What do you think?
Rate this book
A Year in Europe #1
Un asesinato en París (Un año en Europa - Libro 1)
""Cuando piensas que la vida no puede mejorar, Blake Pierce llega con otra obra maestra de thriller y misterio. Este libro está lleno de giros inesperados, y el final trae una revelación sorprendente. Muy recomendado para la biblioteca permanente de cualquier lector que disfrute de un thriller muy bien escrito.""
--Books and Movie Reviews (sobre Almost Gone)
Esta es la novela debut de una encantadora nueva serie de misterio acogedor por el autor bestseller de USA Today Blake Pierce, cuyo bestseller #1 Once Gone ha recibido 1,500 reseñas de cinco estrellas.
Diana Hope, de 55 años, aún se está adaptando a su reciente separación cuando descubre que su exmarido acaba de proponerle matrimonio a una mujer 30 años menor. Esperando en secreto que se reconciliaran, Diana queda devastada. Se da cuenta de que ha llegado el momento de reimaginar la vida sin él—de hecho, de reimaginar su vida, punto.
Habiendo dedicado los últimos 30 años de su vida a ser una esposa y madre ejemplar y a escalar la escalera corporativa, Diana ha sido implacablemente ambiciosa, y no se ha tomado ni un momento para hacer algo por sí misma. Ahora, ha llegado el momento.
Diana nunca olvidó a su primer novio, quien le suplicó que se uniera a él durante un año en Europa después de la universidad. Había querido ir tanto, pero había parecido una idea salvaje y romántica, y un año sabático, había pensado, perjudicaría su currículum y carrera. Pero ahora, con sus hijas ya crecidas, su marido ausente, y su carrera ya no satisfactoria, Diana se da cuenta de que es tiempo para ella misma—y para tomar ese año romántico en Europa que siempre había soñado.
Diana se prepara para embarcarse en el año de su vida, finalmente dirigiéndose a su lista de deseos, esperando recorrer los lugares más hermosos y probar las cocinas más deliciosas—y tal vez, incluso, enamorarse de nuevo. Pero un año en Europa puede tener planes diferentes reservados para ella. ¿Podrá Diana, de personalidad tipo A, aprender a dejarse llevar, a ser espontánea, a bajar la guardia y a aprender a disfrutar verdaderamente la vida otra vez?
En este libro, Diana espera comenzar su viaje, y encontrar un nuevo amor, con una noche inolvidable en el baile de Versalles. Pero cuando la noche dramática toma un giro angustiante que nunca podría esperar, Diana se da cuenta de que tendrá que resolver el crimen—o de lo contrario hacer que su viaje termine en desastre.
Esta es una serie de misterio acogedor encantadora y divertidísima, repleta de comida y viajes, con misterios que te mantendrán al borde del asiento, y con experiencias que te dejarán con una sensación de asombro. Mientras Diana se embarca en su búsqueda quijotesca del amor y el significado, te encontrarás enamorándote y apoyándola. Quedarás en shock por los giros y vueltas que toma su viaje mientras de alguna manera se encuentra en el centro de un misterio, y debe hacer de detective aficionada para resolverlo. ¡Los fanáticos de libros como Come, Reza, Ama y Bajo el Sol de la Toscana finalmente han encontrado la serie de misterio acogedor que habían estado esperando!
--Books and Movie Reviews (sobre Almost Gone)
Esta es la novela debut de una encantadora nueva serie de misterio acogedor por el autor bestseller de USA Today Blake Pierce, cuyo bestseller #1 Once Gone ha recibido 1,500 reseñas de cinco estrellas.
Diana Hope, de 55 años, aún se está adaptando a su reciente separación cuando descubre que su exmarido acaba de proponerle matrimonio a una mujer 30 años menor. Esperando en secreto que se reconciliaran, Diana queda devastada. Se da cuenta de que ha llegado el momento de reimaginar la vida sin él—de hecho, de reimaginar su vida, punto.
Habiendo dedicado los últimos 30 años de su vida a ser una esposa y madre ejemplar y a escalar la escalera corporativa, Diana ha sido implacablemente ambiciosa, y no se ha tomado ni un momento para hacer algo por sí misma. Ahora, ha llegado el momento.
Diana nunca olvidó a su primer novio, quien le suplicó que se uniera a él durante un año en Europa después de la universidad. Había querido ir tanto, pero había parecido una idea salvaje y romántica, y un año sabático, había pensado, perjudicaría su currículum y carrera. Pero ahora, con sus hijas ya crecidas, su marido ausente, y su carrera ya no satisfactoria, Diana se da cuenta de que es tiempo para ella misma—y para tomar ese año romántico en Europa que siempre había soñado.
Diana se prepara para embarcarse en el año de su vida, finalmente dirigiéndose a su lista de deseos, esperando recorrer los lugares más hermosos y probar las cocinas más deliciosas—y tal vez, incluso, enamorarse de nuevo. Pero un año en Europa puede tener planes diferentes reservados para ella. ¿Podrá Diana, de personalidad tipo A, aprender a dejarse llevar, a ser espontánea, a bajar la guardia y a aprender a disfrutar verdaderamente la vida otra vez?
En este libro, Diana espera comenzar su viaje, y encontrar un nuevo amor, con una noche inolvidable en el baile de Versalles. Pero cuando la noche dramática toma un giro angustiante que nunca podría esperar, Diana se da cuenta de que tendrá que resolver el crimen—o de lo contrario hacer que su viaje termine en desastre.
Esta es una serie de misterio acogedor encantadora y divertidísima, repleta de comida y viajes, con misterios que te mantendrán al borde del asiento, y con experiencias que te dejarán con una sensación de asombro. Mientras Diana se embarca en su búsqueda quijotesca del amor y el significado, te encontrarás enamorándote y apoyándola. Quedarás en shock por los giros y vueltas que toma su viaje mientras de alguna manera se encuentra en el centro de un misterio, y debe hacer de detective aficionada para resolverlo. ¡Los fanáticos de libros como Come, Reza, Ama y Bajo el Sol de la Toscana finalmente han encontrado la serie de misterio acogedor que habían estado esperando!
235 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 2, 2021
1238 people are currently reading
1533 people want to read
About the author
Blake Pierce
685 books5,778 followersBlake Pierce is author of the bestselling RILEY PAGE mystery series, which includes seven books (and counting). Blake Pierce is also the author of the MACKENZIE WHITE mystery series, comprising four books (and counting); of the AVERY BLACK mystery series, comprising four books (and counting); and of the new KERI LOCKE mystery series.
An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Blake loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.blakepierceauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch.
An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Blake loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.blakepierceauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 305 reviews
January 16, 2022
Too many preposterous happenings make this “mystery” utterly laughable. An exemplary, highly successful business executive for many years suddenly turns into a simplistic, not particular likable character. I won’t be back for book two.
March 22, 2021
Over the last four months, I have read four books by author BLAKE PIERCE in three different series. The most recent that I read was A MURDER IN PARIS, book one in the series A Year in Europe. In all three series, the protagonist (all different characters) is a strong female amateur or professional detective forced by circumstances to solve a mystery out her comfort zone.
Diana St. James is the VP of Marketing for a cosmetics company in New York City having been with the company since its creation some 20 or 25 years earlier. Diana is about 50 years old, is separated from her surgeon/husband (Evan), and is soon to be divorced. She has two daughters in their mid-twenties, one a graduate student in California and one a married real estate agent on Long Island (New York) not far from where Diana lives. St. James is the perfect candidate for a mid-life crisis, which she embraces.
When she was a student at New York University, she had a love affair with Stephane de Vallier du Fonblanque, Duc de Beauville. Stephane told her all about Paris and a masked costume ball held every year at the Palace of Versailles open to anybody who could afford the fees (very large). On a whim, Diana decides to take a sabbatical from her job and spend up to a year traveling in Europe. Her first destination is going to be Paris and the Ball at Versailles. Perhaps, she may even try to find Stephane.
Madame St. James is a control freak. She plans her days, vacations and meetings to the minute. Before she leaves for Paris, she plans her three or four day stay with sites, sights and meals with no room for additions. As soon as she lands at Charles de Gaulle Airport, her schedule for the first day becomes irrelevant. She had estimated 45 minutes to get to her hotel, Le Bonne Auberge near the Eiffel Tower, but it more than an hour and half and the driver could not find it. It was raining as well. In an irrational moment, she decides to leave the taxi and get to her hotel on foot using her GPS (satnav). Diana is now upset because this is not the Paris she had been dreaming about for 25 years.
She tries to find Stephane’s address and is once more disappointed as it is a hole in the ground, the building having been torn down for new construction. Oh well, there is always the Ball. Diana goes to Versailles on the day of the Ball and rents her costume including a diamond necklace that had belonged to Marie Antoinette, a National Treasure. The clothing costs her 4,000 Euros and the necklace 10,000 Euros. However, the costumer decides to let her have at no cost because it suits her.
While at the Ball, Diana has three experiences she was not counting on. First, she meets Lucien (call me “Luc”) Beauchamp, Comte de Montiel de Saint Quentin. Second, she discovers his dead body. Third, her necklace is stolen. Lieutenant Pierre Bayans interviews her after she discovers the corpse at bottom of a terrace outside of the Hall of Mirrors. Turns out, she was the last person to see the Comte alive. Diana now finds herself as suspect number one in the theft and the murder. She decides to track down the murderer and the thief.
This is another wonderful story from a very prolific writer (over a dozen series and 110 books available). The author has a knack for creating likeable characters with a diversity of traits. Her mysteries always have plot twists, some foreseeable, some not. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
GO! BUY! READ!
Diana St. James is the VP of Marketing for a cosmetics company in New York City having been with the company since its creation some 20 or 25 years earlier. Diana is about 50 years old, is separated from her surgeon/husband (Evan), and is soon to be divorced. She has two daughters in their mid-twenties, one a graduate student in California and one a married real estate agent on Long Island (New York) not far from where Diana lives. St. James is the perfect candidate for a mid-life crisis, which she embraces.
When she was a student at New York University, she had a love affair with Stephane de Vallier du Fonblanque, Duc de Beauville. Stephane told her all about Paris and a masked costume ball held every year at the Palace of Versailles open to anybody who could afford the fees (very large). On a whim, Diana decides to take a sabbatical from her job and spend up to a year traveling in Europe. Her first destination is going to be Paris and the Ball at Versailles. Perhaps, she may even try to find Stephane.
Madame St. James is a control freak. She plans her days, vacations and meetings to the minute. Before she leaves for Paris, she plans her three or four day stay with sites, sights and meals with no room for additions. As soon as she lands at Charles de Gaulle Airport, her schedule for the first day becomes irrelevant. She had estimated 45 minutes to get to her hotel, Le Bonne Auberge near the Eiffel Tower, but it more than an hour and half and the driver could not find it. It was raining as well. In an irrational moment, she decides to leave the taxi and get to her hotel on foot using her GPS (satnav). Diana is now upset because this is not the Paris she had been dreaming about for 25 years.
She tries to find Stephane’s address and is once more disappointed as it is a hole in the ground, the building having been torn down for new construction. Oh well, there is always the Ball. Diana goes to Versailles on the day of the Ball and rents her costume including a diamond necklace that had belonged to Marie Antoinette, a National Treasure. The clothing costs her 4,000 Euros and the necklace 10,000 Euros. However, the costumer decides to let her have at no cost because it suits her.
While at the Ball, Diana has three experiences she was not counting on. First, she meets Lucien (call me “Luc”) Beauchamp, Comte de Montiel de Saint Quentin. Second, she discovers his dead body. Third, her necklace is stolen. Lieutenant Pierre Bayans interviews her after she discovers the corpse at bottom of a terrace outside of the Hall of Mirrors. Turns out, she was the last person to see the Comte alive. Diana now finds herself as suspect number one in the theft and the murder. She decides to track down the murderer and the thief.
This is another wonderful story from a very prolific writer (over a dozen series and 110 books available). The author has a knack for creating likeable characters with a diversity of traits. Her mysteries always have plot twists, some foreseeable, some not. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
GO! BUY! READ!
September 27, 2021
A Murder in Paris (A Year in Europe, #1) by Blake Pierce, an author whose previous works I've read and enjoyed. This one is first in a series following Diana Hope, 55, who is still adjusting to her recent separation when she discovers her ex-husband has just proposed to a woman 30 years younger. Secretly hoping they would reunite, Diana is devastated. She realizes the time has come to reimagine life without him—in fact, to reimagine her life, period. Devoting the last 30 years of her life to being a dutiful wife and mother and to climbing the corporate ladder, Diana has been relentlessly driven, and has not taken a moment to do anything for herself. Now, the time has come. She decides to drop out of everything and spend a year traveling in Europe. Diana prepares to embark on the year of her life, finally turning to her bucket list, hoping to tour the most beautiful sights and sample the most scrumptious cuisines—and maybe, even, to fall in love again. But a year in Europe may have different plans in store for her. Can A-type Diana learn to go with the flow, to be spontaneous, to let down her guard and to learn to truly enjoy life again? Being an habitual planner, she has her detailed list of things and places to see and experience starting with a stay in Paris. But all of her plans are tossed aside when a man she met on the plane is murdered at a ball they were attending and she finds herself one of the prime suspects. This causes her to change plans as she focuses on trying to solve the crime and clear herself so that her trip doesn't end in disaster. Well-written as I've experienced with other books by this author; it held my interest and made me want to see what happens next in this series. It combines several of my favorite ingredients: travel, food, and mystery as well as expected twists and turns.
Book #2 (DEATH IN FLORENCE) and book #3 (VENGEANCE IN VIENNA) in the series are now also available!
Book #2 (DEATH IN FLORENCE) and book #3 (VENGEANCE IN VIENNA) in the series are now also available!
March 14, 2021
What is wrong with this book? Let me count the ways.
1. No jet lag after a seven hour overnight flight
2. Cafe de Flore described as being heavy with body odor, with implications of dinginess, located in a bad neighborhood. Nonsense.
3. First she has had seven years of French classes in high school and college, then it's two years in high school. She goes from being fluent (after 30 years?) to barely understanding the language, then back to a moderate level of comprehension.
4. She spent 30 years wanting to visit Paris and schedules just four days there, although she intends to spend a year in Europe. Her French boyfriend had talked about many of the lesser known sights that she longed to see, but she schedules an hour each for the major tourist sights, with the intention of just seeing the famous highlights at each.
5. I thought it obvious who the necklace thief was, but it took her until the very end of the book to figure it out.
I could go on, but you get the point. It's a shame because the author writes well enough. He needed an editor or someone who notices glaring inconsistencies to read this carefully and fix them. It might have been a four star book for me in that case. And, no, I don't know why I finished it.
1. No jet lag after a seven hour overnight flight
2. Cafe de Flore described as being heavy with body odor, with implications of dinginess, located in a bad neighborhood. Nonsense.
3. First she has had seven years of French classes in high school and college, then it's two years in high school. She goes from being fluent (after 30 years?) to barely understanding the language, then back to a moderate level of comprehension.
4. She spent 30 years wanting to visit Paris and schedules just four days there, although she intends to spend a year in Europe. Her French boyfriend had talked about many of the lesser known sights that she longed to see, but she schedules an hour each for the major tourist sights, with the intention of just seeing the famous highlights at each.
5. I thought it obvious who the necklace thief was, but it took her until the very end of the book to figure it out.
I could go on, but you get the point. It's a shame because the author writes well enough. He needed an editor or someone who notices glaring inconsistencies to read this carefully and fix them. It might have been a four star book for me in that case. And, no, I don't know why I finished it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 15, 2021
I liked the concept but was disappointed
I love Pierce’s other cozy mystery series so was looking forward to this new one. I liked the concept but found the whole thing far too predictable. While I understand Diana is having a bit of a mid-life crisis after finding out about her ex-husband’s engagement, her behavior isn’t even close to believable most of the time. She’s supposed to be an obsessive planner but is now it’s full steam ahead as soon as an idea pops into her head. This experienced career woman, who has been a manager for years, acts like a clueless teenager when she decides she needs some time off. I almost always finish a book even if I don’t like it; I really struggled to finish this one.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I love Pierce’s other cozy mystery series so was looking forward to this new one. I liked the concept but found the whole thing far too predictable. While I understand Diana is having a bit of a mid-life crisis after finding out about her ex-husband’s engagement, her behavior isn’t even close to believable most of the time. She’s supposed to be an obsessive planner but is now it’s full steam ahead as soon as an idea pops into her head. This experienced career woman, who has been a manager for years, acts like a clueless teenager when she decides she needs some time off. I almost always finish a book even if I don’t like it; I really struggled to finish this one.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 22, 2023
A Murder in Paris??? The murder happened when I almost halfway through the book. This should have been a contemporary fiction about a 55 year old woman trying to find herself. How did a strong, successful advertising executive turn into a silly woman who didn’t know how to speak up for herself? Just dumb. This is the first and last book I will read by this author.
November 7, 2021
I liked the age of the protagonist.
I was annoyed the way she was so down on herself.
I liked the mystery.
I felt the mystery could have used more suspense.
For someone who comes from NYC she was naïve about big city life.
I think I’ll continue if I can find a low-cost read.
I was annoyed the way she was so down on herself.
I liked the mystery.
I felt the mystery could have used more suspense.
For someone who comes from NYC she was naïve about big city life.
I think I’ll continue if I can find a low-cost read.
September 19, 2021
Check it out guys, I read a book again! A free one and on my phone so I really felt like Sarah and Trisha just reading books left and right on their phones!!
2 stars because although the book is so cheesy, it was a page turner (a screen swiper?) because I was wanting to know what happened with the murder mystery! Disappointed that the protagonist lady in the book didn’t even get to Paris until halfway through and then was a total dummy throughout the murder investigation, but the action eventually happened and she didn’t end up ruining everything.
I did feel like you guys since I was reading something from a series (I feel like you guys are always reading something like: Fairies and Fires - Icy Queen‘s True Love No. 8). However, I will not be making it past the first of this series. On to something else fee on iBooks!
2 stars because although the book is so cheesy, it was a page turner (a screen swiper?) because I was wanting to know what happened with the murder mystery! Disappointed that the protagonist lady in the book didn’t even get to Paris until halfway through and then was a total dummy throughout the murder investigation, but the action eventually happened and she didn’t end up ruining everything.
I did feel like you guys since I was reading something from a series (I feel like you guys are always reading something like: Fairies and Fires - Icy Queen‘s True Love No. 8). However, I will not be making it past the first of this series. On to something else fee on iBooks!
April 5, 2022
Implausible and predictable, even for a cozy mystery.
August 14, 2023
Cheesy, but for my first full audiobook it held my interest enough while I was multitasking.
March 13, 2024
Audiobook. Terrible
September 9, 2023
Pretty good, probably 3.5 stars. A bit far fetched in parts, like how Diana continuously takes the law into her own hands! Nothing like the career-driven intellect character she’s portrayed to be lol
Enjoyable nonetheless. However I’m not sure I’ll be hunting for the next in the series… I just feel it will be more of the same, having read the synopsis.
Enjoyable nonetheless. However I’m not sure I’ll be hunting for the next in the series… I just feel it will be more of the same, having read the synopsis.
September 23, 2022
Enjoyed the story - but can’t believe how stupid the MC was.
August 18, 2024
Uuuuuuuuuugh!!! It’s like the author forgot they were writing a mystery! It is literally 50% of the way into the book before the murder even happen and then it’s a ridiculous 25% woah is me I’d better clear my name inner monologue then finally the last 25% actually doing it but in the most asinine way imaginable. First off, the murder and setup could be seen a mile away. Then the twist at the end? You’ve got to be joking. You might as well pull the old “it was all a dream!” trope for all the sense it made.
And this is apparently a series?!! No thank you.
And I’ve just gotta say, most mysteries where the suspect/protagonist takes on the investigation themselves paints the police as incompetent or corrupt or both but here the police are actually ahead of the main character most of the time only to be missing a very obvious and important point at the very end that only the main character realized. Like really? Also this middle aged divorcee poor me schtick got old real fast. Very “man trying to write women” vibes. Like, people don’t actually think and behave this way.
The whole thing was nearly insufferable.
And this is apparently a series?!! No thank you.
And I’ve just gotta say, most mysteries where the suspect/protagonist takes on the investigation themselves paints the police as incompetent or corrupt or both but here the police are actually ahead of the main character most of the time only to be missing a very obvious and important point at the very end that only the main character realized. Like really? Also this middle aged divorcee poor me schtick got old real fast. Very “man trying to write women” vibes. Like, people don’t actually think and behave this way.
The whole thing was nearly insufferable.
June 22, 2021
I bought this book after having read the first book in the Jessica Blunt series, which I liked. This one however is a major disappointment.
I get the idea of writing a book about an 'unlikely' heroine in a 'romantic' setting with lots of funny situations but it was very hard for me to even empathise with Diane St James. She comes across as a hysterical 16 year-old instead of the mature intelligent woman, as portrayed initially. Moreover she confirms all the prejudices about American tourists in Europe (seeing the sites in 3 days, having exaggerated ideas about how cute and quaint the city is, with only a very basic knowledge of the language,...). Definitely not amusing as I am sure that this is a thing of the past and has been for quite a while.
The unfolding story is more of a fairy tale than a murder story with very predictable characters and contains hardly any surprises.
Note to the Editor: have someone check the grammatical errors when using French names, expressions, etc. It was very annoying to see the same mistakes over and over again.
I get the idea of writing a book about an 'unlikely' heroine in a 'romantic' setting with lots of funny situations but it was very hard for me to even empathise with Diane St James. She comes across as a hysterical 16 year-old instead of the mature intelligent woman, as portrayed initially. Moreover she confirms all the prejudices about American tourists in Europe (seeing the sites in 3 days, having exaggerated ideas about how cute and quaint the city is, with only a very basic knowledge of the language,...). Definitely not amusing as I am sure that this is a thing of the past and has been for quite a while.
The unfolding story is more of a fairy tale than a murder story with very predictable characters and contains hardly any surprises.
Note to the Editor: have someone check the grammatical errors when using French names, expressions, etc. It was very annoying to see the same mistakes over and over again.
May 23, 2023
I thought this would be a fun way to armchair travel, but I did not like the main character, Diana, at all.
Diana is a savvy business woman, never taking vacation and planning her life to the nth degree. When her husband serves her with divorce papers in order to marry a woman 30 years younger (and also a classmate of her youngest daughter), she decides to quit her job, rent her house out, and leave for Paris in order to attend a ball held in Versailles ... all in less than four days.
Of course she gets into trouble when a valuable necklace she is wearing is stolen at the ball, and oh yeah, she gets involved in a related murder. Her logic, or lack thereof, is so completely out of character that this story was not at all enjoyable. Sadly I won't be reading about the rest of Diana's European tour.
Diana is a savvy business woman, never taking vacation and planning her life to the nth degree. When her husband serves her with divorce papers in order to marry a woman 30 years younger (and also a classmate of her youngest daughter), she decides to quit her job, rent her house out, and leave for Paris in order to attend a ball held in Versailles ... all in less than four days.
Of course she gets into trouble when a valuable necklace she is wearing is stolen at the ball, and oh yeah, she gets involved in a related murder. Her logic, or lack thereof, is so completely out of character that this story was not at all enjoyable. Sadly I won't be reading about the rest of Diana's European tour.
April 16, 2023
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I grew up in Versailles where a large part of the action happens and some of the procedural aspects of this novel with the forces jars with me. Also the ease of access the heroine has to the castle various times is odd - a concierge at the Palace.............. that is easily accessible. The hotel that Diana stays in Paris is called the Le Bonne Auberge - -surely any good editor would KNOW that is is LA Bonne Auberge............. maybe being French I am too picky.
However the story of a lady about my age wanting to live and not just function did resonate. So I read the story and really enjoyed it.
However the story of a lady about my age wanting to live and not just function did resonate. So I read the story and really enjoyed it.
July 9, 2022
How silly! As others have said , the disconnect between the supposedly 50 year old businesswoman in NYC and the air head she becomes in Paris is just too hard to swallow. The idea that an unknown American would be given a necklace worth millions to wear just because it would look nice with her dress is laughable. When the necklace vanishes, the MC seems annoyed at the attitude of the staff. They weren’t nice to her or understanding enough about the loss? She’s been a witness to a murder and lost a priceless antique… so our girl just goes back to her hotel and drowns her unhappiness with room service? Give me a break.
June 20, 2021
Slightly ridiculous
Hard to believe that a New Yorker, particularly an ad executive, has never been to Europe. And, boy, is she naïve. I like cozy mysteries but not insipid mysteries. The main character was utterly clueless. Not good in a mystery detective.
Hard to believe that a New Yorker, particularly an ad executive, has never been to Europe. And, boy, is she naïve. I like cozy mysteries but not insipid mysteries. The main character was utterly clueless. Not good in a mystery detective.
July 20, 2021
Ridicules. I doubt that a CEO of a large company would have the vernacular the main character had.
March 11, 2024
I think even ChatGPT’s early creative writing attempts were better than this. Some of the worst writing I’ve ever seen committed to paper (or narrated in an audiobook, in my case) god bless
September 18, 2021
It's a charming and cozy mystery series, packed with food and travel and with experiences that will leave you with a sense of wonder. As Diana embarks on her quixotic quest for love and meaning, you will find yourself falling in love and rooting for her. You will be engrossed in the twists and turns her journey takes as she somehow finds herself at the centre of a mystery and must play amatuer sleuth to solve it.
Diana St. James is the VP of Marketing for a cosmetics company in New York City having been with the company since it's creation some 20-25 years earlier. Diana is in her fifties, is separated from her surgeon husband Evan and is soon to be divorced. She has 2 daughters in their mid twenties, one a graduate student in Japan and one a married real estate agent on Long Island (NYC) not far from where Diana lives. St. James is the perfect candidate for a mid life crisis, which she embraces.
When she was a student at NYU, she had a love affair with Stephane de Vallier du Fonblanque, Duc de Beauville. Stephane told her all about Paris and a masked costume ball held every year at Palace of Versailles open to anybody who can afford the fees. On a whim, Diana decides to take a sabbatical from her job and spend up to a year travelling in Europe. Her first destination is going to be Paris and the Ball of Versailles. Perhaps she may even try to find Stephane.
Madame St. James is a control freak. She plans her days, vacations, meetings to the minute. Before she leaves for Paris, she plans her 3 to 4 days with sites, sights and meals with no room for additions. As soon as she lands at Charles de Gaulle Airport, her schedule for the first day becomes irrelevant and to top it all it's raining. The taxi driver gets lost on his way and he can't find the hotel, more disappointment. Diana is now upset because this is not the Paris she had been dreaming about for 25 years.
She tries to find Stephane's address and is once more disappointed as it is a hole in the ground, the building having been torn down for new construction. Oh well, there is always the Ball. Diana goes to the Ball on the day Ball and rents her costume including a diamond necklace that had belonged to Marie Antoinette, a national treasure worth millions of Euros and is expensive to rent however, the incharge/costumer decides to let it wear/rent is for no costs because it suits her well, strange right?
While at the Ball, Diana has 3 experiences she wasn't counting on. First she meets Lucien (Luc). Second, she discovers Luc's dead body later that night. Third, her necklace is stolen. Lieutenant Pierre Bayans interviews her after she discovers the corpse at the bottom of the terrace outside the hall of mirrors. Turns out she was the last person to see Luc alive. Diana now finds herself as suspect number one of theft and murder. Hence begins her detective journey and she decides to track down the murderer and thief so that she can get off the hook.
This was a very quick and fun read. A cozy mystery with packed with food and travel and with experiences that will leave you with a sense of wonder.
Diana St. James is the VP of Marketing for a cosmetics company in New York City having been with the company since it's creation some 20-25 years earlier. Diana is in her fifties, is separated from her surgeon husband Evan and is soon to be divorced. She has 2 daughters in their mid twenties, one a graduate student in Japan and one a married real estate agent on Long Island (NYC) not far from where Diana lives. St. James is the perfect candidate for a mid life crisis, which she embraces.
When she was a student at NYU, she had a love affair with Stephane de Vallier du Fonblanque, Duc de Beauville. Stephane told her all about Paris and a masked costume ball held every year at Palace of Versailles open to anybody who can afford the fees. On a whim, Diana decides to take a sabbatical from her job and spend up to a year travelling in Europe. Her first destination is going to be Paris and the Ball of Versailles. Perhaps she may even try to find Stephane.
Madame St. James is a control freak. She plans her days, vacations, meetings to the minute. Before she leaves for Paris, she plans her 3 to 4 days with sites, sights and meals with no room for additions. As soon as she lands at Charles de Gaulle Airport, her schedule for the first day becomes irrelevant and to top it all it's raining. The taxi driver gets lost on his way and he can't find the hotel, more disappointment. Diana is now upset because this is not the Paris she had been dreaming about for 25 years.
She tries to find Stephane's address and is once more disappointed as it is a hole in the ground, the building having been torn down for new construction. Oh well, there is always the Ball. Diana goes to the Ball on the day Ball and rents her costume including a diamond necklace that had belonged to Marie Antoinette, a national treasure worth millions of Euros and is expensive to rent however, the incharge/costumer decides to let it wear/rent is for no costs because it suits her well, strange right?
While at the Ball, Diana has 3 experiences she wasn't counting on. First she meets Lucien (Luc). Second, she discovers Luc's dead body later that night. Third, her necklace is stolen. Lieutenant Pierre Bayans interviews her after she discovers the corpse at the bottom of the terrace outside the hall of mirrors. Turns out she was the last person to see Luc alive. Diana now finds herself as suspect number one of theft and murder. Hence begins her detective journey and she decides to track down the murderer and thief so that she can get off the hook.
This was a very quick and fun read. A cozy mystery with packed with food and travel and with experiences that will leave you with a sense of wonder.
June 8, 2021
With her soon to be ex-husband marrying a much younger woman, Diana Hope follows her heart to Paris and an unrealized dream of a Rendez-Vous with a flame from her past. From the moment Diana disembarks, her plans are foiled and eventually, she becomes wrapped up in a murder and a daring jewellery theft. Her year in Europe is not off to a stellar beginning.
I feared that I had already read this book and forgotten it as it is close in premise to that of another favourite author (Susan Kiernan-Lewis). The two have, however, written stories that contrast sharply. Blake Pierce's book leans more to the cosiest side of cosies while Kiernan-Lewis was brutally real. Don't ask me which I liked better - the truth is that I enjoyed both equally and the differences were the making of each story.
As someone who is often paralysed by indecision, I have nothing but admiration for someone who throws her life over and is ready to begin again. Diana's determination to live her old dream is fantastic. Needless to say, I had a lot of respect for the main character despite the fact that she was responsible for much that went wrong in the story. Diana's children, though (shudder) - they were fairly awful to this person who had selflessly nurtured them through the years. And her husband is a fool.
I love the fact that the author has left room for the series to grow. The main character will be constant, but the people around her will change and provide a freshness to the series. This is one set of stories that is not going to stagnate.
There is a certain amount of wistfulness to the plot and there are inconsistencies in the story-telling. With any luck, these problems will be resolved as the series progresses. A little suspension of disbelief is required.
Recommended for those of us who love cosies set in interesting locations.
I feared that I had already read this book and forgotten it as it is close in premise to that of another favourite author (Susan Kiernan-Lewis). The two have, however, written stories that contrast sharply. Blake Pierce's book leans more to the cosiest side of cosies while Kiernan-Lewis was brutally real. Don't ask me which I liked better - the truth is that I enjoyed both equally and the differences were the making of each story.
As someone who is often paralysed by indecision, I have nothing but admiration for someone who throws her life over and is ready to begin again. Diana's determination to live her old dream is fantastic. Needless to say, I had a lot of respect for the main character despite the fact that she was responsible for much that went wrong in the story. Diana's children, though (shudder) - they were fairly awful to this person who had selflessly nurtured them through the years. And her husband is a fool.
I love the fact that the author has left room for the series to grow. The main character will be constant, but the people around her will change and provide a freshness to the series. This is one set of stories that is not going to stagnate.
There is a certain amount of wistfulness to the plot and there are inconsistencies in the story-telling. With any luck, these problems will be resolved as the series progresses. A little suspension of disbelief is required.
Recommended for those of us who love cosies set in interesting locations.
June 5, 2021
I've been reading absolute slabs of novels over the last month, all coming in over 700 pages, so I was desperate for a palate cleanser, something I knew I'd be able to read over a day or so. I still didn't expect this to be a one sitting job, but it was clear that I had a slight desperation for a single simple viewpoint character, with a clear narrative where the staging posts and - for want of a better phrase - the success criteria of characters were clear. And whilst this takes almost half of the book for the protagonist to get to the murder, I thoroughly enjoyed all the cosy aspects of a mid-life crisis, grown up kids and deciding on life changing travel before the book needs to inject a murder to make it a - well - murder mystery. And so I found myself, almost deliciously, falling asleep through necessity during the last chapter willing myself to make it because I wanted to see who did it and I wanted to finish it. Which is absolutely what I needed.
June 9, 2022
Diana St. James, married three decades, mother of two young women, and a top executive at a cosmetic agency suddenly finds herself questioning her busy and successful existence, especially since her husband, after a year’s separation, has announced his engagement to a girl young enough to be his daughter. She finds herself recalling her first love, a French student, who invited her to visit Paris and attend the spectacular costume ball at Versailles. Thirty years have passed, but Diana nurtures a faint hope of running into her boyfriend and taking up their romance again. On the spur of the moment, she quits her job, rents out her home, books tickets to the Ball and flies out to Paris, much to the dismay of her daughters. But Paris is nothing like she imagined it, and Diana who never makes an unscheduled move, finds her life and schedule turned upside down. At the Ball, she splurges on hiring a fabulous costume and precious antique jewelry and sets out to enjoy herself. But fate has other plans. A murder takes place, and Diana is the prime suspect. To top it all, the fabled necklace disappears, and she is liable for it. The Police are unsympathetic, so Diana sets out to solve the case. The story is a tad unbelievable, but if you have a penchant for crazy cozy mysteries, go ahead.
March 31, 2024
דיאנה היא אישה בשנות החמישים לחייה, סמנכ"לית שיווק בחברת קוסמטיקה. דיאנה היא אם לשתי בנות בוגרות ונמצאת בתהליכי גירושין מבעלה. כשהייתה בקולג' היא התאהבה בסטודנט צרפתי, ותכננה בתום הלימודים לנסוע איתו בחזרה לפריז, אבל החיים הובילו אותה בנתיב אחר, ובמקום זה היא פצחה בקריירה מצליחה, ובסוף התחתנה עם מישהו אחר. כעת דיאנה מחליטה שהגיעה הזמן להגשים את חלומה, ולנסוע לפריז כסיפתח לטיול של שנה שלמה מאירופה. היא במיוחד רוצה להשתתף בנשף המסכות השנתי הגדול בארמון וורסאי. היא מתפטרת מעבודתה וקונה כרטיס בכיוון אחד לפריז. דיאנה היא אדם מאוד מתוכנן ומאורגן, אבל כשהיא מגיעה לפריז, היא מגלה שהדברים לאו דווקא מסתדרים לפי התכניות. דיאנה מוצאת את עצמה מעורבת בתעלומת רצח ובתעלומת היעלמותה של שרשרת מאוד יקרה שהייתה שייכת למשפחת המלוכה הצרפתית.
ספר cosy mystery חמוד ומהנה.
ספר cosy mystery חמוד ומהנה.
June 30, 2024
It helped time go by while driving and listening to this totally predictable story. Middle aged NYC marketing exec loses husband to a PYT . Not having taken a vacation in several years and remembering the beautiful young French man ( supposedly a duke) that charmed her in college she's off to France for what she hopes is a romantic reconnection. Predictably she has the adventure of a lifetime in Paris getting involved in one situation after another. I can't, in good faith, give this book a higher rating. It was entertaining but not on par with some of the works by other authors I habitually read .
February 8, 2025
Unread shelf project 2025: book 4.
This was a fluffy but fun cozy mystery. I’ve read some of Blake Pierce’s other books (which were more mystery/thriller not cozy mystery) so I don’t think I was wholly anticipating this to be a cozy mystery. Once I’d slowed my expectations down, the reading journey was much more pleasant. The MC made a lot of fairly impulsive bad decisions — more than typically seen in a cozy mystery — so that disrupted the suspension of disbelief a little bit. Altogether though, not a bad story. I’m not seeking out book 2 intentionally right now but I wouldn’t mind reading it sometime.
This was a fluffy but fun cozy mystery. I’ve read some of Blake Pierce’s other books (which were more mystery/thriller not cozy mystery) so I don’t think I was wholly anticipating this to be a cozy mystery. Once I’d slowed my expectations down, the reading journey was much more pleasant. The MC made a lot of fairly impulsive bad decisions — more than typically seen in a cozy mystery — so that disrupted the suspension of disbelief a little bit. Altogether though, not a bad story. I’m not seeking out book 2 intentionally right now but I wouldn’t mind reading it sometime.
April 6, 2022
Diana St. James is a recently divorced woman with 2 adult daughters. She decided it's time to find herself. So she quits her job and flies off for a year in Europe with her first stop Paris. But Diana finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time and is soon a suspect in a murder. But she won't go down for something she didn't do, so takes up sleuthing.
This was an easy read and the best part was Pierce's wonderful descriptions of Parisian life and it's wonderful historical buildings.
This was an easy read and the best part was Pierce's wonderful descriptions of Parisian life and it's wonderful historical buildings.
October 29, 2024
I listened to the audiobook 🎧📖
I liked the concept of this book, the uptight, work focused woman decides on a whim to leave her life and go to Paris.
I liked the murder mystery aspect of it!
But the ending made me mad. What do you mean an old lady with dementia stole the necklace and that’s it? That’s all we get!?
The accents in the book also made me laugh. And as someone who speaks French, the translations were unnecessary but obviously needed to be done because not everyone speaks French lol
Fun, quick audiobook to listen to when you’re trying to multitask 😌
I liked the concept of this book, the uptight, work focused woman decides on a whim to leave her life and go to Paris.
I liked the murder mystery aspect of it!
But the ending made me mad. What do you mean an old lady with dementia stole the necklace and that’s it? That’s all we get!?
The accents in the book also made me laugh. And as someone who speaks French, the translations were unnecessary but obviously needed to be done because not everyone speaks French lol
Fun, quick audiobook to listen to when you’re trying to multitask 😌
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 305 reviews