Danger in Paris: A Samantha Mystery

American Girl Samantha Mysteries #5

by Sarah Masters Buckey

Samantha and Nellie are thrilled to visit Paris with Grandmary and the Admiral! But what could be behind the Admiral's secret government meetings? After a suspicious accident and a break-in at their hotel suite, the girls are worried. Is someone trying to harm their beloved grandfather and stop his secret mission? Includes a glossary of French words and an "Inside Samantha's World" essay about tourism and international tensions in Europe in the early 1900s.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Middle Grade, Childrens, Fiction, Historical, Juvenile

215 pages, Paperback

First published February 24, 2015

About the author

Sarah Masters Buckey was raised in New Jersey and lived in Texas for 15 years. Sarah was nominated for the Agatha Award in 2008 for A Thief in the Theater and in 2005 for The Curse of Ravenscourt. She was nominated for an Edgar Award in 2007 for The Stolen Sapphire.

Reviews

[Miranda Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

** NOTE: This should be book 4 of the Samantha Mysteries, see the spoiler at the end of the review for details**

"Every young lady should visit Europe," Grandmary had told the girls. "It's an important part of your education."

And what a trip it's been so far! A stolen sapphire on the voyage! Disappearance of rare books in England! And now that they're in Paris, what will happen to the girls?

"Then we'll travel to the catacombs." He smiled. "A guide there will lead us underground to the land of the dead."

Admiral Beemis and Grandmary sure have a funny way of conducting a European tour for ten-year-olds...but that's not all there is to the mystery.

Admiral Beemis used to be a high up official in England, though he's since retired. But there's suspicious happenings afoot, and the more they are in Paris, the more danger that lurks behind every corner.

When the Admiral becomes greatly injured, it will be up to Samantha and Nellie to find out who's responsible!

This one was an okay mystery. I liked the whodunit aspect but this one just didn't grip me nearly as much as the other Samantha Mysteries.

I think the pacing was a bit off but to be honest, it might have to do with the politics stuff. It wasn't overwhelming BUT anytime a book uses politics as a plot device, I struggle not to tune out...and apparently that holds true even for children's books.

A Peek into the Past

As with most American Girl books, we have a short section that expands upon a historical point mentioned in the story. Here we learn about why wealthy Americans would tour European countries and what sort of activities they would do on their travels. Additionally, we get a bit more information about the catacombs and the politics of the time.

This should be book 4 of the Samantha Mysteries because:

While this series of mystery books are amazing they are published out of order.

This one is published as the fourth book in the series but I believe (chronologically) it should be book 3.

Thus the order should be: The Curse of Ravenscourt, The Stolen Sapphire, Clue in the Castle Tower, Danger in Paris, and finally: The Cry of the Loon.

My Evidence is as follows:

In Ravenscourt - Uncle Gard and Aunt Cornelia just adopted the girls and decide to renovate the house to accomodate the growing family, including their first child together (not born in this book).

In Stolen Sapphire, Samantha and Nellie are traveling on the Queen Caroline in winter with Grandmary and Admiral Beemis. Samantha says

"It'll be so exciting to travel around England and France!"

In Clue in the Castle Tower references are made to the wild ocean voyage and that they are on a winter trip to Europe. This book is set in England and this is mentioned:

"Samantha had been to Europe once before, but Nellie had never been there."

We know Samantha has been to Europe once before because of Samantha's Ocean Liner Adventure and Nellie was not invited to that trip.

Obviously, Danger in Paris is set in Paris and it immediately followed the events of Clue in the Castle Tower.

In both books, the girls mention living with Uncle Gard and Aunt Cornelia, and that Bridget and Jenny are staying behind in NYC with them. However, as far as I can tell, no one mentions whether the baby has been born. Ergo, I believe those two books happen chronologically after Stolen Sapphire.

Therefore, the Samantha Mysteries SHOULD end with Cry of the Loon where Uncle Gard and Aunt Cornelia decline to come to the summer trip because their child is born.

Also, and this is just a matter of personal preference, I think the set of five mysteries really tie up well if you read it in that order - much more satisfying of an ending for the overarching storylines.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.



More reviews in the Samantha-verse

Main Series:
Meet Samantha - ★★★★☆
Samantha Learns a Lesson - ★★★★★
Samantha's Surprise - ★★★★☆
Happy Birthday, Samantha - ★★★★☆
Samantha Saves the Day - ★★★★★
Changes for Samantha - ★★★★☆
Samantha's Boxed Set - ★★★★☆

Adult Book:
Samantha: The Next Chapter - ★★★★★

Best Friend Book:
Nellie's Promise - ★★★★★

Short Stories:
Samantha's Winter Party - ★★★★★
Samantha Saves the Wedding - ★★★★☆
Samantha and the Missing Pearls - ★★★★☆
Samantha's Blue Bicycle - ★★★★★
Samantha's Special Talent - ★★★☆☆
Samantha's Short Story Collection - ★★★★☆

Mystery Books (My Order):
The Curse of Ravenscourt - ★★★★★
The Stolen Sapphire - ★★★★☆
Clue in the Castle Tower - ★★★★☆
Danger in Paris - ★★★☆☆
The Cry of the Loon - ★★★★☆

Beforever (Re-Release of Main Series in mid 2010s):
Manners & Mischief - ★★☆☆☆
Lost and Found - ★★★☆☆

Abridged Version (Re-Release of Main Series in 2020s):
Samantha: The Gift - ★★☆☆☆
Samantha: Lost and Found - ★★★★☆

Samantha's Historical and Activity Books:
Samantha's Cookbook - ★★★★★
Samantha's Cooking Studio - ★★★★★
Samantha's Craft Book - ★★★★★
Samantha's Friendship Fun - ★★★☆☆
Samantha's Ocean Liner Adventure - ★★★★★
Samantha's Theater Kit - ★★★★☆
Samantha's Valentine Crafts - ★★☆☆☆
Samantha's Wedding Memories - ★★☆☆☆
Samantha's World: A Girl's-eye View of the Turn of the Century - ★★★★★
The Titanic (American Girl: Real Stories From My Time) - ★★★☆☆
Welcome to Samantha's World · 1904 - ★★★★★

Additional Historical and Activity Books featuring Samantha:
American Girl Cross-stitch - ★★☆☆☆
The American Girls Cookbook - ★★★★★
The American Girls Party Book - ★★★★★
An American Girl: How a Billion-Dollar Doll and It's Unlikely Founder Changed Girlhood Forever - ★★★★☆
Everything I Need to Know I Learned From American Girl - ★★★☆☆
The Making of American Girl - ★★★★★
Minute Mysteries - ★★★★☆
Minute Mysteries 2 - ★★★★☆
The Official American Girl Cookbook - ★★★★☆

Beginner Reader & Picture Books:
Happy Birthday! (Little Golden Book) - ★★★★☆
Happy Holidays! (Little Golden Book) - ★★★★★
Making a Difference (Little Golden Book) - ★★★☆☆
My First American Girl Boxed Set - ★★★★☆
Samantha Helps a Friend (Step Into Reading) - ★★★☆☆
Time for School! (Little Golden Book) - ★★★★☆

[Babbity Kate]

I'm so glad I read this book before knowing the year it was published, so I know I come by my dislike honestly and I'm not clouded by my bias against everything Beforever.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The great American Girl marathon is slowing down: As of this one, I've read all 44 AG mysteries.

We join Samantha, Nellie, Grandmary, and Admiral Beemis on a ferry across the English channel. It just so happens that all the people we meet on the boat are English-speaking tourists who will be staying at the same hotel as Sam and fam, very convenient. Almost immediately, someone says they've heard that Paris is full of thieves, so yes, one element of the mystery is that a wallet or two — and maybe something more — go missing.

As a reaction, all of our tourists decide to explore the city via a guided tour. We tag along as they go up the Eiffel Tower, down into the catacombs, to the Louvre, to Notre Dame, all the highlights, which is pretty fun. Sam is suddenly nervous about heights, which feels maybe inconsistent for her, but is used to good effect. And the catacombs scene is decidedly eerie.

The other key element is that Admiral Beemis is vaguely involved in some effort of international diplomacy — for the first time, an AG writer seems to recognize that he has a high-powered title that could be used for plot purposes beyond simply being fancy and British. (I am personally convinced that Valerie Tripp originally made him an admiral purely because it sounds good in front of the ridiculous name she gave him.) Anyway, in this plot, his diplomatic work makes him a target, and the poor man gets bashed in the head. (Not fatally, of course. Hot take: If Meet Kirsten had come out in 2015, Marta wouldn't have died, either.)

So with a little theft and a little intrigue, naturally the girls go into investigation mode. Overall, the mystery is good fun and I wasn't too far ahead of the characters in spotting the thieves — the red herrings in this one are effective.

Continuity-wise, it feels like Nellie has taken a step backward. Buckey goes hard on the idea that Nellie is having trouble fitting into her upper class surroundings, which is mostly shown by using the wrong language, or speaking too loudly when she's excited. Isn't this the shy, quiet girl that Grandmary herself said had nice manners early in the series? Feels a little overboard.

More Samantha babble:
Meet Samantha | Samantha Learns a Lesson | Samantha's Surprise | Happy Birthday, Samantha | Samantha Saves the Day | Changes for Samantha

Nellie's Promise

Samantha's Winter Party | Samantha and the Missing Pearls | Samantha Saves the Wedding | Samantha's Blue Bicycle | Samantha's Special Talent | Samantha's Short Story Collection

The Curse of Ravenscourt | The Stolen Sapphire | The Cry of the Loon | Clue in the Castle Tower

The Lilac Tunnel: My Journey with Samantha

[Panda Incognito · Rating 4 out of 5]

When this book released, my library didn't get a copy, but a little girl whom I babysat had one on her shelf, and she let me borrow it. Her mother was amused that I was so excited about it, but it was a great book, and since the last Samantha mystery had been a letdown for me, I enjoyed this one's clever plot, more complex mystery, and unusually high level of suspense.

I recently bought a used copy of this book online, and I enjoyed reading it again. It's very well-written and engaging, and is a fun continuation of Samantha and Nellie's travels in Europe with Grandmary and the Admiral. Granted, they solve three mysteries on one European tour, and perhaps that's a bit much, but if you can suspend disbelief, it's great fun to see them solve mysteries in new and different settings, especially since other American Girl mysteries were set by necessity in the girl's hometown and immediate community. This book adds a dash of international intrigue in the lead-up to World War One, and is a very suspenseful and engaging mystery with great twists.

[Rosemarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Samantha Parkington. She has always been my favorite American Girl, for many reasons. There's the time period she is from (1904 - 07), with the lovely fashions and the talk of Women's Suffrage. There's the fact that she's from one of my favorite cities, New York, in that time period. There's the fact that she doesn't have a usual family: she lives with her Grandmary when we meet her, and then is adopted by her aunt and uncle.

Even though she's rich - and perhaps not the average American Girl of the time - her social position makes for very interesting stories like this one: a trip to Paris. I also like that even though Samantha is living a wealthy girl's life, she is not snobby, and makes friends with Nellie, a poor girl. In doing so, they do a good job of showing both sides of the coin in the Samantha stories.

They are also very good a representing the changing times in Samantha's world. There is Grandmary, who represents the old ways. And there is Aunt Corneila (and Samantha herself), who represent the changing attitudes for women of the period. Samantha stories are always very well balanced, and I like that a lot.

I've always wondered why Sam calls her grandmother "Grandmary." I've never heard that term before. In this book, I noticed that someone called her grandmother "Mary." So that's her first name. If her first name was, say, Betty, would it be "Grandbetty"? Interesting.

I once read a review of American Girls that said Samantha has a "Savior complex." Wow! Well, IF that's true, she only reminds me more of myself, I guess. She wants to help people, I've always seen that as a good trait, albeit maybe a bit unusual for someone of her young age.

In this book in particular, she gets involved in stuff that is way above her "pay grade," shall we say. There is some political intrigue that hints at WWI. She takes matters into her own hands a lot more than I ever would have, of course, but I was a kid who worried about adult matters quite often, too.

This book is well written. I didn't know who the thief would turn out to be until it was revealed. And a long the way we had a lovely tour of Paris with Samanatha and Nellie. The scenes in the catacombs were especially interesting. I didn't know that there were bones and skulls openly visible down there.

So, if you like Samantha, you will like this book. If you think she has a Savior complex, well, maybe you can skip it. :)

[Emily Thielen · Rating 2 out of 5]

decent read- vastly underwhelmed with this after reading the addy one earlier this year but a fine mystery, nonetheless!

[Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

I said it before for one of the Felicity mysteries and I’ll say it again: having the protagonist “solve” the mystery by just happening to overhear the culprit say that they did it is the absolute lamest way to resolve a mystery.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extension of the American Girl Beforever (Historical) series about the Victorian girl, Samantha, this book is a fun little fast-read adventure for children. Parisian landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower and the catacombs are visited and a mild mystery unfolds. While not in any way scary, I wouldn’t recommend it for a child about to go on a vacation trip since there are numerous scenes where someone sneaks into their hotel room in the middle of the night, a “bad guy” posing as a room service worker and pickpockets hiding in tourist areas who steal wallets so I’d hate to think of a child worried about strange sounds in the middle of the night in a hotel. Otherwise super tame so I definitely will have my ten-year-old read this…after we come home from our next adventure!

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

These American Girl Mystery books are so much fun. My 8 year old loves reading them with me. I've enjoyed her making predictions and assumptions based on clues in the writing, and exclude some from the "who done it" list because of certain ways the story was written. She has a mystery writing unit coming up in school and I'm excited to see what she comes up with!

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last Samantha mystery, and I think it might be the best. The Paris setting is used well, and the espionage storyline is different from Samantha's other mysteries and pretty exciting. Nellie and Samantha made a great crime solving duo.

[Joelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fun mystery that I read with my daughter. this one has a good amount of suspense and keeps you on your toes a bit!

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

As much as I usual find Samantha herself pretty vanilla this was an entertaining mystery! I honestly didn't see the who done it coming! Plus Paris is cool :)

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

This is a good book. Though I would suggest it to children form age 5-9 about. Because some parts that are a little scary, but is an easy read.

[Elizabeth - Write Read Eat Repeat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really good! I couldn't put it down! I started it and finished it in one day!

[Jacqueline M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun little mystery best appreciated by young fans of Samantha and Nellie. I did love seeing their adventures in 1907 and the hints at European turmoil leading up to WWI.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the best book in the Samantha mysteries, and sadly it was also the last one.

[Laura Alley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so good, probably my favorite Samantha mystery I’ve read to date. I enjoyed the Paris setting and reading more about the Catacombs. I did not see the end coming at all.

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Samantha was never my favorite but I like diving back into my old little girl obsession

[Tess · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the final book for the vlog. I hadn’t read any of the BeForever books until this one. It was really nice, and we got to follow Samantha and Nellie outside New York

[Shayla Salazar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Out of all of the beforever mysteries this one is the most cohesive with the existing story. I really enjoyed how it picked up right where the other left off and it was an enjoyable mystery too

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating mystery that shows what travel was like in the early 1900's and what tourist saw in Paris at that time. The mystery itself was quite well done for children with a whole cast of characters for suspects.

[Elise • valkyrieslanding · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this view of the Admiral and the ending was so heartwarming! Reading about snippets of Paris was also really interesting.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 3 out of 5]

This mystery follows Samantha and Nellie's travel adventures. After they leave England, they head to Paris where the girls discover their new grandfather is an important person. He's secretly carrying a letter to the British Ambassador that will guarantee the safety of Europe (in 1907- 7 years before WWI). When the Admiral is injured on a tour of the catacombs and his wallet is taken, Samantha begins to suspect it was not an accident. The girls start to compile a list of suspects: there were three German speaking people on the tour; one boy, his parents and nanny; one widow and a Frenchman. Could one of their new friends be hiding a dastardly secret? There's only one way to find out - investigate!

This book was really good until the end. The lame and unrealistic ending completely ruined the whole story. I loved the Parisian setting and the descriptions of Paris life. Their new friends are a motley crew and I had my suspicions about the same people Samantha did and I apologize to them because I was making assumptions based on what I know of the time period. I wasn't surprised by the reveal because at that point I had already guessed but I was a bit surprised at the depth of deception. One thing that drove me crazy in this book is that the author describes what everyone else was wearing except Nellie and Samantha!

I felt the depiction of Nellie is in line for what we know about her. She's a worrier due to her hard life. This time she's coughing in the cold air of Paris and worries she won't be allowed back in the U.S. and she'll never see her sisters or adopted family again. She should have confided those fears to GrandMary but Nellie is a bit in awe of GrandMary and afraid to approach her. Plus GrandMary was not around after the Admiral's accident, so I'll let that part of the plot be acceptable. Samantha is bright and inquisitive but she lacks a lot of common sense sometimes. Nellie is more practical. I liked catching up with them and learning more about Nellie.

[Rachel B · Rating 2.25 out of 5]

#4 of Samantha's mysteries in my opinion. This book I found pretty slow and not that interesting. There were a lot of red herrings (William and Frederick seemed suspicious), and also the plot didn't make a ton of sense. It was never explained how Martha and Mrs. Gray knew about the admiral's letter, or why the chocolate shop address had been tucked under a rock in the catacombs (I assumed it was a code of some kind, but clearly not), or why Martha and Mrs. Gray had the dog at all if they were just abusing him (when did they get the dog, and why? Surely they could have baited the admiral's family without a dog). Also, the kind of person who wants to steal an important letter that other countries might be interested in seems like a different kind of person than someone who might just steal a wallet.

I did like that if you reread the beginning of the book, the clues are there that Mrs. Gray might not be all that she seems, but the clues are really only there if you already have the answer. There's no way to figure out that Mrs. Gray and Martha did it before Samantha and Nellie do, and they're kind of just casting suspicion on everyone in the group (Frederick and William and Ingrid's behaviour all makes sense once the context is revealed).

I liked seeing Nellie and Samantha exploring Paris, even though the plot was lacking. I was in Paris recently and did a lot of the things Samantha and Nellie do, so that was cool to see. And I liked the character development moments in this story, as I frequently do in Samantha's mysteries. Nellie's fears about being sick and being left behind in Paris are SO SAD and so realistic! And I love Samantha continuing to be so kind, like offering to let Nellie go skating while she stays in the hotel room with Doris because she assumes Nellie will want to skate. And the ending with Nellie hugging Grandmary and Admiral Beemis and saying she's glad to be their granddaughter was very sweet.

But overall, I just didn't care for this book. I'd say it's my least favourite out of the Samantha mysteries.

[silly_person]

Looks good will have to read it, it is a must read

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

To be honest, this was great! It was nice to see Samantha and Nellie after they were both adopted and getting along. It was also great to see Grandmary and her new marriage!

[Joanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soooooooooo good

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

This is super cool and fun.This was a great story to read and great for eleven year olds.Very good!

[Lucy Klocek · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that this book was intriguing and mysterious. I would suggest it, but I'm not pressuring anyone.

[Liberty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Samantha mysteries. I love Paris. I love this book