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A Kiki Button Mystery #1
April In Paris, 1921
Meet the glamorous, witty and charming Kiki Button: socialite, private detective and spy. We all have secrets - it's just that Kiki has more than most ... For fans of Phryne Fisher and Julian Fellowes
It's 1921, and after two years at home in Australia, Katherine King Button has had enough. Her rich parents have ordered her to get married, but after serving as a nurse during the horrors of the Great War, she has vowed never to take orders again. She flees her parents and the prison of their expectations for the place of friendship and freedom: Paris.
Paris in 1921 is the city of freedom, the place where she can remake herself as Kiki Button, gossip columnist extraordinaire, partying with the rich and famous, the bohemian and bold, the suspicious and strange.
But on the modelling dais, Picasso gives her a job: to find his wife's portrait, which has gone mysteriously missing. That same night, her old spymaster from the war contacts her - she has to find a double agent or face jail. Through parties, whisky and informants, Kiki has to use every ounce of her determination, her wit and her wiles to save herself, the man she adores, and the life she has come to love - in just one week.
Full of witty banter, gorgeous frocks, fast action and skulduggery galore, April in Paris,1921 is playful, charming, witty, sexy, and very, very entertaining - and Kiki Button, the fearless, beautiful and blonde-bobbed Australienne ex-Army nurse, gossip-columnist-turned-detective, and reluctant spy, is a heroine to win hearts.
It's 1921, and after two years at home in Australia, Katherine King Button has had enough. Her rich parents have ordered her to get married, but after serving as a nurse during the horrors of the Great War, she has vowed never to take orders again. She flees her parents and the prison of their expectations for the place of friendship and freedom: Paris.
Paris in 1921 is the city of freedom, the place where she can remake herself as Kiki Button, gossip columnist extraordinaire, partying with the rich and famous, the bohemian and bold, the suspicious and strange.
But on the modelling dais, Picasso gives her a job: to find his wife's portrait, which has gone mysteriously missing. That same night, her old spymaster from the war contacts her - she has to find a double agent or face jail. Through parties, whisky and informants, Kiki has to use every ounce of her determination, her wit and her wiles to save herself, the man she adores, and the life she has come to love - in just one week.
Full of witty banter, gorgeous frocks, fast action and skulduggery galore, April in Paris,1921 is playful, charming, witty, sexy, and very, very entertaining - and Kiki Button, the fearless, beautiful and blonde-bobbed Australienne ex-Army nurse, gossip-columnist-turned-detective, and reluctant spy, is a heroine to win hearts.
320 pages, Paperback
First published July 3, 2018
29 people are currently reading
479 people want to read
About the author
Tessa Lunney
4 books24 followersTessa Lunney is a novelist, poet, and occasional academic. In 2016 she won the prestigious Griffith University Josephine Ulrick Prize for Literature for 'Chess and Dragonflies' and the A Room Of Her Own Foundation Orlando Prize for Fiction for her story 'Those Ebola Burners Them'. She was also the recipient of a Varuna Fellowship. In 2013, she graduated from Western Sydney University with a Doctorate of Creative Arts that explored silence in Australian war fiction. In 2014 she was awarded an Australia Council ArtStart grant for literature. Her poetry, short fiction, and reviews have been published in Best Australian Poems 2014, Southerly, Cordite,Griffith Review, and the Australian Book Review, among others.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
July 13, 2018
What a deliciously decadent story! As a big fan of historical fiction set in the 1920s, was I instantly intrigued by the story of APRIL IN PARIS, 1921 by Tessa Lunney, and I was thrilled to discover how wonderful the book was right from the very start. Let's start with the fact that very early on in the book there is a ménage à trois between our heroine, Kiki Button, Picasso and another woman. I'm not a fan of reading about very lengthy sex scenes, but Tessa Lunney manages to write this part and other parts with enough sensuality and without being too graphic that even I liked them. Now, this is not a story about just sex, but it's part of the story since Kiki Button is, how shall I put it, not a prude and it's the 20s in Paris.
READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION!
READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION!
July 14, 2018
*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com/
2.5 stars
With such a seductive cover and the promise of a waltz into Parisian life post World War I, with a female lead that echoes the great Miss Phryne Fisher, I couldn’t wait to delve into April in Paris 1921. This is the first instalment in the brand new ‘Kiki Button’ mystery series. I loved the catchy name of the central protagonist, Katherine King Button (Kiki Kangaroo). It was also very pleasing to see an Australian woman lead the charge. What initially began as quite an exciting prospect of a potential new series to enjoy, did serve up some pleasing elements but ultimately it didn’t work for me.
A promising start and a number of appealing aspects to this mystery come spy romp marked my response to April in Paris 1921. I really wanted to like this novel and I tried, very hard. By the end I was exhausted by my desire to want to like this novel so much. But there were some positives that I could draw from April in Paris 1921, which I will highlight for you.
1. The setting; as a HUGE Francophile I adored being transported to my favourite city in the world. Lunney captures to sights, sounds, smells (the food sequences were divine), the fashion, music, art and rich culture that existed in the city at this point in time.
2. The period specific atmosphere; Lunney perfectly encapsulates the mood experienced by the Parisian people and those around the world (even Australians such as Kiki). She expresses the sadness, the immense grief, dislocation, haunted memories of war and the need for those to escape this melancholy. The parties, frivolity, romps, hedonism, extreme drinking, smoking and sex is depicted well.
3. The lead, Katherine (Kiki Kangaroo) King; Kiki is fearless, strong, charismatic and independent. She is also a fantastic fashion icon. Kiki shows us that it a small percentage of women of this era were refusing to conform to expectations of marriage and were indulging in non traditional roles, such working as spies during the war.
4. The name dropping and art sequences. The inclusion of renowned artist Pablo Picasso was an interesting aspect and I loved the missing painting idea.
April in Paris 1921 clearly holds possibility with an exciting, as well as interesting lead, who has an involving back story. The secondary character list was colourful, but very full, designed to keep the reader in their toes. The setting was marvellous and a real literary treat for fans of 1920’s set Paris. There were many narrative threads jam packed into this novel, which I felt wasn’t entirely executed well. I was compelled to persist and read until the end of the novel, as I was invested in the mystery side of the novel, which was mostly resolved, obviously leaving the door open for book two.
Although April in Paris 1921 wasn’t entirely my cup of tea, you can see there were some redeeming features. I was intrigued by this series opener, but I’m not sure I enjoyed it enough to commit to further books to come. I do wish to extend my thanks to Beauty & Lace and publisher, Harper Collins Books Australia for the opportunity to review this new title.
Read the original review on the Beauty & Lace book club site here: http://bookgirl.beautyandlace.net/boo...
2.5 stars
With such a seductive cover and the promise of a waltz into Parisian life post World War I, with a female lead that echoes the great Miss Phryne Fisher, I couldn’t wait to delve into April in Paris 1921. This is the first instalment in the brand new ‘Kiki Button’ mystery series. I loved the catchy name of the central protagonist, Katherine King Button (Kiki Kangaroo). It was also very pleasing to see an Australian woman lead the charge. What initially began as quite an exciting prospect of a potential new series to enjoy, did serve up some pleasing elements but ultimately it didn’t work for me.
A promising start and a number of appealing aspects to this mystery come spy romp marked my response to April in Paris 1921. I really wanted to like this novel and I tried, very hard. By the end I was exhausted by my desire to want to like this novel so much. But there were some positives that I could draw from April in Paris 1921, which I will highlight for you.
1. The setting; as a HUGE Francophile I adored being transported to my favourite city in the world. Lunney captures to sights, sounds, smells (the food sequences were divine), the fashion, music, art and rich culture that existed in the city at this point in time.
2. The period specific atmosphere; Lunney perfectly encapsulates the mood experienced by the Parisian people and those around the world (even Australians such as Kiki). She expresses the sadness, the immense grief, dislocation, haunted memories of war and the need for those to escape this melancholy. The parties, frivolity, romps, hedonism, extreme drinking, smoking and sex is depicted well.
3. The lead, Katherine (Kiki Kangaroo) King; Kiki is fearless, strong, charismatic and independent. She is also a fantastic fashion icon. Kiki shows us that it a small percentage of women of this era were refusing to conform to expectations of marriage and were indulging in non traditional roles, such working as spies during the war.
4. The name dropping and art sequences. The inclusion of renowned artist Pablo Picasso was an interesting aspect and I loved the missing painting idea.
April in Paris 1921 clearly holds possibility with an exciting, as well as interesting lead, who has an involving back story. The secondary character list was colourful, but very full, designed to keep the reader in their toes. The setting was marvellous and a real literary treat for fans of 1920’s set Paris. There were many narrative threads jam packed into this novel, which I felt wasn’t entirely executed well. I was compelled to persist and read until the end of the novel, as I was invested in the mystery side of the novel, which was mostly resolved, obviously leaving the door open for book two.
Although April in Paris 1921 wasn’t entirely my cup of tea, you can see there were some redeeming features. I was intrigued by this series opener, but I’m not sure I enjoyed it enough to commit to further books to come. I do wish to extend my thanks to Beauty & Lace and publisher, Harper Collins Books Australia for the opportunity to review this new title.
Read the original review on the Beauty & Lace book club site here: http://bookgirl.beautyandlace.net/boo...
March 28, 2021
A spy thriller with our heroine, Kiki, a modern woman enjoying her freedom, in every sense, in post WWl Paris, employed as a society gossip columnist for a London newspaper, but more intriguingly, secretly working for a spy master she knew from the war years. Well written, interesting and a quick read, but these story lines, with the occasional sexual escapades thrown in for a little spice, just aren’t my cup of tea.
A few lines I enjoyed...
“The sky was purple like lilacs, like royalty, like a bruised mouth, as it slowly passed into darkness.”
“If you want a fun, relaxing time, don’t creep around an unknown factory warehouse in the dark.”
A few lines I enjoyed...
“The sky was purple like lilacs, like royalty, like a bruised mouth, as it slowly passed into darkness.”
“If you want a fun, relaxing time, don’t creep around an unknown factory warehouse in the dark.”
July 27, 2018
This was a weird reading experience. Although I was interested, it was more out of sheer curiosity than a want to read. Everything was too simplistic. Too easy. Too perfect. I guess the idealised Paris in the 1920s was a nice backdrop, but there was no depth. No substance. There were sex scenes for no apparent reason and the relationships between Kiki and the supporting characters were so shallow. My feeling overall - eh. I love historical fiction, but this one just was not worth it.
Also, Pablo Picasso was in it??
Also, Pablo Picasso was in it??
April 6, 2018
Kiki Button is essentially a Phryne Fisher wannabe. She's blond instead of black haired. Instead of being an Australian born English heiress who flees London for Australia, she flees to Paris. (Actually, Phryne herself may be prowling around Paris around this time.)Like Phryne, she served on the WWI battle lines, like Phryne she has fabulous clothes, is free with her sexual favors, and knows a lot of famous people. She's also a spy, working reluctantly for her war time controller, who has long cryptic poetry based conversations with her, and is holding evidence that would clear her True Love "Tom-Tom" (ugh) from a charge of treason during the war.
BTW, "Tom-Tom" is her True Love, but the one person she doesn't sleep with. She regularly has hook ups at parties, she models for Picasso, then sleeps with him and his mistress (both together and separately), but oh, no, she doesn't do the nasty with "Tom-Tom" because he is her True Love. Does he know about her many friends?
This is sort of Phryne fan fiction, except Phryne is someone I really like, and Kiki is kind of annoying. Read this while you're waiting for Kerry Greenwood to write another book about Miss Fisher. Or just watch the "Miss Fisher" tv series. It too isn't a patch on the books, but even that Phryne is a lot more fun than Kiki.
BTW, "Tom-Tom" is her True Love, but the one person she doesn't sleep with. She regularly has hook ups at parties, she models for Picasso, then sleeps with him and his mistress (both together and separately), but oh, no, she doesn't do the nasty with "Tom-Tom" because he is her True Love. Does he know about her many friends?
This is sort of Phryne fan fiction, except Phryne is someone I really like, and Kiki is kind of annoying. Read this while you're waiting for Kerry Greenwood to write another book about Miss Fisher. Or just watch the "Miss Fisher" tv series. It too isn't a patch on the books, but even that Phryne is a lot more fun than Kiki.
August 26, 2018
Arc provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
This is the first book in what I am hoping will be a long series, called A Kiki Button Mystery.
In the first book we are introduced to the glamorous, witty and charming Kiki Button: socialite, private detective and spy. It's 1921, and after two years at home in Australia, Katherine King Button has had enough. Her rich parents have ordered her to get married, but after serving as a nurse during the horrors of the Great War, she has vowed never to take orders again. She flees her parents and the prison of their expectations for the place of friendship and freedom: Paris.
I really enjoyed this book, much more than I thought I would. I absolutely love Katherine aka Kiki. She is living the life she wants in Paris! Paris in 1921 is the city of freedom, the place where she can remake herself as Kiki Button, gossip columnist extraordinaire, partying with the rich and famous, the bohemian and bold, the suspicious and strange.
ut on the modelling dais, Picasso gives her a job: to find his wife's portrait, which has gone mysteriously missing. That same night, her old spymaster from the war contacts her - she has to find a double agent or face jail. Through parties, whisky and informants, Kiki has to use every ounce of her determination, her wit and her wiles to save herself, the man she adores, and the life she has come to love - in just one week.
4 stars
I would definitely recommend this book!
This is the first book in what I am hoping will be a long series, called A Kiki Button Mystery.
In the first book we are introduced to the glamorous, witty and charming Kiki Button: socialite, private detective and spy. It's 1921, and after two years at home in Australia, Katherine King Button has had enough. Her rich parents have ordered her to get married, but after serving as a nurse during the horrors of the Great War, she has vowed never to take orders again. She flees her parents and the prison of their expectations for the place of friendship and freedom: Paris.
I really enjoyed this book, much more than I thought I would. I absolutely love Katherine aka Kiki. She is living the life she wants in Paris! Paris in 1921 is the city of freedom, the place where she can remake herself as Kiki Button, gossip columnist extraordinaire, partying with the rich and famous, the bohemian and bold, the suspicious and strange.
ut on the modelling dais, Picasso gives her a job: to find his wife's portrait, which has gone mysteriously missing. That same night, her old spymaster from the war contacts her - she has to find a double agent or face jail. Through parties, whisky and informants, Kiki has to use every ounce of her determination, her wit and her wiles to save herself, the man she adores, and the life she has come to love - in just one week.
4 stars
I would definitely recommend this book!
January 26, 2020
I stumbled across this book by accident and was immediately enamored by its gorgeous cover. Paris in the 1920’s? What more could I wish for! However, my admiration for the book sadly swindled as I began to make my way through the first few chapters.
I found myself getting bored. I found it hard to relate to Kiki as the author doesn’t really spend much time giving the protagonist a back story and I was only going off what was on the blurb of the back of the novel. I found it really disconcerting how within the first couple of chapters there was a ménage-a-trois involving Kiki and we hadn’t really got to know her yet. I found Kiki to be really unlikeable and couldn’t relate to her loose morals. I found it really difficult to warm up to all of the characters and found myself really confused with Bertie – is he gay, straight, in love with Kiki, what was the go there? To be honest, I don’t think the name suited him as a character. Also, I feel as though there is too much going on at once with Kiki. An ex-nurse, a gossip columnist, a lover of Picasso, a spy for Picasso AND some guy she used to work for in the war, aptly named Fox. I can see the intentions here, but I don’t think it worked.
I found it really hard to follow the storyline. There were new characters introduced in basically every chapter (all with similar sounding names) and I couldn’t work out their connection to the plot and to be honest I was really confused with what was going on in the entire book and I wasn’t able to follow it.
I can say however, that Lunney has definitely done her homework and she clearly spent a lot of time doing research about Paris during the 1920’s and of the First World War, particularly Australian involvement in the war. Some of my favourite parts of the book and the parts I enjoyed the most is where she would describe Paris so beautifully and I felt as if I were transported there, eating baguettes with Kiki at a café in Montparnasse.
I really, really wanted to like this book but I gave up half way through and couldn’t bring myself to keep going.
2.5/5
I found myself getting bored. I found it hard to relate to Kiki as the author doesn’t really spend much time giving the protagonist a back story and I was only going off what was on the blurb of the back of the novel. I found it really disconcerting how within the first couple of chapters there was a ménage-a-trois involving Kiki and we hadn’t really got to know her yet. I found Kiki to be really unlikeable and couldn’t relate to her loose morals. I found it really difficult to warm up to all of the characters and found myself really confused with Bertie – is he gay, straight, in love with Kiki, what was the go there? To be honest, I don’t think the name suited him as a character. Also, I feel as though there is too much going on at once with Kiki. An ex-nurse, a gossip columnist, a lover of Picasso, a spy for Picasso AND some guy she used to work for in the war, aptly named Fox. I can see the intentions here, but I don’t think it worked.
I found it really hard to follow the storyline. There were new characters introduced in basically every chapter (all with similar sounding names) and I couldn’t work out their connection to the plot and to be honest I was really confused with what was going on in the entire book and I wasn’t able to follow it.
I can say however, that Lunney has definitely done her homework and she clearly spent a lot of time doing research about Paris during the 1920’s and of the First World War, particularly Australian involvement in the war. Some of my favourite parts of the book and the parts I enjoyed the most is where she would describe Paris so beautifully and I felt as if I were transported there, eating baguettes with Kiki at a café in Montparnasse.
I really, really wanted to like this book but I gave up half way through and couldn’t bring myself to keep going.
2.5/5
August 29, 2018
I don't like the 20's. They hold no interest for me. I only picked up this book b/c the cover art was so compelling.
But honestly, I found the main character to be without compelling virtue; I couldn't relate to her. I wouldn't want to be her friend. I also found the mystery aspect of it irritating. The clues were irrational, and basically, her "spymaster" already solved the mystery. He was just doling out the clues to her in bits and pieces. Kiki didn't "solve" anything. I'm not sure she was even pivotal to the story.
But honestly, I found the main character to be without compelling virtue; I couldn't relate to her. I wouldn't want to be her friend. I also found the mystery aspect of it irritating. The clues were irrational, and basically, her "spymaster" already solved the mystery. He was just doling out the clues to her in bits and pieces. Kiki didn't "solve" anything. I'm not sure she was even pivotal to the story.
January 20, 2018
I had the pleasure of reading Miss Button’s adventure in an early form, and even then could not put it down. It made me giggle, blush, chortle and bight my fingernails, whilst swooning for the delicious details of the era, clothes, parties and gossip. So much fun, I will read it again and await book 2 eagerly!
August 24, 2018
I had trouble following this story...couldn't quite get past all the poetic riddles and so many multi-national characters. Call me a prude, but I found Kiki to be far too promiscuous for my liking and the key characters too flighty. But, perhaps this really was life in Paris in 1921. I gave up about half way through and finished with speed reading and skimming.
April 6, 2024
Kiki scampers around Paris, and when she isn't involved in espionage, is engaging in affair with Pablo Picasso.
October 7, 2018
Kiki Button, a former nurse and spy during WWI, is now a gossip columnist in post-war bohemian Paris who just wants to drown the memories of war with parties, booze, jazz, and sex... except her past isn't finished with her.
It sounds a little more exciting than it is. The majority of the first half of the book is primarily about Kiki hob-nobbing with the rich and famous, which is, to say the least, a bit boring. I understand it's setting the stage for the second half, but it's still boring. The author tries to keep things intriguing with sex scenes (though not very explicit) and constantly mentioning the mysterious and dangerous "Fox" character from Kiki's past and his poetically cryptic clues about finding a mole, but it fails to be quite as compelling as it's supposed to be, probably because he comes off more as creepy and stalker-ish than fascinating.
That said, it is well written with witty dialogue, and the characters do have well formed back stories. The second half was much more interesting and finally felt like there was a plot, but by that point I just wasn't hugely invested in it.
Advanced review copy from publisher via NetGalley. My opinions are my own.
It sounds a little more exciting than it is. The majority of the first half of the book is primarily about Kiki hob-nobbing with the rich and famous, which is, to say the least, a bit boring. I understand it's setting the stage for the second half, but it's still boring. The author tries to keep things intriguing with sex scenes (though not very explicit) and constantly mentioning the mysterious and dangerous "Fox" character from Kiki's past and his poetically cryptic clues about finding a mole, but it fails to be quite as compelling as it's supposed to be, probably because he comes off more as creepy and stalker-ish than fascinating.
That said, it is well written with witty dialogue, and the characters do have well formed back stories. The second half was much more interesting and finally felt like there was a plot, but by that point I just wasn't hugely invested in it.
Advanced review copy from publisher via NetGalley. My opinions are my own.
May 6, 2024
After a slow start and rather dreary plot, the complexities of the mystery made the book very enticing.
July 21, 2018
I have some mixed feelings about this one.
I love the idea. The 1920s are an interesting time – the war is over, it was a time of regrowth, some decadence, etc. It’s still a bit early for the threat of Germany to rise (although there are rumblings) and there was good clothes, music, dancing, eating, drinking, laughing etc. I don’t really care about Paris as a setting – someone told me recently that Paris sells books and I know it’s super high on a lot of people’s wish lists and loves. But I don’t really have much of an interest in it and I’m not drawn to it, so that part of the story didn’t really fill me with excitement.
Kiki (short for Katherine) is an Australian woman who has fled her wealthy family back to Europe, landing in London to link up with a friend whom she hopes can help her out with a job. Kiki’s father wants her to find a suitable husband and he’s cut her off from the family funds until she does. So Kiki gets herself a job as a sort of gossip columnist in Paris, attending lavish parties and writing about them for a London paper. It’s a whirlwind of dresses, cocktails and beautiful people.
But Kiki also has a bit of a secret past in the war. She worked as a nurse but also as a spy for an enigmatic ‘handler’ type who immediately knows when she’s back in Europe and sends her a message. He’s holding something over her head in order to get her to comply with his wishes for her to flush out a mole within his ranks.
Kiki is exhausting. I found the constant whirlwind of dances and drinking and events and socialising trying to be honest. They wake up late, meet in a cafe and drink and eat then go home and get dressed up for some event or other and spend more time drinking until the wee hours before stumbling home to bed and repeat forever. I’m not really into drinking, I get super bored reading about characters where all they do is drink from the time they get up. I find it incredibly tedious and although it’s probably true to the time it just becomes very repetitive and I tend to lose focus on the more important aspects of the story.
The spying plot was really interesting but it got bogged down a lot in Kiki’s phone interactions with her handler Fox which basically involves them quoting Romantic poetry at each other. I’m not sure why that’s a thing – Fox seems like one of those “cruel to be kind” type people who breaks someone before rebuilding them in his own mould. Kiki definitely has a lot of mixed feelings about Fox. She claims to not want anything to do with him and that if not for the blackmail she wouldn’t but there’s no denying she gets a rush from the spy work and that she’s quite good at it. Kiki is much more intelligent than she probably gets credit for – perhaps that’s all part of it. The pretty blonde partying Australian woman, the last person you’d suspect. I really liked reading about Kiki investigating, planning, extricating herself from situations, putting everything together. That was really enjoyable. By far the best part of the book. Despite the fact that I don’t really enjoy the character of Fox, I want to know more about him (not in relation to Kiki, just in general). Kiki does suffer in this book from the “everyone they know falls in love with them” sort of thing – even Fox, it would appear. This seems the first in a series, because several things go unresolved at the end, so I’m sure Kiki will reappear in another adventure in the future.
I liked parts of this but I found some sections a little bit of a struggle. However I think I’d probably read another Kiki book just to see where things go.
***A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher for the purpose of an honest review***
I love the idea. The 1920s are an interesting time – the war is over, it was a time of regrowth, some decadence, etc. It’s still a bit early for the threat of Germany to rise (although there are rumblings) and there was good clothes, music, dancing, eating, drinking, laughing etc. I don’t really care about Paris as a setting – someone told me recently that Paris sells books and I know it’s super high on a lot of people’s wish lists and loves. But I don’t really have much of an interest in it and I’m not drawn to it, so that part of the story didn’t really fill me with excitement.
Kiki (short for Katherine) is an Australian woman who has fled her wealthy family back to Europe, landing in London to link up with a friend whom she hopes can help her out with a job. Kiki’s father wants her to find a suitable husband and he’s cut her off from the family funds until she does. So Kiki gets herself a job as a sort of gossip columnist in Paris, attending lavish parties and writing about them for a London paper. It’s a whirlwind of dresses, cocktails and beautiful people.
But Kiki also has a bit of a secret past in the war. She worked as a nurse but also as a spy for an enigmatic ‘handler’ type who immediately knows when she’s back in Europe and sends her a message. He’s holding something over her head in order to get her to comply with his wishes for her to flush out a mole within his ranks.
Kiki is exhausting. I found the constant whirlwind of dances and drinking and events and socialising trying to be honest. They wake up late, meet in a cafe and drink and eat then go home and get dressed up for some event or other and spend more time drinking until the wee hours before stumbling home to bed and repeat forever. I’m not really into drinking, I get super bored reading about characters where all they do is drink from the time they get up. I find it incredibly tedious and although it’s probably true to the time it just becomes very repetitive and I tend to lose focus on the more important aspects of the story.
The spying plot was really interesting but it got bogged down a lot in Kiki’s phone interactions with her handler Fox which basically involves them quoting Romantic poetry at each other. I’m not sure why that’s a thing – Fox seems like one of those “cruel to be kind” type people who breaks someone before rebuilding them in his own mould. Kiki definitely has a lot of mixed feelings about Fox. She claims to not want anything to do with him and that if not for the blackmail she wouldn’t but there’s no denying she gets a rush from the spy work and that she’s quite good at it. Kiki is much more intelligent than she probably gets credit for – perhaps that’s all part of it. The pretty blonde partying Australian woman, the last person you’d suspect. I really liked reading about Kiki investigating, planning, extricating herself from situations, putting everything together. That was really enjoyable. By far the best part of the book. Despite the fact that I don’t really enjoy the character of Fox, I want to know more about him (not in relation to Kiki, just in general). Kiki does suffer in this book from the “everyone they know falls in love with them” sort of thing – even Fox, it would appear. This seems the first in a series, because several things go unresolved at the end, so I’m sure Kiki will reappear in another adventure in the future.
I liked parts of this but I found some sections a little bit of a struggle. However I think I’d probably read another Kiki book just to see where things go.
***A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher for the purpose of an honest review***
October 19, 2022
A flapper-detective-spy? I wanted to love this. I could forgive the fact it appeared to be self-insert fiction (I don't know the author but I assume from the way the protagonist is portrayed) but it was difficult to deal with how unbelievable foolish everyone is - from the secret anarcho-communist group who just assume she is one of them and tells her everything (turns out they did the same to the bad guys...what a surprise), to Kiki herself: "I mentally cursed that U hadn't brought a pistol, or even a knife, to this assignation" (277) because why would you bring a weapon to the intened final showdown with the bad guys when you can worry about whether your arse looks hot in trousers instead?
I also didn't appreciate all the sexist, toxic guys who won't take no for the answer and Kiki secretly liking it and one of her convenient best friend's Maisie telling her so in the most gaslighting conversation of the book. All the best friends are minorities (gay, lesbian, black) all adore Kiki and disappear into the background conveniently for most of the novel. She of course is instantly attractive to all men (heterosexual and gay alike and women). There's a sort of queerness in the book which I was trying to read as bisexuality (and it would be about time for some representation for that) but it was sort of touristy and narcissistic with the "Real love being Fox, I mean Tom-Tom I mean Fox but no he is so bad (I thought that was a male toxic fantasy so I was disappointed to read it from a female writer).
Let's be clear here, Fox ignores her saying "no", manipulates her, has "trained" her with some sort of humiliating process that only gets alluded to. It's not kink if it's not consensual. He's mirrored by Ferny whose henchman sexually assaults and humilates her (focus again on the humiliation) and the sexual nature of that adds nothing to the story. There's also an implication that he does the same to Violet, there's a eroticising of the rapist theme there...along with "Pablo" the sex-pest. Don't get me wrong Picasso might well have been an actual sex-pest but an older man doesn't become attractive just because he is talented. Kiki is always up for it anywhere with anyone on THEIR terms (which is why I did not read that as sex positive, her agency is reduced to being eternally passive/willing).
Then Kiki is such a Mary Sue. EVERYONE adores her and welcomes her. She gets a highly paid job writing gossip for newspapers which involves having to go to parties (I could believe that as a job, but not the highly paid part). She has a "garret" which seems airy and comfortable, endless funds to shout people food and drink and an infinite supply of outfits which she crumples and neglects only to have a perfecly new one appear on demand. Again this is sort of harmless I guess and might be someone's cup of tea but I found it irritating. She wanders into all sorts of lairs of bad guys and gets threatened with mostly sexualised violence a lot but nothing bad happens to her despite her not having any fighting skills, weapons, decent back-up or generally even a plan. Somehow it all comes out right and her men orbit her like clockwork. I sort of liked Bertie but I found bot Tom-Tom and Fox insufferable chauvanists (too common irl to be sexy). The idea of Fox being in love with her is also ludicrous (but fits the Mary Sue trope).
I realise that what I have meant as critique some people may take as a recommendation in which case have fun. I won't be moving on to the second one. If you want to just read it for a new dress every chapter and a lot of sex scenes and cheese then this may be for you.
I also didn't appreciate all the sexist, toxic guys who won't take no for the answer and Kiki secretly liking it and one of her convenient best friend's Maisie telling her so in the most gaslighting conversation of the book. All the best friends are minorities (gay, lesbian, black) all adore Kiki and disappear into the background conveniently for most of the novel. She of course is instantly attractive to all men (heterosexual and gay alike and women). There's a sort of queerness in the book which I was trying to read as bisexuality (and it would be about time for some representation for that) but it was sort of touristy and narcissistic with the "Real love being Fox, I mean Tom-Tom I mean Fox but no he is so bad (I thought that was a male toxic fantasy so I was disappointed to read it from a female writer).
Let's be clear here, Fox ignores her saying "no", manipulates her, has "trained" her with some sort of humiliating process that only gets alluded to. It's not kink if it's not consensual. He's mirrored by Ferny whose henchman sexually assaults and humilates her (focus again on the humiliation) and the sexual nature of that adds nothing to the story. There's also an implication that he does the same to Violet, there's a eroticising of the rapist theme there...along with "Pablo" the sex-pest. Don't get me wrong Picasso might well have been an actual sex-pest but an older man doesn't become attractive just because he is talented. Kiki is always up for it anywhere with anyone on THEIR terms (which is why I did not read that as sex positive, her agency is reduced to being eternally passive/willing).
Then Kiki is such a Mary Sue. EVERYONE adores her and welcomes her. She gets a highly paid job writing gossip for newspapers which involves having to go to parties (I could believe that as a job, but not the highly paid part). She has a "garret" which seems airy and comfortable, endless funds to shout people food and drink and an infinite supply of outfits which she crumples and neglects only to have a perfecly new one appear on demand. Again this is sort of harmless I guess and might be someone's cup of tea but I found it irritating. She wanders into all sorts of lairs of bad guys and gets threatened with mostly sexualised violence a lot but nothing bad happens to her despite her not having any fighting skills, weapons, decent back-up or generally even a plan. Somehow it all comes out right and her men orbit her like clockwork. I sort of liked Bertie but I found bot Tom-Tom and Fox insufferable chauvanists (too common irl to be sexy). The idea of Fox being in love with her is also ludicrous (but fits the Mary Sue trope).
I realise that what I have meant as critique some people may take as a recommendation in which case have fun. I won't be moving on to the second one. If you want to just read it for a new dress every chapter and a lot of sex scenes and cheese then this may be for you.
July 17, 2018
April in Paris, 1921 is the first novel of Australian author Ms Tessa Lunney. The story begins with Australian Katherine King Button, the daughter of wealthy parents who is being pressured to marry, procreate and be the dutiful daughter. Katherine has served through the Great War as a nurse and vows never to take orders again. She flees Australia and her family constraints for a life of freedom and friendship in Paris. From here Katherine King Button becomes known as Kiki and enjoys a very interesting life encompassing much love, friendship, socialising and promiscuity.
I have to hand it to Ms Lunney for the research and detail that has found its way into this book. From quoting Keats, to writing code and the detailed conversations between Fox and Vixen, Ms Lunney has a gift for keeping the reader enthralled.
There were a few moments when I wondered how this story was all going to fit together. The first half of the book is dedicated to building the characters, of which there are quite a few, and to setting the scene. Then we learn of two investigations running side by side, to find the rogue agent and locate a painting, and all within the space of one week. This timeline I found difficult to believe. Tom and Bertie repeatedly travelled from abroad to visit Paris; whenever Kiki needed them they could drop everything and visit, sometimes for a few days at a time. I’m not sure how all this story could happen within a week.
The book overall was enjoyable and leads well to a series of Kiki Button Mysteries. I admire Ms Lunney for the dedication she has given to this novel and wish her every success with this series. Thank you, Beauty & Lace Book Club and Harper Collins, for the opportunity to read this intriguing novel.
I have to hand it to Ms Lunney for the research and detail that has found its way into this book. From quoting Keats, to writing code and the detailed conversations between Fox and Vixen, Ms Lunney has a gift for keeping the reader enthralled.
There were a few moments when I wondered how this story was all going to fit together. The first half of the book is dedicated to building the characters, of which there are quite a few, and to setting the scene. Then we learn of two investigations running side by side, to find the rogue agent and locate a painting, and all within the space of one week. This timeline I found difficult to believe. Tom and Bertie repeatedly travelled from abroad to visit Paris; whenever Kiki needed them they could drop everything and visit, sometimes for a few days at a time. I’m not sure how all this story could happen within a week.
The book overall was enjoyable and leads well to a series of Kiki Button Mysteries. I admire Ms Lunney for the dedication she has given to this novel and wish her every success with this series. Thank you, Beauty & Lace Book Club and Harper Collins, for the opportunity to read this intriguing novel.
April 10, 2018
I adore Kiki Button and I loved this book! It's sparkling and beautifully written, sheer entertainment, a la Julian Fellowes or Alexander McCall Smith. Tessa is a wonderful writer and Kiki Button is a brilliant, brave, complicated and engaging heroine. There’s also something of irresistible Midnight in Paris feel to the novel, with all the glancing (and not so glancing!) encounters with luminaries such as Cocteau, Picasso, Tamara de Lempicka, etc, etc – although I loved all the supporting characters as well: Bertie with his fabulous suits, Maisie, Tom Tom and all the others – and Fox! Wait until you meet him – he’s a wonderful character…
But the real charm of this novel – besides the fantastic descriptions of Paris, the authenticity of the period detail and the wit – is of course the entirely original Kiki: her fabulous clothes, her gaiety, her secret sadness, her appetite for life, her many and complicated loves – she’s the kind of character where you know underneath that fabulous, slightly unwashed dress she’s wearing, her stockings might be torn and her knees might be bruised, but she’ll always be laughing, tossing her hair back and cadging a cigarette off someone. Loved it.
But the real charm of this novel – besides the fantastic descriptions of Paris, the authenticity of the period detail and the wit – is of course the entirely original Kiki: her fabulous clothes, her gaiety, her secret sadness, her appetite for life, her many and complicated loves – she’s the kind of character where you know underneath that fabulous, slightly unwashed dress she’s wearing, her stockings might be torn and her knees might be bruised, but she’ll always be laughing, tossing her hair back and cadging a cigarette off someone. Loved it.
January 11, 2024
Debut novelist Tessa Lunney delivers a protagonist that is well realised, passionate, strong and determined- and that is still capable of having a lot of fun as she roams 1920's Paris in search of a lost Picasso portrait and hunts down double agents.
Ms Lunney's attention to detail and idiom brings the period and place to life, and the plot and pacing are on par with the best of the genre. But what I appreciated most about April in Paris 1921 was the deft way in which the author so subtly portrays the physical and emotional bruises beneath the makeup of the 'bright young things' as they drink, gossip and dance.
Kiki button is not simply a pair of eyes through which the reader can engage the story. She inhabits a body that gets hurt and hungover and contains a yawning grief as she- along with most of her generation- attempts to deal with the experiences of the first World War. Tessa Lunney is an author that knows how trauma operates, and the way in which invisible wounds leave their mark on the corporeal flesh and it makes her protagonist and her friends real in a way that elevates them above the characters of a lot of other historical fiction.
I will be back for the next installment.
Ms Lunney's attention to detail and idiom brings the period and place to life, and the plot and pacing are on par with the best of the genre. But what I appreciated most about April in Paris 1921 was the deft way in which the author so subtly portrays the physical and emotional bruises beneath the makeup of the 'bright young things' as they drink, gossip and dance.
Kiki button is not simply a pair of eyes through which the reader can engage the story. She inhabits a body that gets hurt and hungover and contains a yawning grief as she- along with most of her generation- attempts to deal with the experiences of the first World War. Tessa Lunney is an author that knows how trauma operates, and the way in which invisible wounds leave their mark on the corporeal flesh and it makes her protagonist and her friends real in a way that elevates them above the characters of a lot of other historical fiction.
I will be back for the next installment.
September 22, 2023
Warning: this book may contain a ménage à trois in the first 30 pages, outrageous characters all vying for centre stage, a strong female character kicking ass, a love pentagon (as opposed to a love triangle), and the constant consumption of copious cocktails. For the Phyrne Fisher reader, this is charming vintage mystery with plenty of bohemian twists. While it is a thoroughly fun book (and that is the key word: fun) it also touches on the political aspect of a continent in turmoil. The geopolitics and the rise of fascism are important plot points, alongside the artistic and cultural upheaval of the time. Kiki Button is a character you will fall in love with: an ex-nurse who travels to Paris as a socialite-cum-spy, she is absolutely fearless (and sometimes this gets her in more trouble than she bargained for).
July 16, 2019
Well packaged book but disappointing.Great cover and blurb. Hints of mystery. Parisian setting of 1920s. But Kiki Button , the major character, is hedonistic and runs around for no apparent reason, apart from gathering for her gossip column. I found her an irritating character with a fabulous wardrobe. And the 'spy' aspect with Fox/Vixen wasn't purposeful. Clues in song titles was superfluous. Disappointing plot.
July 23, 2018
Rollicking good fun, rich and vibrant detail with some gritty realism thrown in.
Sex, champagne, and espionage a heady mix!
Sex, champagne, and espionage a heady mix!
September 21, 2019
I got half way through the book and stopped. The story never seems to come together or have a point to Kiki's lifestyle. Each chapter is a different story that doesn't flow to the next.
February 19, 2025
This is a relatively new historical mystery series. The cover and the title intrigued me. The title gives us the setting and Kiki gives us a somewhat convoluted spy tale.
Kiki was a nurse in WWI and evidently a spy as well. She answered to Fox who was also in the medical field and had a double life. The story's biggest draw for me was the descriptive and lyrical language. It had the feel of the works of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Granted there was a lot of description of clothes and food and tastefully stated sex, but the descriptions of Paris in the Spring were most wonderful.
So the story begins with Kiki returning to Paris to get away from her family in Australia. She works as a gossip reporter for an English magazine run by a friend/lover. Early on she meets Picasso. One of his paintings, a portrait of his wife, has disappeared and she (Olga) is angrily anxious to have it returned.
This leads to a multi-layered spy story that at times was hard to follow. Filled with Keats' poetry that was a communication tool between Fox and Kiki, but was a bit over my head. The twists and turns did drive the story, but it didn't quite gel for me. Will the second book, Autumn Leaves 1922 be of the same structure? I don't know if I will take the time to find out.
Kiki was a nurse in WWI and evidently a spy as well. She answered to Fox who was also in the medical field and had a double life. The story's biggest draw for me was the descriptive and lyrical language. It had the feel of the works of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Granted there was a lot of description of clothes and food and tastefully stated sex, but the descriptions of Paris in the Spring were most wonderful.
So the story begins with Kiki returning to Paris to get away from her family in Australia. She works as a gossip reporter for an English magazine run by a friend/lover. Early on she meets Picasso. One of his paintings, a portrait of his wife, has disappeared and she (Olga) is angrily anxious to have it returned.
This leads to a multi-layered spy story that at times was hard to follow. Filled with Keats' poetry that was a communication tool between Fox and Kiki, but was a bit over my head. The twists and turns did drive the story, but it didn't quite gel for me. Will the second book, Autumn Leaves 1922 be of the same structure? I don't know if I will take the time to find out.
July 3, 2024
A Kiki Button Mystery.. started out quite interesting and drew me right into the carefree Paris way of life during 1921. As the story developed it became a little harder to follow all the new mysterious characters. By the end you wanted a huge revelation and conclusion but I found it a little bit of a let down compared to the great beginning. A good, fun read but not the ending I had hoped it to be.
November 8, 2023
This book was only ok. Very confusing to follow and I am not sure what the author was trying to achieve. It also became very repetitive and the dialogue between the main character and "Fox" was just silly. I was left with the impression that the author just tried a little to hard too write a classic but which ended up something a little boring.
July 1, 2024
Loved it. The perfect combo of wit, lush nostalgia, adventure, mystery, luxury and romance. Really well written with very likeable characters.
July 16, 2018
There are many, many things to like about this book. Paris! in the roaring twenties, with more Bright Young Things than you could poke a stick at. I loved the fashions, the streetscapes, the cafe scenes, the cocktails, and the wonderful way that Lunney creates the sense of a generation trying to put the horrors and privations of the Great War behind them. The myster(ies) within the story are interesting and intriguing.
The heroine, Kiki Button, is embarking on a career as a spy, detective, and gossip columnist, not necessarily in that order. An Australian who nursed on the Western Front during the war, Kiki is escaping the 'get-married-and-make-grandchildren-asap' pressure of her rich parents. This she does by pretending to embark on another London season while actually going to live in (almost) complete freedom in Paris. There is a great sense of liberation on all levels, though the ever-growing threat of fascism rears its ugly head, in keeping with the inter-war years setting.
There are some beautiful poetic and arresting images (Lunney is also a poet): 'The sky was purple like lilacs, like royalty, like a bruised mouth, as it passed slowly into darkness.'
*Spoilers below*
Now, to the list of things that may not sit well with some readers. There is an awful lot of regurgitated poetry in the guise of spy code. In such an adventure (think Christie's Tommy and Tuppence, or Greenwood's Phryne Fisher), the weight of this code feels a bit stodgy, interrupting the flow of the plot. It's almost as if it belongs in a different book.
Ditto the omnipresent sex scenes. Yes, we are in the age of liberation, but not every reader will enjoy the sweet, juicy, pan-sexual exploits of our heroine. (Mind you, if you love this stuff, Lunney does it very well!). All the cheerful, exhausting sex is carried out with gusto and not a whit of emotional connection, unless it's 'an old lover' like Bertie, to whom Kiki is very affectionate. In the spirit of female freedom, Kiki is rather predatory - at one stage, she 'valiantly assaults' the 'virtue' of a tasty young man 'for the rest of the night to great success'. This just made me feel a bit sick, thinking that it was rather like the old gumshoe detective books of the 50s and 60s, where a ditective was not successful unless he regularly seduced a succession of 'broads'. Hmm. Some of the characters appear to be no more than sex toys for Kiki, and that made me uncomfortable. On the other hand, checking thru the reviews shows me that the vast majority of readers will lap up the excitement and wit of these encounters with great pleasure.
There is also a fair bit of name-dropping, no doubt situating Kiki in the important circles of the time, but it didn't feel very Australian - it seemed a bit show-off that Kiki has a threesome with Picasso and his lover, that she hobnobs with Paul Nash, etc. But not with the love of her life, Tom-Tom...Interesting.
The further development of Kiki in subsequent books (I do trust there are more in the pipeline, as this one is sub-titled 'a Kiki Button mystery') will be most interesting to watch.
Try it. You will most like absolutely love it.
The heroine, Kiki Button, is embarking on a career as a spy, detective, and gossip columnist, not necessarily in that order. An Australian who nursed on the Western Front during the war, Kiki is escaping the 'get-married-and-make-grandchildren-asap' pressure of her rich parents. This she does by pretending to embark on another London season while actually going to live in (almost) complete freedom in Paris. There is a great sense of liberation on all levels, though the ever-growing threat of fascism rears its ugly head, in keeping with the inter-war years setting.
There are some beautiful poetic and arresting images (Lunney is also a poet): 'The sky was purple like lilacs, like royalty, like a bruised mouth, as it passed slowly into darkness.'
*Spoilers below*
Now, to the list of things that may not sit well with some readers. There is an awful lot of regurgitated poetry in the guise of spy code. In such an adventure (think Christie's Tommy and Tuppence, or Greenwood's Phryne Fisher), the weight of this code feels a bit stodgy, interrupting the flow of the plot. It's almost as if it belongs in a different book.
Ditto the omnipresent sex scenes. Yes, we are in the age of liberation, but not every reader will enjoy the sweet, juicy, pan-sexual exploits of our heroine. (Mind you, if you love this stuff, Lunney does it very well!). All the cheerful, exhausting sex is carried out with gusto and not a whit of emotional connection, unless it's 'an old lover' like Bertie, to whom Kiki is very affectionate. In the spirit of female freedom, Kiki is rather predatory - at one stage, she 'valiantly assaults' the 'virtue' of a tasty young man 'for the rest of the night to great success'. This just made me feel a bit sick, thinking that it was rather like the old gumshoe detective books of the 50s and 60s, where a ditective was not successful unless he regularly seduced a succession of 'broads'. Hmm. Some of the characters appear to be no more than sex toys for Kiki, and that made me uncomfortable. On the other hand, checking thru the reviews shows me that the vast majority of readers will lap up the excitement and wit of these encounters with great pleasure.
There is also a fair bit of name-dropping, no doubt situating Kiki in the important circles of the time, but it didn't feel very Australian - it seemed a bit show-off that Kiki has a threesome with Picasso and his lover, that she hobnobs with Paul Nash, etc. But not with the love of her life, Tom-Tom...Interesting.
The further development of Kiki in subsequent books (I do trust there are more in the pipeline, as this one is sub-titled 'a Kiki Button mystery') will be most interesting to watch.
Try it. You will most like absolutely love it.
July 16, 2018
I received a free copy in return for my honest review from the Beauty and Lace Book Club and Harper Collins.
http://bookgirl.beautyandlace.net/boo...
I was captivated from the very first sentence of this book. I was right there with her, my hands wrapped around the rickety old radiator for warmth. Sadly, my engagement with the writing didn’t last beyond the first few chapters.
Kiki Button, a woman in her 20s escapes from conservative parents in Australia who just want her to settle down with a good husband. All Kiki wants is to live a little and to be her own person, especially after her experiences nursing during the war. Life was all parties and fun, and then her past catches up with her.
I thought that I was getting a story of a wide-eyed, slightly naïve country girl, finding her way through the glamour and excitement of Paris. But Kiki is a “modern girl”, liberated and free. Unusually for me, I found myself disapproving of Kiki’s behaviour, which is odd, as I’m not particularly moralistic when it comes to my fiction. I thought about this a while, and concluded that it’s not the long line of sexual partners. It’s that the drinking and parties and intrigues and sex - they all served the same purpose. To try and erase the memories of the war, forget those that had fallen, and reclaim life. She thought she was liberated and free, but like most people around her, she just wanted to be numb the pain. Determined to be full of cheer and frivolity, when really she was terribly lonely. And the man she did love, her precious Tom Tom, kinda missed out. Which was all a bit sad really.
But I guess that’s what the partying of the 20s was all about. And the reader is reminded that it will all happen again soon, with talk of the Brown Shirts and the emergence of fascism in Europe.
The mystery itself is frustrating, as the reader is never really sure what it is about. Everything is in code, nothing is clear, and there is very little suspense or wondering who-done-it or who-is-it. Because, quite frankly, there’s very little reason to care. At least with a murder mystery there is a body, here it’s all lines of poetry as clues and vague hints at a traitor.
I enjoyed the story, but I also found it hard to get through at times. It lost me with the Spy stuff and all the poetry. I would have enjoyed it more as a love story (with a missing painting) than a mystery/spy/traitor tale.
http://bookgirl.beautyandlace.net/boo...
I was captivated from the very first sentence of this book. I was right there with her, my hands wrapped around the rickety old radiator for warmth. Sadly, my engagement with the writing didn’t last beyond the first few chapters.
Kiki Button, a woman in her 20s escapes from conservative parents in Australia who just want her to settle down with a good husband. All Kiki wants is to live a little and to be her own person, especially after her experiences nursing during the war. Life was all parties and fun, and then her past catches up with her.
I thought that I was getting a story of a wide-eyed, slightly naïve country girl, finding her way through the glamour and excitement of Paris. But Kiki is a “modern girl”, liberated and free. Unusually for me, I found myself disapproving of Kiki’s behaviour, which is odd, as I’m not particularly moralistic when it comes to my fiction. I thought about this a while, and concluded that it’s not the long line of sexual partners. It’s that the drinking and parties and intrigues and sex - they all served the same purpose. To try and erase the memories of the war, forget those that had fallen, and reclaim life. She thought she was liberated and free, but like most people around her, she just wanted to be numb the pain. Determined to be full of cheer and frivolity, when really she was terribly lonely. And the man she did love, her precious Tom Tom, kinda missed out. Which was all a bit sad really.
But I guess that’s what the partying of the 20s was all about. And the reader is reminded that it will all happen again soon, with talk of the Brown Shirts and the emergence of fascism in Europe.
The mystery itself is frustrating, as the reader is never really sure what it is about. Everything is in code, nothing is clear, and there is very little suspense or wondering who-done-it or who-is-it. Because, quite frankly, there’s very little reason to care. At least with a murder mystery there is a body, here it’s all lines of poetry as clues and vague hints at a traitor.
I enjoyed the story, but I also found it hard to get through at times. It lost me with the Spy stuff and all the poetry. I would have enjoyed it more as a love story (with a missing painting) than a mystery/spy/traitor tale.
September 21, 2018
Former WWI nurse, Katherine ‘Kiki’ Button has shed the cocooned life her parents planned for her (marriage to a baron and babies) and emerges free as a butterfly in London, seeking employment from close friend and occasional lover, Bertie Browne, subeditor of The Star newspaper. He sends her to Paris to attend fancy society parties and write tongue-in-cheek gossip columns about bohemians, artists and aristocrats.
In the city of dreams, Kiki drowns her war memories in champagne, fancy cocktails and frequent trysts with a variety of lovers, including artist Pablo Picasso. Things get interesting when Picasso asks Kiki to find a stolen painting of his wife. At the same time, Kiki’s old spymaster, the enigmatic Dr Fox, blackmails her into tracking down a mole or else risk the release of secrets that will endanger her beloved Tom. Naturally, the two mysteries are somehow linked.
A debut novelist but an experienced writer, Tessa Lunney is well-researched on war and war fiction with an in-depth understanding of the political and social climate of the era and setting. Her depiction of 1920s Paris is sumptuous and vivid, from the fashions and food to its famous inhabitants. It’s easy to visualise Kiki sitting on the windowsill of her studio, smoking her cigarettes with her legs dangling high above Parisian streets, relishing her freedom. The residual trauma of the war is ever present, lurking in the background for many of the main characters. Lunney’s writing style is swift with bursts of snappy dialogue and poetic imagery.
A quick and easy read, April in Paris, 1921 is as bright and colourful as one of Kiki’s society parties – full of larger than life characters and over in a whirlwind of jazz dancing and purple cocktails. Kiki is an intelligent, modern woman, expertly decoding the clues in Keats poems planted by the confusing Fox and charming everyone she meets (often into bed). A refreshing leading lady, Kiki, ‘the blonde Australienne’, does what she wants, enjoys flirting with danger and relishes in the challenges she faces as a blossoming detective.
Devour this novel as you would a delicious pastry or rich piece of cake. And leave room for seconds as there’s unfinished business with Fox and Tom, as well as the first seeds of fascism paving the way for a sequel.
In the city of dreams, Kiki drowns her war memories in champagne, fancy cocktails and frequent trysts with a variety of lovers, including artist Pablo Picasso. Things get interesting when Picasso asks Kiki to find a stolen painting of his wife. At the same time, Kiki’s old spymaster, the enigmatic Dr Fox, blackmails her into tracking down a mole or else risk the release of secrets that will endanger her beloved Tom. Naturally, the two mysteries are somehow linked.
A debut novelist but an experienced writer, Tessa Lunney is well-researched on war and war fiction with an in-depth understanding of the political and social climate of the era and setting. Her depiction of 1920s Paris is sumptuous and vivid, from the fashions and food to its famous inhabitants. It’s easy to visualise Kiki sitting on the windowsill of her studio, smoking her cigarettes with her legs dangling high above Parisian streets, relishing her freedom. The residual trauma of the war is ever present, lurking in the background for many of the main characters. Lunney’s writing style is swift with bursts of snappy dialogue and poetic imagery.
A quick and easy read, April in Paris, 1921 is as bright and colourful as one of Kiki’s society parties – full of larger than life characters and over in a whirlwind of jazz dancing and purple cocktails. Kiki is an intelligent, modern woman, expertly decoding the clues in Keats poems planted by the confusing Fox and charming everyone she meets (often into bed). A refreshing leading lady, Kiki, ‘the blonde Australienne’, does what she wants, enjoys flirting with danger and relishes in the challenges she faces as a blossoming detective.
Devour this novel as you would a delicious pastry or rich piece of cake. And leave room for seconds as there’s unfinished business with Fox and Tom, as well as the first seeds of fascism paving the way for a sequel.
May 30, 2018
I can't thank Tessa Lunney enough for introducing me to the pleasures of such a charming read. I'm so used to reading heavy nonfiction lately that I haven't had much chance to just stop and totally immerse myself in something as enjoyable as this.
This book is a great combination of light and shade. It's the kind of book that you should read if your brain tells you that you should be reading that history textbook but your heart wants you to just sit down and go on a romping adventure with a beautifully crafted lady spy and her dandy offsider.
I was very entertaining by the end of the first chapter but a little concerned that the strands of story would not come together, but it turns out I could not have been more wrong. The story became so complex and yet retained a lightness that kept me reading into the night.
My favourite aspect of the book was the many shades of femininity and female experience throughout, with so many interesting women I want to know more about. I admit I was living vicariously through Kiki, she's like the alter ego I've always wanted. At the same time, there are so many great male characters, and it's when there is talk of the war and the experiences of these men and women that this book really adds a depth that I really wasn't expecting.
At first I thought I could have done without some of the Enid Blytonisms (Tom Tom), but I think that's true to the other books and characters of the time I have read, so they add an era-specific tone to the writing which is, on balance, appreciated.
In fact it's the combination of a very contemporary focus on underrepresented stories and characters (gender, sexuality, race, otherness) combined with the stylistically vintage (don't want to say authentic!) voice of the characters that I think makes this book such a winner.
This is the book you want for a reading group full of intelligent men and women wanting a fun and engaging read with a lot of content and depth. Can't wait for the next one.
This book is a great combination of light and shade. It's the kind of book that you should read if your brain tells you that you should be reading that history textbook but your heart wants you to just sit down and go on a romping adventure with a beautifully crafted lady spy and her dandy offsider.
I was very entertaining by the end of the first chapter but a little concerned that the strands of story would not come together, but it turns out I could not have been more wrong. The story became so complex and yet retained a lightness that kept me reading into the night.
My favourite aspect of the book was the many shades of femininity and female experience throughout, with so many interesting women I want to know more about. I admit I was living vicariously through Kiki, she's like the alter ego I've always wanted. At the same time, there are so many great male characters, and it's when there is talk of the war and the experiences of these men and women that this book really adds a depth that I really wasn't expecting.
At first I thought I could have done without some of the Enid Blytonisms (Tom Tom), but I think that's true to the other books and characters of the time I have read, so they add an era-specific tone to the writing which is, on balance, appreciated.
In fact it's the combination of a very contemporary focus on underrepresented stories and characters (gender, sexuality, race, otherness) combined with the stylistically vintage (don't want to say authentic!) voice of the characters that I think makes this book such a winner.
This is the book you want for a reading group full of intelligent men and women wanting a fun and engaging read with a lot of content and depth. Can't wait for the next one.
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