara Moss’ Makedde Vanderwall PI crime series and wholeheartedly recommend it to those who enjoy feisty and intelligent leading ladies. Titles in that series I have reviewed on Booklover Book Reviews include Siren #5 (2009) and Assassin #6 (2012). But in 2019, Moss significantly expanded her fanbase with the release of The War Widow (aka Dead Man Switch), the first title in this historical PI series starring Ms. Billie Walker.

For readers like me, who fell in love with the fabulous feisty Billie and her eclectic good-hearted posse (read my review of Book 1), it has felt like a long wait for Book 2 The Ghosts of Paris. While I’ll strenuously avoid spoilers, suffice to say the events in this novel were worth that wait!

Dear Alma, wily flamboyant Ella, resourceful Shyla and the enigmatic Hank Cooper all make delightful return appearances, but it is the wonderfully steadfast, loyal and handsome Sam Baker (her assistant) that shares top billing in this outing as Billie’s European travel companion – and the energy between them is utterly delectable. Continue reading: https://www.bookloverbookreviews.com/...

[Danielle Dart · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like it. I enjoyed the rich historical detail and the inclusion of an Aboriginal Australian perspective, although the latter was scant. Sadly, I found the central mystery uninteresting, the dynamics between the Billie and the straight male characters muddy. And Billie mournfully, wistfully invoked the name of her husband "Jack Rake" so many times I wished him dead.

[Emily Wrayburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this. Tara Moss certainly knows how to transport her readers to a particular time and place. I really love these characters. My only issue was that I thought the case got solved rather too quickly right at the end.

[Christine M in Texas (stamperlady50) · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading the first Billie Walker Mystery, The War Widow, I knew I had to read the follow-up The Ghost of Paris. Billie and her partner Sam Baker travel to London and Paris to search for a client’s missing husband. Moss’s details of the time period in the 40’s is so vivid and the descriptions had me immersed in the time period.

While investigating she finds herself wondering about her husband Jack, who has been missing. This novel takes you on an incredibly journey full of danger, espionage, secrets, lies and so much more. Grab your favorite beverage and prepare not to be interrupted for this riveting novel.

[Katie Greenberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will always be a sucker for WW2 era historical fiction, so when I saw this one on netgalley that was a detective mystery/HF combo I knew it was right up my alley!!
Although the second in a series, Ghosts of Paris was acceptable as a standalone. Moss did a good job of reintroducing characters and touching on background information, and I had no issue with not reading the first novel.

I appreciated learning of the realities of the post-war world; the rebuilding of lives, and the tragedies that continued to occur. The novel was easy to follow, thought provoking, and interesting, I was keen to pick it back up every time I put it down!I loved how Moss constantly pointed out the chauvinistic behaviour of men and how our MC Billie handled it - Real girl power.

I did however feel as though this one was rushed at the end and with a somewhat lack of clarity.

I am very interested to read the next novel, to especially see whats happening with Billie and her love life!

[Bookmarked ByLisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Ghosts of Paris by Tara Moss

What an amazing author with an inspiring strong herione. While it's not necessary to read The War Widow first I would highly recommend it. I can't quite put my feelings together about this book but Joanne Harris sums it up nicely "A cracking thriller, with a marvellous, strong, flamboyant heroine. Loved it."

Thanks @harpercollinsaustralia and @taramossauthor for the gifted copy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of 5 from me.

[✰ BJ's Book Blog ✰Janeane ✰ · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC received via Netgalley for an honest review

Tara Moss has given us another enthralling story with The Ghosts Of Paris.

Post-war Sydney is not a place for the faint hearted, and being a female private investigator in that time has more than a few hurdles for her overcome.

Billie Walker is one of those women that paved the way for women of today to be able to do and be anything. The old boys club doesn't stand a chance when she puts her mind to something.

I loved Dead Man's Switch, and Billie's story has her not only investigating for her client, but doing a bit of delving in to things from her past too.

Mysterious, emotional and absolutely having the reader need to turn the page to find out what happens, The Ghosts Of Paris is a book that I will be reading again (and I rarely reread anything).

I look forward to seeing where Tara Moss takes Billie Walker and Sam in the future.

[Laurie • The Baking Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book in the historical fiction mystery series featuring the sassy and smart Private Investigator from 'down under', Billie Walker. I enjoyed getting reacquainted with Billie and in this latest book, she heads to post-WWII Europe in search of a missing husband and gets unexpected information about her own past.

This was an intriguing and tense read ... until it wasn't. The book started off strong but midway it lost its steam and pacing. And despite getting some resolution about Billie's past, I was disappointed with the reveal which, after the build-up since book one, felt a bit lackluster.

What Moss excels at is her vivid descriptions of time and place and her attention to important issues of the time - particularly regarding the rights of women. Billie is a great character and I love her 'take no crap' fierce forthrightness and determination to be taken seriously by the patriarchy! But I wanted more from Billie's occasional sidekick Shyla and found Billie's repeated correction of her honorific and regular reference to the 'little woman in her gut' to once again be overdone.

This was a good addition to this series and Billie is a character that stands out from others in this genre with her personality, passion, and skill set. I think this book series would appeal to fans of Deanna Raybourn's Veronica Speedwell series as their protagonists are cut from similar sassy, take-no-guff cloth.

[Robin | BookAdoration Marchadour · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! 😃
The Ghosts of Paris is entertaining, suspenseful and rich with Parisian history. Billie Walker and her partner Sam are private investigators who take to the lavish streets of Paris in search of a client’s missing husband, something that is all too familiar for Billie. The more they hunt in the shadows, the more resistance they receive. Brace yourself for an action packed hunt with danger lurking around every corner!

This is book #2 from the Billie Walker series. It can be read as a standalone. However, now that I’ve read this one, I have the urge to go back and read #1.

Well done @taramossauthor 👏🏻

Thank you to @harpercollinsca for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. 🥰🙏🏻


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[Janilyn Kocher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many people went missing after WWII. Some people disappeared on their own accord.
Private investigator Billie is hired to find a client’s husband, who is tired of living in limbo.
Ironically, Billie’s own husband is still missing.
I liked the locations of Sydney and Paris.
Some of the situations were predictable. Billie finds her man, in more ways than one.
I like how Billie soldiers on because what other choice do women have, except keep going.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the early read.

[S. A. Shreve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a little outside the norm for what I usually read but I did really enjoy it.

Billie was an excellent, strong, capable mfc. The story takes place post World War II and she does her job amazingly well given the ridiculous expectations placed on women at this time.

I enjoyed her relationship with Sam. He was so sweet. I'd be interested to read future books in this series to see if their relationship progresses.

The story did feel a bit slow in the beginning but definitely picked up once they got to Paris. The storyline with Jack was the one that kept me most interested. I found myself flying through the last half of the book wanting to know what happened.