What do you think?
Rate this book
Christopher Marlowe Cobb Thriller #4
Paris in the Dark
With Paris in the Dark, Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Olen Butler returns to his lauded Christopher Marlowe Cobb series and proves once again that he can craft "a ripping good yarn" (Wall Street Journal) with unmistakably literary underpinnings. Autumn 1915. World War I is raging across Europe but Woodrow Wilson has kept Americans out of the trenches--though that hasn't stopped young men and women from crossing the Atlantic to volunteer at the front. Christopher "Kit" Cobb, a Chicago reporter with a second job as undercover agent for the U.S. government, is officially in Paris doing a story on American ambulance drivers, but his intelligence handler, James Polk Trask, soon broadens his mission. City-dwelling civilians are meeting death by dynamite in a new string of bombings, and the German-speaking Kit seems just the man to figure out who is behind them--possibly a German operative who has snuck in with the waves of refugees coming in from the provinces and across the border in Belgium. But there are elements in this pursuit that will test Kit Cobb, in all his roles, to the very limits of his principles, wits, and talents for survival.
Fleetly plotted but engaging with political and cultural issues that deeply resonate today, Paris in the Dark is this series' best novel yet.
Fleetly plotted but engaging with political and cultural issues that deeply resonate today, Paris in the Dark is this series' best novel yet.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2018
126 people are currently reading
1299 people want to read
About the author
Robert Olen Butler
86 books452 followers“I’ll never stop believing it: Robert Olen Butler is the best living American writer, period.”
– Jeff Guinn, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Robert Olen Butler has published sixteen novels—The Alleys of Eden, Sun Dogs, Countrymen of Bones, On Distant Ground, Wabash, The Deuce, They Whisper, The Deep Green Sea, Mr. Spaceman, Fair Warning, Hell, A Small Hotel, The Hot Country, The Star of Istanbul, The Empire of Night, Perfume River—and six volumes of short fiction—Tabloid Dreams, Had a Good Time, Severance, Intercourse, Weegee Stories, and A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain, which won the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Butler has published a volume of his lectures on the creative process, From Where You Dream, edited with an introduction by Janet Burroway.
In 2013 he became the seventeenth recipient of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Award for Outstanding Achievement in American Literature. He also won the Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Foundation Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award. He has twice won a National Magazine Award in Fiction and has received two Pushcart Prizes. He has also received both a Guggenheim Fellowship in fiction and a National Endowment for the Arts grant. His stories have appeared widely in such publications as The New Yorker, Esquire, Harper’s, The Atlantic Monthly, GQ, Zoetrope, The Paris Review, Granta, The Hudson Review, The Virginia Quarterly Review, Ploughshares, and The Sewanee Review. They have been chosen for inclusion in four annual editions of The Best American Short Stories, eight annual editions of New Stories from the South, several other major annual anthologies, and numerous college literature textbooks from such publishers as Simon & Schuster, Norton, Viking, Little Brown & Co., Houghton Mifflin, Oxford University Press, Prentice Hall, and Bedford/St.Martin and most recently in The New Granta Book of the American Short Story, edited by Richard Ford.
His works have been translated into twenty-one languages, including Vietnamese, Thai, Korean, Polish, Japanese, Serbian, Farsi, Czech, Estonian, Greek, and most recently Chinese. He was also a charter recipient of the Tu Do Chinh Kien Award given by the Vietnam Veterans of America for “outstanding contributions to American culture by a Vietnam veteran.” Over the past two decades he has lectured in universities, appeared at conferences, and met with writers groups in 17 countries as a literary envoy for the U. S. State Department.
He is a Francis Eppes Distinguished Professor holding the Michael Shaara Chair in Creative Writing at Florida State University. Under the auspices of the FSU website, in the fall of 2001, he did something no other writer has ever done, before or since: he revealed his writing process in full, in real time, in a webcast that observed him in seventeen two-hour sessions write a literary short story from its first inspiration to its final polished form. He also gave a running commentary on his artistic choices and spent a half-hour in each episode answering the emailed questions of his live viewers. The whole series, under the title “Inside Creative Writing” is a very popular on YouTube, with its first two-hour episode passing 125,000 in the spring of 2016.
For more than a decade he was hired to write feature-length screenplays for New Regency, Twentieth Century Fox, Warner Brothers, Paramount, Disney, Universal Pictures, Baldwin Entertainment Group (for Robert Redford), and two teleplays for HBO. Typical of Hollywood, none of these movies ever made it to the screen.
Reflecting his early training as an actor, he has also recorded the audio books for four of his works—A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain, Hell, A Small Hotel and Perfume River. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate degree from the State University of New York system. He lives in Florida, with his wife, the poet Kelly Lee Butler.
– Jeff Guinn, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Robert Olen Butler has published sixteen novels—The Alleys of Eden, Sun Dogs, Countrymen of Bones, On Distant Ground, Wabash, The Deuce, They Whisper, The Deep Green Sea, Mr. Spaceman, Fair Warning, Hell, A Small Hotel, The Hot Country, The Star of Istanbul, The Empire of Night, Perfume River—and six volumes of short fiction—Tabloid Dreams, Had a Good Time, Severance, Intercourse, Weegee Stories, and A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain, which won the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Butler has published a volume of his lectures on the creative process, From Where You Dream, edited with an introduction by Janet Burroway.
In 2013 he became the seventeenth recipient of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Award for Outstanding Achievement in American Literature. He also won the Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Foundation Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award. He has twice won a National Magazine Award in Fiction and has received two Pushcart Prizes. He has also received both a Guggenheim Fellowship in fiction and a National Endowment for the Arts grant. His stories have appeared widely in such publications as The New Yorker, Esquire, Harper’s, The Atlantic Monthly, GQ, Zoetrope, The Paris Review, Granta, The Hudson Review, The Virginia Quarterly Review, Ploughshares, and The Sewanee Review. They have been chosen for inclusion in four annual editions of The Best American Short Stories, eight annual editions of New Stories from the South, several other major annual anthologies, and numerous college literature textbooks from such publishers as Simon & Schuster, Norton, Viking, Little Brown & Co., Houghton Mifflin, Oxford University Press, Prentice Hall, and Bedford/St.Martin and most recently in The New Granta Book of the American Short Story, edited by Richard Ford.
His works have been translated into twenty-one languages, including Vietnamese, Thai, Korean, Polish, Japanese, Serbian, Farsi, Czech, Estonian, Greek, and most recently Chinese. He was also a charter recipient of the Tu Do Chinh Kien Award given by the Vietnam Veterans of America for “outstanding contributions to American culture by a Vietnam veteran.” Over the past two decades he has lectured in universities, appeared at conferences, and met with writers groups in 17 countries as a literary envoy for the U. S. State Department.
He is a Francis Eppes Distinguished Professor holding the Michael Shaara Chair in Creative Writing at Florida State University. Under the auspices of the FSU website, in the fall of 2001, he did something no other writer has ever done, before or since: he revealed his writing process in full, in real time, in a webcast that observed him in seventeen two-hour sessions write a literary short story from its first inspiration to its final polished form. He also gave a running commentary on his artistic choices and spent a half-hour in each episode answering the emailed questions of his live viewers. The whole series, under the title “Inside Creative Writing” is a very popular on YouTube, with its first two-hour episode passing 125,000 in the spring of 2016.
For more than a decade he was hired to write feature-length screenplays for New Regency, Twentieth Century Fox, Warner Brothers, Paramount, Disney, Universal Pictures, Baldwin Entertainment Group (for Robert Redford), and two teleplays for HBO. Typical of Hollywood, none of these movies ever made it to the screen.
Reflecting his early training as an actor, he has also recorded the audio books for four of his works—A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain, Hell, A Small Hotel and Perfume River. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate degree from the State University of New York system. He lives in Florida, with his wife, the poet Kelly Lee Butler.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews
October 6, 2018
This is the 4th in Robert Olen Butler's series featuring Kit Cobb, journalist and spy for the US government in Europe. Having not read any of the others in the series, I found this worked perfectly fine as a standalone. It is Autumn 1915 and WW1 rages in Europe, the American President, Woodrow Wilson, has so far succeeded in keeping the US out of the war, but is perceived as a coward lacking a spine by many of his own countrymen. Many Americans have bravely chosen to volunteer in a number of roles in Paris and Wilson has his secret spy agencies working discreetly for the Allies against the Germans. As a reporter, Kit is writing a feature on the American hospital, Le Chapelle, meeting supervising nurse, Louise Pickering, and spending time getting to know the roles and experiences of the ambulance men, such as the Illinois farmer's son, Cyrus, and Harvard man, John Barrington Lacey. Cobb is a witness to a civilian bombing that he thinks is orchestrated by a German saboteur bent on destroying French morale, hidden amongst the tide of refugees coming into Paris.
The French and US spy agencies are alarmed at this development and desperate to prevent future carnage that will ensue at a sustained bombing campaign aimed at civilians. Intelligence handler, James Polk Trask, believes that Cobb with his fluent German is ideally placed to find the bomber and the French spymaster has a lead for him to follow. Cobb finds himself on a twisted search for the saboteur where nothing is as it seems, he gets romantically entangled, has to face tragic outcomes and it all ends in a dangerous and thrilling finale in the catacombs of the dead that lie beneath Paris. Butler has engaged in impeccable research of the period to give us a picture of the dark days of the trench warfare and Paris, along with the social and political backgrounds of the characters in the novel.
I found this a highly atmospheric book and was captivated by the wartime Paris that comes alive with rich details, such as the fiacres that Cobb uses as transport and the clubs that provide much needed companionship and support for the Germans. Cobb sees the harrowing sight of the wrecked bodies of the war returned to the city, a sight that the French usually made sure arrived in Paris in the dark, the title of the novel which could additionally aptly apply to the motives and people behind the bombing campaign. This is a gripping read on the role of the Americans in WW1 in Paris. Many thanks to Oldcastle Books for an ARC.
The French and US spy agencies are alarmed at this development and desperate to prevent future carnage that will ensue at a sustained bombing campaign aimed at civilians. Intelligence handler, James Polk Trask, believes that Cobb with his fluent German is ideally placed to find the bomber and the French spymaster has a lead for him to follow. Cobb finds himself on a twisted search for the saboteur where nothing is as it seems, he gets romantically entangled, has to face tragic outcomes and it all ends in a dangerous and thrilling finale in the catacombs of the dead that lie beneath Paris. Butler has engaged in impeccable research of the period to give us a picture of the dark days of the trench warfare and Paris, along with the social and political backgrounds of the characters in the novel.
I found this a highly atmospheric book and was captivated by the wartime Paris that comes alive with rich details, such as the fiacres that Cobb uses as transport and the clubs that provide much needed companionship and support for the Germans. Cobb sees the harrowing sight of the wrecked bodies of the war returned to the city, a sight that the French usually made sure arrived in Paris in the dark, the title of the novel which could additionally aptly apply to the motives and people behind the bombing campaign. This is a gripping read on the role of the Americans in WW1 in Paris. Many thanks to Oldcastle Books for an ARC.
October 30, 2018
Finding out a book is set in the First World War immediately conjures up thoughts for me of the trenches of the Western Front, not the cafes and sidewalks of Paris. Therefore, one of the many things I enjoyed about Paris in the Dark is its depiction of Paris as its citizens would have experienced it in the Autumn of 1915: the influx of refugees, the food shortages, the threat of Zeppelin attacks. In fact, the Parisians are ‘in the dark’. They’re being kept there deliberately by their government’s censorship of the press for fear of civil unrest or loss of morale if the citizens learn about the risk from saboteurs, not to mention the truth about the situation on the front line. As Kit’s spymaster boss, Trask, observes: “If the Germans can bring the battle to the restaurants and the theatres and the front doors of the Parisians, if they can turn women and children and boulevardiers into bomb fodder, they might make some progress in this war.”
The thriller element of the book is set against the backdrop of the political situation of the time with many unhappy about President Woodrow Wilson’s unwillingness to deploy United States forces to the front line. The implications of what Kit believes he has uncovered as his enquiries progress become more than just a simple investigation into acts of sabotage; they touch on national identity and geopolitics.
As events unfold, Kit’s professional and personal life also start to overlap and the risks he runs become no longer just a calculation that involve him alone. Kit prides himself on his journalistic ‘nose’ for telling if someone is truthful or trustworthy but it turns out he’s not infallible. If he was wrong once, perhaps he’s wrong now?
Throughout the book I loved the author’s spare writing style and his deft touch with description. ‘And I realized that the air had gone chill. Winter was reconnoitering Paris once again.’ In the breathlessly exhilarating penultimate chapter, in which Kit is forced to face his deepest, darkest fears, there’s a tour de force of a paragraph in which the author switches from his customary short sentences in a way that brilliantly conveys the dramatic events being described.
I also enjoyed the way the book explores the theme of performance. For example, the use of theatrical metaphors to convey the sense that individuals adopt many roles, Kit included. ‘For my country, to do my job, I have played roles with a number of people, deceived them, lied to them.’ At times, playing a role involves Kit adopting an actual disguise drawing on the experience of his childhood spent in theatres. Even when acting in his ‘official’ capacity as a journalist, Kit finds himself adopting a persona, expressing opinions and asking questions in such a way as to get the answer he needs, or that will make good copy. The theme is deployed humorously as well, such as when Kit is drawn into conversation about his his actress mother. ‘Mama had taken over the stage, as she was wont to do. Though, to be fair, it was I who’d spoken her entry line.’
Paris in the Dark is the first book I’ve read by Robert Olen Butler. I thought it was absolutely brilliant. It ticked all the boxes for me of what I look for in a historical fiction novel: gripping plot, skilful writing, intriguing characters and a fascinating period setting. At only 252 pages, its size definitely puts it in the ‘read in one sitting’ category but, frankly, even at twice the size I think I’d have struggled to put it down. It’s certainly a contender for one of my favourite reads this month, if not this year. In Robert Olen Butler’s bio below it states that he’s published seventeen novels. Guess what? My wish-list just increased by sixteen.
I received a review copy courtesy of publishers, No Exit Press, and Random Things Tours.
The thriller element of the book is set against the backdrop of the political situation of the time with many unhappy about President Woodrow Wilson’s unwillingness to deploy United States forces to the front line. The implications of what Kit believes he has uncovered as his enquiries progress become more than just a simple investigation into acts of sabotage; they touch on national identity and geopolitics.
As events unfold, Kit’s professional and personal life also start to overlap and the risks he runs become no longer just a calculation that involve him alone. Kit prides himself on his journalistic ‘nose’ for telling if someone is truthful or trustworthy but it turns out he’s not infallible. If he was wrong once, perhaps he’s wrong now?
Throughout the book I loved the author’s spare writing style and his deft touch with description. ‘And I realized that the air had gone chill. Winter was reconnoitering Paris once again.’ In the breathlessly exhilarating penultimate chapter, in which Kit is forced to face his deepest, darkest fears, there’s a tour de force of a paragraph in which the author switches from his customary short sentences in a way that brilliantly conveys the dramatic events being described.
I also enjoyed the way the book explores the theme of performance. For example, the use of theatrical metaphors to convey the sense that individuals adopt many roles, Kit included. ‘For my country, to do my job, I have played roles with a number of people, deceived them, lied to them.’ At times, playing a role involves Kit adopting an actual disguise drawing on the experience of his childhood spent in theatres. Even when acting in his ‘official’ capacity as a journalist, Kit finds himself adopting a persona, expressing opinions and asking questions in such a way as to get the answer he needs, or that will make good copy. The theme is deployed humorously as well, such as when Kit is drawn into conversation about his his actress mother. ‘Mama had taken over the stage, as she was wont to do. Though, to be fair, it was I who’d spoken her entry line.’
Paris in the Dark is the first book I’ve read by Robert Olen Butler. I thought it was absolutely brilliant. It ticked all the boxes for me of what I look for in a historical fiction novel: gripping plot, skilful writing, intriguing characters and a fascinating period setting. At only 252 pages, its size definitely puts it in the ‘read in one sitting’ category but, frankly, even at twice the size I think I’d have struggled to put it down. It’s certainly a contender for one of my favourite reads this month, if not this year. In Robert Olen Butler’s bio below it states that he’s published seventeen novels. Guess what? My wish-list just increased by sixteen.
I received a review copy courtesy of publishers, No Exit Press, and Random Things Tours.
May 17, 2018
PARIS IN THE DARK
Written by Pulitzer Prize author Robert Olen Butler, Paris in the Dark is the most current book in the series featuring Christopher Marlow Cobb.
Foreign correspondent and U.S. Government undercover agent, Cobb finds himself in Paris during WWI. He is working on a story for his Chicago newspaper featuring ambulance drivers for Le Chapelle, the American war hospital in France. With the sudden rash of bombings in civilian areas, "Kit" Cobb is called upon to investigate German refugees who are suspected of committing these terrorist attacks.
A dry, psychology thriller with excellent writing, Paris in the Dark is very realistic for the time and place. It also makes you look at current events in an interesting manner. I only wish it would have been a little longer and a bit more developed as the even the secondary characters were fascinating.
I would like to thank Netgalley, Robert Olen Butler, and The Mysterious Press and Grove Atlantic for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Written by Pulitzer Prize author Robert Olen Butler, Paris in the Dark is the most current book in the series featuring Christopher Marlow Cobb.
Foreign correspondent and U.S. Government undercover agent, Cobb finds himself in Paris during WWI. He is working on a story for his Chicago newspaper featuring ambulance drivers for Le Chapelle, the American war hospital in France. With the sudden rash of bombings in civilian areas, "Kit" Cobb is called upon to investigate German refugees who are suspected of committing these terrorist attacks.
A dry, psychology thriller with excellent writing, Paris in the Dark is very realistic for the time and place. It also makes you look at current events in an interesting manner. I only wish it would have been a little longer and a bit more developed as the even the secondary characters were fascinating.
I would like to thank Netgalley, Robert Olen Butler, and The Mysterious Press and Grove Atlantic for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Want to read
July 16, 20192019 Hammett Award Nominees
William Boyle, The Lonely Witness (Pegasus Crime)
Lisa Unger, Under My Skin (Park Row)
Sam Wiebe, Cut You Down (Random House Canada)
Lou Berney, November Road (William Morrow)
Robert Olen Butler, Paris in the Dark (The Mysterious Press)
William Boyle, The Lonely Witness (Pegasus Crime)
Lisa Unger, Under My Skin (Park Row)
Sam Wiebe, Cut You Down (Random House Canada)
Lou Berney, November Road (William Morrow)
Robert Olen Butler, Paris in the Dark (The Mysterious Press)
October 25, 2018
It might be set more than century ago, in a foreign land filled with political puzzles and unfamiliar factions, but Paris In The Dark delivers a completely convincing story, grounded in a solidly credible scenario.
There aren’t so many characters that your head spins trying to recall them all, and the narrative itself is pretty straightforward. Yet that seeming simplicity masks multiple layers of subtle sophistication, of meticulous research delivered almost offhand.
Few spy stories are as persuasive, powerful and flat-out pleasurable as this one. It’s authentic and absorbing, crafted by a wordsmith so skilled that he delivers complete characters in a single sentence; reveals truth and it consequences in dialogue left unsaid. This is accomplished writing which doesn’t stoop to pulp stunts – it simply drags you into the reality of the story with its confident quality.
Kit Cobb is far more complex than the average spook, too; cognisant of both sides of the story, able to see beyond social standing, class, creed and nationality. There are moments when you feel that there’s no firm boundary between his Germanic undercover identity, his cover story and the ‘real’ man. And this story revolves around how he can resolve a slew of conflicting interests.
It’s a tightly defined story, but within its coiled confines the narrative illuminates the nuances of the European conflict – and the boiling pot of American society which will come to define the following century. Paris In The Dark is also a ripping yarn, a beat-the-clock gumshoe mystery which Kit must solve to prevent carnage, political disaster, and great harm to people he’s come to care for.
This would be a first-class thriller were it set in the present day – the fact that Butler brings WW1 so vividly to life makes it all the more remarkable. Definitely recommended for fans of Alan Furst. This works perfectly well as a stand-alone if you are new to the Kit Cobb novels.
9/10
There are more reviews of similar books over at http://www.murdermayhemandmore.net
There aren’t so many characters that your head spins trying to recall them all, and the narrative itself is pretty straightforward. Yet that seeming simplicity masks multiple layers of subtle sophistication, of meticulous research delivered almost offhand.
Few spy stories are as persuasive, powerful and flat-out pleasurable as this one. It’s authentic and absorbing, crafted by a wordsmith so skilled that he delivers complete characters in a single sentence; reveals truth and it consequences in dialogue left unsaid. This is accomplished writing which doesn’t stoop to pulp stunts – it simply drags you into the reality of the story with its confident quality.
Kit Cobb is far more complex than the average spook, too; cognisant of both sides of the story, able to see beyond social standing, class, creed and nationality. There are moments when you feel that there’s no firm boundary between his Germanic undercover identity, his cover story and the ‘real’ man. And this story revolves around how he can resolve a slew of conflicting interests.
It’s a tightly defined story, but within its coiled confines the narrative illuminates the nuances of the European conflict – and the boiling pot of American society which will come to define the following century. Paris In The Dark is also a ripping yarn, a beat-the-clock gumshoe mystery which Kit must solve to prevent carnage, political disaster, and great harm to people he’s come to care for.
This would be a first-class thriller were it set in the present day – the fact that Butler brings WW1 so vividly to life makes it all the more remarkable. Definitely recommended for fans of Alan Furst. This works perfectly well as a stand-alone if you are new to the Kit Cobb novels.
9/10
There are more reviews of similar books over at http://www.murdermayhemandmore.net
October 9, 2018
I respect an author who has won a Pulitzer Prize, but I tend not to like first person narratives. Especially where the narrator is self-absorbed and spends a lot of time telling us about how clever he is. In a very banal way. With lots of short sentences. Many of which are also paragraphs. So I wasn't much impressed by this book. As for the story: PITD is billed as a thriller, but it's not, not really. The opening situation is clever and has a nice twist, but there is no suspense in the main plot; the bad guy is known virtually from the start, and his connection with the narrator depends on a coincidental meeting so random as to be incredible. Also, as is true of other weak books of this genre, a great deal of words are wasted on detailed descriptions of city (Paris, in this case) roads and landmarks; they don't advance the plot, but they do fill out the page count. The romance is mediocre, and the sex is pristine. The book isn't awful, but you've probably got better things to do.
July 14, 2020
Set in Paris, during World War One, this is a thoroughly enjoyable spy story.
The background of Paris during war time is described well, including the intrigues about German nationals living in the city, as well as why Americans were fighting/supporting the war effort before America actually entered into the fighting.
The actual storyline is relatively simple, but is well told at a good pace.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story.
The background of Paris during war time is described well, including the intrigues about German nationals living in the city, as well as why Americans were fighting/supporting the war effort before America actually entered into the fighting.
The actual storyline is relatively simple, but is well told at a good pace.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story.
September 16, 2018
GNab Robert Olen Butler brings us a riveting peek into Paris in the autumn of 1915. Kit Cobb is an American of German extraction, learning German and French from his actress mother as a child. Kit is a war correspondent for several US publications as World War I slowly grinds through Europe - when he isn't working as an undercover spy. We see Paris and the French through his eyes, and America through theirs.
Paris in the Dark is peopled with a good mix of personalities and an intriguing story line. The historical facts are true to history and Paris is defined beautifully. It is a historical novel I feel comfortable recommending to family and friends, and encourage them to read it even if historical fiction isn't a first choice. Paris in the Dark is the fourth in a series featuring Christopher Marlowe Cobb, but is completely stand alone.
I received a free electronic copy of this historical novel from Netgalley, Robert Olen Butler, and Mysterious Press, Grove Atlantic in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.
pub date Sept 14, 2018
Mysterious Press
Paris in the Dark is peopled with a good mix of personalities and an intriguing story line. The historical facts are true to history and Paris is defined beautifully. It is a historical novel I feel comfortable recommending to family and friends, and encourage them to read it even if historical fiction isn't a first choice. Paris in the Dark is the fourth in a series featuring Christopher Marlowe Cobb, but is completely stand alone.
I received a free electronic copy of this historical novel from Netgalley, Robert Olen Butler, and Mysterious Press, Grove Atlantic in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.
pub date Sept 14, 2018
Mysterious Press
November 20, 2018
My Rating 3.5*
Welcome to the City of Lights
Adventure awaits
Drawing on his own experience as a war veteran and news reporter, Pulitzer Prize Winner, Robert Olen Butler has created a thriller described as a ‘page-turner with an unmistakable literary quality’ A historical crime thriller set during the First World War, Paris in the Dark is also a novel encompassing both political and cultural issues, with Robert Olen Butler stating that it ‘digs deeper than ever into the WW1-era issues that resonate most clearly a century later’
Paris in the Dark is the fourth Kit Cobb novel by Robert Olen Butler. I have not read his writings before so the usual trepidation set in, as always does, when you jump headlong into a series that is well established. But I needn’t have worried in the slightest. Robert Olen Butler writes in such a fashion that I didn’t feel I had missed out by not having any previous knowledge of Kit Cobb.
Set during the First World War, Paris in the Dark portrays the impact of the horrors of war on French society. For some American citizens, the initial lack of commitment by their own government, spurred them on to personally contribute in any way they could. For many this was as medical aides on the Front, as ambulance drivers and as nurses and doctors in the trauma wards of the Parisian hospitals.
Kit Cobb, or to call him by his full name, Christopher Marlowe Cobb, is a Chicago reporter who also doubles as an undercover agent for the US Government. Paris 1915 and Kit is researching for a piece about American ambulance drivers. He is intent on befriending a few of them with a plan to get nearer the Front and see for himself the valiant work these volunteers are doing. In his efforts to find out more, he becomes acquainted with an American nurse, Louise. Initially Louise is very distant with Kit but over a short period of time their relationship develops into something more. Kit and Louise become inseparable, only too aware of the transience of their lives during this time of war. There is something very fragile about their bond and Robert Olen Butler captures this beautifully in the simplicity of his descriptions.
While Kit is working in his civilian role, he is witness to a bombing in a local café, a rare occurrence during this period of war. Up to now any bombings have been airborne during a raid. This seems to have been a very targeted incident and raises a few concerns among those in the higher echelons of political circles. It’s not long before Kit is approached by his handler and he resumes his role as an undercover agent in an attempt to infiltrate this new underground cell.
Humphrey Bogart……….
There really is no other actor I can think of who could play the part of Kit Cobb. I’m sure it’s no coincidence that he is Christopher Marlowe Cobb, perhaps a salute to Philip Marlowe!!
Kit Cobb is so well characterised by the way he thinks, speaks, acts. It is so easy to visualise him in your mind; his facial expressions, his clothes, his accent…I can just see him.
As Parisiennes fear this new enemy on their doorstep, Kit begins his search for the root of these evil acts of terrorism, now termed ‘death by dynamite’. As the title of the book suggests, Kit searches down dark allies and behind closed doors in a Paris that is under curfew, a Paris that is afraid, a Paris that is in the dark. Kit is faced with the possibility of an anarchic group, identity unknown, affiliation unknown but with one agenda, to cause death and destruction on the streets of Paris.
The narrative of this book has that very classic noir feel, with Kit Cobb’s thoughts framed in that very sharp fashion, reminiscent of another era from the old Hollywood movies, leaving the reader with that satisfied feeling of having read something very authentic indeed.
Paris in the Dark is a historical thriller but it also a snapshot of a monotone Paris, a city during a time of war, when life must have felt very lacking in colour for many. There is quite an old-fashioned feel from this book which I think will appeal to the more mature reader or those who like a solid spy story. Kit Cobb is the hero and Paris in the Dark doesn’t shy away from portraying him as such. It’s traditional, it’s entertaining and it’s extremely atmospheric….overall an engaging read.
Welcome to the City of Lights
Adventure awaits
Drawing on his own experience as a war veteran and news reporter, Pulitzer Prize Winner, Robert Olen Butler has created a thriller described as a ‘page-turner with an unmistakable literary quality’ A historical crime thriller set during the First World War, Paris in the Dark is also a novel encompassing both political and cultural issues, with Robert Olen Butler stating that it ‘digs deeper than ever into the WW1-era issues that resonate most clearly a century later’
Paris in the Dark is the fourth Kit Cobb novel by Robert Olen Butler. I have not read his writings before so the usual trepidation set in, as always does, when you jump headlong into a series that is well established. But I needn’t have worried in the slightest. Robert Olen Butler writes in such a fashion that I didn’t feel I had missed out by not having any previous knowledge of Kit Cobb.
Set during the First World War, Paris in the Dark portrays the impact of the horrors of war on French society. For some American citizens, the initial lack of commitment by their own government, spurred them on to personally contribute in any way they could. For many this was as medical aides on the Front, as ambulance drivers and as nurses and doctors in the trauma wards of the Parisian hospitals.
Kit Cobb, or to call him by his full name, Christopher Marlowe Cobb, is a Chicago reporter who also doubles as an undercover agent for the US Government. Paris 1915 and Kit is researching for a piece about American ambulance drivers. He is intent on befriending a few of them with a plan to get nearer the Front and see for himself the valiant work these volunteers are doing. In his efforts to find out more, he becomes acquainted with an American nurse, Louise. Initially Louise is very distant with Kit but over a short period of time their relationship develops into something more. Kit and Louise become inseparable, only too aware of the transience of their lives during this time of war. There is something very fragile about their bond and Robert Olen Butler captures this beautifully in the simplicity of his descriptions.
While Kit is working in his civilian role, he is witness to a bombing in a local café, a rare occurrence during this period of war. Up to now any bombings have been airborne during a raid. This seems to have been a very targeted incident and raises a few concerns among those in the higher echelons of political circles. It’s not long before Kit is approached by his handler and he resumes his role as an undercover agent in an attempt to infiltrate this new underground cell.
Humphrey Bogart……….
There really is no other actor I can think of who could play the part of Kit Cobb. I’m sure it’s no coincidence that he is Christopher Marlowe Cobb, perhaps a salute to Philip Marlowe!!
Kit Cobb is so well characterised by the way he thinks, speaks, acts. It is so easy to visualise him in your mind; his facial expressions, his clothes, his accent…I can just see him.
As Parisiennes fear this new enemy on their doorstep, Kit begins his search for the root of these evil acts of terrorism, now termed ‘death by dynamite’. As the title of the book suggests, Kit searches down dark allies and behind closed doors in a Paris that is under curfew, a Paris that is afraid, a Paris that is in the dark. Kit is faced with the possibility of an anarchic group, identity unknown, affiliation unknown but with one agenda, to cause death and destruction on the streets of Paris.
The narrative of this book has that very classic noir feel, with Kit Cobb’s thoughts framed in that very sharp fashion, reminiscent of another era from the old Hollywood movies, leaving the reader with that satisfied feeling of having read something very authentic indeed.
Paris in the Dark is a historical thriller but it also a snapshot of a monotone Paris, a city during a time of war, when life must have felt very lacking in colour for many. There is quite an old-fashioned feel from this book which I think will appeal to the more mature reader or those who like a solid spy story. Kit Cobb is the hero and Paris in the Dark doesn’t shy away from portraying him as such. It’s traditional, it’s entertaining and it’s extremely atmospheric….overall an engaging read.
April 6, 2025
As can be told from the title, Kit Cobb is in Paris. He is tired from his last escapade and his plan is to do as much of nothing as he can manage. His plans are soon changed, however. Someone - Germans? - have started blowing up things right there in Paris. Just small jobs - dynamite probably - but, still, it must be stopped. We soon find him following a lead, but it is early in the novel. Can anything go wrong?
I'm so sorry this appears to be the last of this very good series set during WWI. The series starts in Mexico, then we go with Kit to Istanbul and Germany before ending up here in Paris. Butler's writing style is good and his ability to have us feel the setting is very satisfying. Thrillers are not about characterization, but it's easy to get to know Kit Cobb. What I want from these are page turners and that's what I get. 4-stars and I'm off to look at titles I haven't already read or acquired.
I'm so sorry this appears to be the last of this very good series set during WWI. The series starts in Mexico, then we go with Kit to Istanbul and Germany before ending up here in Paris. Butler's writing style is good and his ability to have us feel the setting is very satisfying. Thrillers are not about characterization, but it's easy to get to know Kit Cobb. What I want from these are page turners and that's what I get. 4-stars and I'm off to look at titles I haven't already read or acquired.
June 19, 2018
Christopher Marlowe Cobb (Kit) returns in Robert Olen Butler’s latest WWI novel. As a reporter, Kit is in Paris to write about the American volunteer ambulance drivers. This occupation also allows him to carry out assignments for American intelligence. As the German army advances into France, the French Secret Service believes that a saboteur has entered the city, hiding among the German refugees. There has been a series of bombings that they fear will erode the morale of the people and Kit is asked to use his language skills and ability to blend in to find him. As Kit tracks their suspect, he discovers that the answers may lie elsewhere.
While working on his assignment for the French, he still has an obligation to his publisher and takes the time to meet with the young men who have come to Paris prior to America’s involvement in the war to offer their services. Introduced by Nurse Pickering to these young men, he finds a diverse group that includes a Harvard man from Boston and a farmer from Illinois.
From the cafes of Paris to the forward aid stations, Butler provides an atmospheric read, building the tension to the final chase through the sewers of Paris. This is historical fiction at its’ finest. I would like to thank Grove Atlantic Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to enjoy this book and give my honest opinion.
While working on his assignment for the French, he still has an obligation to his publisher and takes the time to meet with the young men who have come to Paris prior to America’s involvement in the war to offer their services. Introduced by Nurse Pickering to these young men, he finds a diverse group that includes a Harvard man from Boston and a farmer from Illinois.
From the cafes of Paris to the forward aid stations, Butler provides an atmospheric read, building the tension to the final chase through the sewers of Paris. This is historical fiction at its’ finest. I would like to thank Grove Atlantic Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to enjoy this book and give my honest opinion.
September 15, 2018
Paris in the Dark (Christopher Marlowe Cobb Thriller #4)
Robert Olen Butler (Goodreads Author)
'Kit' Cobb is officially in 1917 Paris as a newspaper reporter covering the American ambulance drivers. Unofficially he is helping US undercover efforts, before the US joins the war. His immediate interest is stopping the dynamite attacks to central Paris.
Kit has a potential source, someone in the German community in central Paris. This leads Kit to a solitary individual with a scar on his forehead. Is he the bomber? Kit spends a lot of effort trying to find out. Is the author just trying to show us how complicated a situation can be? So it seems.
At the same time, Kit is riding along with a volunteer ambulance driver. Superficially, there isn't much story here, except, of course, people dying and ambulances drivers trying to save lives. Will this be another big yawn? No indeed.
Kit excels at everything he touches: reading the situation, analysis, fighting skills, wooing the ladies, languages, espionage, and more. Too much so. After all, supposedly, he is human, not superman. Still, this is a fast, enjoyable read, even if it is a little superficial.
Robert Olen Butler (Goodreads Author)
'Kit' Cobb is officially in 1917 Paris as a newspaper reporter covering the American ambulance drivers. Unofficially he is helping US undercover efforts, before the US joins the war. His immediate interest is stopping the dynamite attacks to central Paris.
Kit has a potential source, someone in the German community in central Paris. This leads Kit to a solitary individual with a scar on his forehead. Is he the bomber? Kit spends a lot of effort trying to find out. Is the author just trying to show us how complicated a situation can be? So it seems.
At the same time, Kit is riding along with a volunteer ambulance driver. Superficially, there isn't much story here, except, of course, people dying and ambulances drivers trying to save lives. Will this be another big yawn? No indeed.
Kit excels at everything he touches: reading the situation, analysis, fighting skills, wooing the ladies, languages, espionage, and more. Too much so. After all, supposedly, he is human, not superman. Still, this is a fast, enjoyable read, even if it is a little superficial.
October 27, 2020
I just realized this book says it is the fourth of a series. Hmm. I am surprised as this reads like a book partially developed with regard to the building of the main character. For me, this book does not hold together. It had elements I like including the time/place (1915 Paris), the legend of this inept "spy" including his pose as reporter for Chicago newspaper, but his assignments crash and burn quite literally and he seems more interested in bedding a woman. I guess it is a better wartime romance book vs. espionage? Not for me.
Library Loan
Library Loan
October 9, 2018
A WW1 thriller set in Paris
Paris in the Dark is an excellent book – as much for the light it shines on WW1 Paris, as for the story line of the mystery Robert writes about. It is 1915 and America has not joined the war because Woodrow Wilson, the President, does not want it to. But that did not stop many a young and idealistic American crossing the Atlantic to see what he or she could do to assist the Allies. They worked in military hospitals as nurses and doctors, and as ambulance drivers ferrying the wounded from the battlefields to Paris. They made a very significant contribution to the war effort. Incidentally, all motorised vehicles were needed for the war effort – so people made their way round Paris in horse drawn taxis (fiacres). The things you learn from TripFiction!
The hero of our story is Christopher Marlowe ‘Kit’ Cobb. Kit is both a reporter for a Chicago newspaper and an undercover American agent. He is ostensibly in Paris to write a story on the ambulance drivers, but is briefed by his intelligence handler on something far more concerning. Bombs are being hand delivered, and exploding, in several parts of Paris. The news is kept under wraps so as not to scare the inhabitants. Suspicion obviously centre on German infiltrators who may have come to the city disguised as refugees from the front. Kit is asked to find out what he can. He gains the confidence of the German exile population in Paris (he is, in fact an American of German origin – and speaks the language). And his ‘day job’ progresses. He is granted permission to travel to the front with the ambulance drivers – oh, and falls in love with Louise, one of the senior nurses. His feelings are reciprocated. So, there are three strands all cleverly interwoven. His work as a reporter covering the ambulance drivers, his infiltration of the German exile population in Paris, and his affair with Louise. You will not be surprised to hear that all three strands come together as the book moves to a thrilling climax…
A conference between the British and French military leaders is arranged in a swish Paris hotel. Kit knows the conference is a target for the bomber, but how will he find the perpetrator in time, and how will he prevent carnage?
Paris in the Dark is well written, with a flowing and easy style. It is cleverly constructed to be of the era it portrays.
Paris in the Dark is an excellent book – as much for the light it shines on WW1 Paris, as for the story line of the mystery Robert writes about. It is 1915 and America has not joined the war because Woodrow Wilson, the President, does not want it to. But that did not stop many a young and idealistic American crossing the Atlantic to see what he or she could do to assist the Allies. They worked in military hospitals as nurses and doctors, and as ambulance drivers ferrying the wounded from the battlefields to Paris. They made a very significant contribution to the war effort. Incidentally, all motorised vehicles were needed for the war effort – so people made their way round Paris in horse drawn taxis (fiacres). The things you learn from TripFiction!
The hero of our story is Christopher Marlowe ‘Kit’ Cobb. Kit is both a reporter for a Chicago newspaper and an undercover American agent. He is ostensibly in Paris to write a story on the ambulance drivers, but is briefed by his intelligence handler on something far more concerning. Bombs are being hand delivered, and exploding, in several parts of Paris. The news is kept under wraps so as not to scare the inhabitants. Suspicion obviously centre on German infiltrators who may have come to the city disguised as refugees from the front. Kit is asked to find out what he can. He gains the confidence of the German exile population in Paris (he is, in fact an American of German origin – and speaks the language). And his ‘day job’ progresses. He is granted permission to travel to the front with the ambulance drivers – oh, and falls in love with Louise, one of the senior nurses. His feelings are reciprocated. So, there are three strands all cleverly interwoven. His work as a reporter covering the ambulance drivers, his infiltration of the German exile population in Paris, and his affair with Louise. You will not be surprised to hear that all three strands come together as the book moves to a thrilling climax…
A conference between the British and French military leaders is arranged in a swish Paris hotel. Kit knows the conference is a target for the bomber, but how will he find the perpetrator in time, and how will he prevent carnage?
Paris in the Dark is well written, with a flowing and easy style. It is cleverly constructed to be of the era it portrays.
August 2, 2023
ekki fyrir mig EN ágætis bók
August 24, 2018
I just wish the characters, besides Kit, were more developed.
Quick read, but not that thrilling.
Thanks NetGalley for the free book.
Quick read, but not that thrilling.
Thanks NetGalley for the free book.
November 16, 2018
This book is a little out of my comfort zone. The early 20th century world wars are not exactly my bag. My husband has tried to convert me or at least trigger a small amount of interest in me but he’s failed miserably. But there is something about the blurb that piqued my interest. It may be the setting of the beautiful city of Paris – I have many happy memories of the French capital.
It took me a few chapters to get into this atmospheric read but I probably didn’t help myself with my slight adversity to the setting and the fact I’ve been feeling rather under the weather. But once I got into the story, I became fully invested in Kit Cobb’s mission to help protect the people of Paris as someone plots to blow up parts of this romantic city.
It’s not just about our spy and his mission, there’s a bit of romance and an insight as to what it was like in the war for those looking after the injured. I don’t know how factually accurate this insight is but it feels pretty real to me!
I really could imagine it being adapted for the small screen as a series drama. I pictured someone like Patrick J Adams as our hero.
I had to concentrate on this read. It’s not the sort of book I could skim read or pick up and put down. I had to invest time in this read to absorb everything going on. This atmospheric read firmly placed me in a very different Paris to the one I’ve visited and I felt I needed to experience this without rushing.
Despite this not being my normal kind of read, I did enjoy the goings-on in wartime Paris and I wanted Kit to succeed in his mission. I would definitely pick another book featuring Kit Cobb as the man with a double identity. Paris In The Dark has nudged open a door for me that I didn’t expect to and I’d put my toe in to stop my narrow mindedness shutting it on me straight away.
It took me a few chapters to get into this atmospheric read but I probably didn’t help myself with my slight adversity to the setting and the fact I’ve been feeling rather under the weather. But once I got into the story, I became fully invested in Kit Cobb’s mission to help protect the people of Paris as someone plots to blow up parts of this romantic city.
It’s not just about our spy and his mission, there’s a bit of romance and an insight as to what it was like in the war for those looking after the injured. I don’t know how factually accurate this insight is but it feels pretty real to me!
I really could imagine it being adapted for the small screen as a series drama. I pictured someone like Patrick J Adams as our hero.
I had to concentrate on this read. It’s not the sort of book I could skim read or pick up and put down. I had to invest time in this read to absorb everything going on. This atmospheric read firmly placed me in a very different Paris to the one I’ve visited and I felt I needed to experience this without rushing.
Despite this not being my normal kind of read, I did enjoy the goings-on in wartime Paris and I wanted Kit to succeed in his mission. I would definitely pick another book featuring Kit Cobb as the man with a double identity. Paris In The Dark has nudged open a door for me that I didn’t expect to and I’d put my toe in to stop my narrow mindedness shutting it on me straight away.
October 10, 2018
1915 Paris is under threat and not just from the Germans.
I thoroughly enjoyed Paris in the Dark, not least because it’s not my usual genre and it was so refreshing to read a spy thriller. More importantly, however, is the overall quality of Robert Olen Butler’s writing. I found that not only did I enjoy the story but I so admired the craftsmanship. Robert Olen Butler knows exactly how much information to reveal to the reader so that they are engaged and intrigued. He also has the perfect balance of sentence structure, realising that less is more at just the right moment. I loved this style.
I thought the title Paris in the Dark was inspired because much of the action takes place at night but Paris is both literally and metaphorically in the dark as Kit Cobb tries to work out who is behind a series of bombings. Careful attention to detail gives an almost cinematic picture of Paris in 1915 so that I could easily imagine the scenes and appreciated the authenticity of the writing.
There’s a fast paced and exciting plot that is enhanced and complemented by the developing relationships between Kit and those around him. For me, the greatest enjoyment came from the insight into Kit as a man as there’s a deep psychological aspect to the book too. Kit, and therefore, the reader, explores the concept of identity throughout. Kit is a reporter, a friend, a lover, a spy, an assassin and above all else a man not entirely at ease with any of his roles so that the reader is fascinated by his actions and responses. Reading Paris in the Dark has made me hungry to know more about Kit Cobb.
Paris in the Dark is a corker of a read, being atmospheric and exciting. It’s my first introduction to Robert Olen Butler’s writing but the sheer quality means I shall be reading more very soon. I thought this was such an effective and interesting read.
I thoroughly enjoyed Paris in the Dark, not least because it’s not my usual genre and it was so refreshing to read a spy thriller. More importantly, however, is the overall quality of Robert Olen Butler’s writing. I found that not only did I enjoy the story but I so admired the craftsmanship. Robert Olen Butler knows exactly how much information to reveal to the reader so that they are engaged and intrigued. He also has the perfect balance of sentence structure, realising that less is more at just the right moment. I loved this style.
I thought the title Paris in the Dark was inspired because much of the action takes place at night but Paris is both literally and metaphorically in the dark as Kit Cobb tries to work out who is behind a series of bombings. Careful attention to detail gives an almost cinematic picture of Paris in 1915 so that I could easily imagine the scenes and appreciated the authenticity of the writing.
There’s a fast paced and exciting plot that is enhanced and complemented by the developing relationships between Kit and those around him. For me, the greatest enjoyment came from the insight into Kit as a man as there’s a deep psychological aspect to the book too. Kit, and therefore, the reader, explores the concept of identity throughout. Kit is a reporter, a friend, a lover, a spy, an assassin and above all else a man not entirely at ease with any of his roles so that the reader is fascinated by his actions and responses. Reading Paris in the Dark has made me hungry to know more about Kit Cobb.
Paris in the Dark is a corker of a read, being atmospheric and exciting. It’s my first introduction to Robert Olen Butler’s writing but the sheer quality means I shall be reading more very soon. I thought this was such an effective and interesting read.
February 27, 2019
I liked the story AND the characters
February 23, 2019
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
But sometimes I found myself wishing for more. More description. More dialogue. More character development.
I enjoyed the book, but felt it read too quickly. Things happened so fast, I sometimes wondered if it all happened in just a couple days.
There were characters that we had just met & then they were dead. Other characters were there through most of the story, but we never really got to know them.
Olen Butler is considered a master, so I will read more of his books, especially the Kit Cobb stories. I just hope they don't read as fast as this one.
Sherrie Miranda's historically based, coming of age, Adventure novel “Secrets & Lies in El Salvador” is about an American girl in war-torn El Salvador:
http://tinyurl.com/klxbt4y
Her husband made a video for her novel. He wrote the song too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P11Ch...
February 23, 2019
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
But sometimes I found myself wishing for more. More description. More dialogue. More character development.
I enjoyed the book, but felt it read too quickly. Things happened so fast, I sometimes wondered if it all happened in just a couple days.
There were characters that we had just met & then they were dead. Other characters were there through most of the story, but we never really got to know them.
Olen Butler is considered a master, so I will read more of his books, especially the Kit Cobb stories. I just hope they don't read as fast as this one.
Sherrie Miranda's historically based, coming of age, Adventure novel “Secrets & Lies in El Salvador” is about an American girl in war-torn El Salvador:
http://tinyurl.com/klxbt4y
Her husband made a video for her novel. He wrote the song too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P11Ch...
April 14, 2019
Kit Cobb is a foreign reporter from Chicago, now in Paris in 1915 to write an article about American volunteer ambulance drivers in World War 1. But he is soon to be tasked with a far more dangerous and challenging mission in his role as an undercover agent for the US government. What ensues is a well-crafted and well-paced espionage thriller, which I enjoyed on the whole, in spite of the well-worn tropes of this type of novel. The characters, even Cobb himself, remain somewhat underdeveloped, but the historical detail is accurate and the plot itself reasonably interesting. One of a series of novels about Kit Cobb, but working well as a stand-alone, it’s an adequate and competent thriller, but not one which tempts me to read more about our hero.
February 27, 2024
There's a lot to like about Robert Olen Butler's Christopher Marlowe Cobb thriller series. Butler is a deft and elegant writer, and this particular installment of the series reads as highly cinematic in just the right way, without being either heavy handed or overly dramatic.
Set during the first year of WWI when the US was still neutral, Cobb is an American journalist, in France for a Chicago newspaper, on assignment to write about American ambulance drivers and medical personnel who have volunteered to aid the French cause. Cobb also, albeit periodically and clandestinely, takes on espionage projects for the US government. Just as he begins reporting his story, he's tapped by his US contact to help find the recent source of terror bombings that have been set off in various Parisian locations.
Though of course war is never simple, the lower tech nature of life in 1915 means there's no over-the-top, whiz-bang pyrotechnics to overwhelm the plot of Paris in the Dark, just straightforward menace, smart heroism, and a nice little love interest thrown in just for fun.
Set during the first year of WWI when the US was still neutral, Cobb is an American journalist, in France for a Chicago newspaper, on assignment to write about American ambulance drivers and medical personnel who have volunteered to aid the French cause. Cobb also, albeit periodically and clandestinely, takes on espionage projects for the US government. Just as he begins reporting his story, he's tapped by his US contact to help find the recent source of terror bombings that have been set off in various Parisian locations.
Though of course war is never simple, the lower tech nature of life in 1915 means there's no over-the-top, whiz-bang pyrotechnics to overwhelm the plot of Paris in the Dark, just straightforward menace, smart heroism, and a nice little love interest thrown in just for fun.
September 23, 2018
Beautiful.
June 12, 2018
By page 14 when the hero decides he likes Head Nurse Pickering, I decided that I liked her, too. But, perhaps more importantly, I liked Kit Carson, reporter. As the story unfolded and other characters emerged, Kit's double identity--everyday reporter and American spy ---became fascinating. The streets of Paris and its clubs, the aura of war and the terrible toll it was taking on combatants as well as those who cared for them, were all interesting and written in a way to keep the reader involved. Until the revelation of the true villain, that is. Once that was evident, for some reason, I found the story less intriguing and began to become bored. There seemed to be too much political ideology and a preachy tone emerged and I almost gave up.
Still, I wanted to know how this was all going to end and so I continued on through this murky slow paced section and emerged into a methodical procedure for trapping the culprit before more damage could be done. This is not a James Bond heart pounding gadget wielding tale. It is pavement pounding rush to preserve the reputations of France and the US and an effort to solve an embarrassing crime so that the hope the US will join Europe in defeating Germany in the Great War will come to fruition. It is not until the very end, when our hero finds himself in the Catacombs, claustrophobic and racing against the clock, that there is a bit of heart racing and fingers crossed tension until the almost last page. That one is reserved for a bit of personal tension relief for our hero and that nurse that he found he liked at the very beginning. I'm glad I persevered along with Kit and his bosses and allies.
Still, I wanted to know how this was all going to end and so I continued on through this murky slow paced section and emerged into a methodical procedure for trapping the culprit before more damage could be done. This is not a James Bond heart pounding gadget wielding tale. It is pavement pounding rush to preserve the reputations of France and the US and an effort to solve an embarrassing crime so that the hope the US will join Europe in defeating Germany in the Great War will come to fruition. It is not until the very end, when our hero finds himself in the Catacombs, claustrophobic and racing against the clock, that there is a bit of heart racing and fingers crossed tension until the almost last page. That one is reserved for a bit of personal tension relief for our hero and that nurse that he found he liked at the very beginning. I'm glad I persevered along with Kit and his bosses and allies.
July 29, 2018
Thanks to Netgalley and The Mysterious Press for providing me with an advance reading copy of the eBook. The views expressed are my own.
This is a "cat-and-mouse " thriller about the hunt for a bomber on the loose in Paris during the Great War. War correspondent Kit Marlowe is in Paris in November, 1916 to report for U.S. newspapers about American volunteers driving ambulances taking the wounded from the frontlines to hospitals in Paris. At the time, America was not fighting in the Great War and the U.S. public sentiment was mixed about joining the war effort; Marlowe is clearly in favour of America joining the Allies and expresses disdain for "Professor Wilson" and his perceived pacifist ways.
One night he is close-by an explosion at a train station which kills and maims many people. The bomber is suspected to be a German infiltrator and Marlowe is enlisted by an American spymaster to help the French authorities find (and kill) the bomber. In the course of this assignment, he is taken on a wild goose chase initiated by a false lead from a German immigrant; this chase is classic "spy-craft" where Marlowe needs to pose as a German supporter and follow the suspect without being detected. Ultimately, this proves to be a love-triangle unrelated to the bombings. It's a clever story-within-a-story.
Back to his journalism, he gets the needed permission from French censors to ride along with the ambulance drivers and report what he learns from it. Through his connections with a Paris hospital, he meets Louse Pickering, a volunteer nurse from Massachusetts, who introduces him to several of the ambulance drivers, one of which agrees to take him to the front. Once at the front, his volunteer American driver mysteriously disappears with the ambulance. Suspicions falls on the driver as Marlowe uncovers some disturbing family history background. This is the beginning of the real chase for the bomber, which ends in an exciting conclusion in the Catacombs under Paris.
This is the fourth in the Kit Marlowe series but can easily be read as a standalone. Previous ones are set in exotic locations, e..g. Mexico, Turkey, England, and so on. The stories are built around historical events like the 1914 Mexican Revolution and the Great War. Marlowe is an interesting character: the son of a famous actress who raised him without revealing to him the identity of his father. HIs childhood was spent around theatre people as he travelled with his mother. This gives him a diverse background and range of talents which the author uses to good effect. For example in this story his language capability in both French and German proves useful. There's plenty of local colour and atmosphere about Paris; the Hotel Lutetia, an impressive building, is the backdrop for the exciting conclusion.
Recommended: a well-constructed historical fiction thriller with an interesting and intelligent plot.
This is a "cat-and-mouse " thriller about the hunt for a bomber on the loose in Paris during the Great War. War correspondent Kit Marlowe is in Paris in November, 1916 to report for U.S. newspapers about American volunteers driving ambulances taking the wounded from the frontlines to hospitals in Paris. At the time, America was not fighting in the Great War and the U.S. public sentiment was mixed about joining the war effort; Marlowe is clearly in favour of America joining the Allies and expresses disdain for "Professor Wilson" and his perceived pacifist ways.
One night he is close-by an explosion at a train station which kills and maims many people. The bomber is suspected to be a German infiltrator and Marlowe is enlisted by an American spymaster to help the French authorities find (and kill) the bomber. In the course of this assignment, he is taken on a wild goose chase initiated by a false lead from a German immigrant; this chase is classic "spy-craft" where Marlowe needs to pose as a German supporter and follow the suspect without being detected. Ultimately, this proves to be a love-triangle unrelated to the bombings. It's a clever story-within-a-story.
Back to his journalism, he gets the needed permission from French censors to ride along with the ambulance drivers and report what he learns from it. Through his connections with a Paris hospital, he meets Louse Pickering, a volunteer nurse from Massachusetts, who introduces him to several of the ambulance drivers, one of which agrees to take him to the front. Once at the front, his volunteer American driver mysteriously disappears with the ambulance. Suspicions falls on the driver as Marlowe uncovers some disturbing family history background. This is the beginning of the real chase for the bomber, which ends in an exciting conclusion in the Catacombs under Paris.
This is the fourth in the Kit Marlowe series but can easily be read as a standalone. Previous ones are set in exotic locations, e..g. Mexico, Turkey, England, and so on. The stories are built around historical events like the 1914 Mexican Revolution and the Great War. Marlowe is an interesting character: the son of a famous actress who raised him without revealing to him the identity of his father. HIs childhood was spent around theatre people as he travelled with his mother. This gives him a diverse background and range of talents which the author uses to good effect. For example in this story his language capability in both French and German proves useful. There's plenty of local colour and atmosphere about Paris; the Hotel Lutetia, an impressive building, is the backdrop for the exciting conclusion.
Recommended: a well-constructed historical fiction thriller with an interesting and intelligent plot.
July 13, 2018
First a disclaimer -- Robert Olen Butler is one of my favorite writers. Of his books, the ones I enjoyed most are "Perfume River," "Had a Good Time," and "Severance." He is a smart and inventive author.
Now on to my thoughts about "Paris In the Dark." As you see from my "star" rating, this is an outstanding book. Well written and researched, as one would expect from a Pulitzer Prize winner, it is also an easy read -- perfect for a beach read or rainy day. Which is one thing I admire about Butler's writing -- he can move easily (seemingly) between genres. This World War 1 spy thriller proves that.
There are a plethora of historical details which reveal a great deal of research. Such stuff could be boring, but Butler weaves them seamlessly into the narrative. They inform and enhance the reading experience.
His characters are well drawn and likable -- even the villains of the piece. I kept wanting Kit to be wrong in his final analysis of who the terrorists were, even though they made perfect "baddies" -- complex motives instead of just painted as evil.
I don't want to give any thing else away about the plot lest I give anything away. Just let me say that regardless of whether you're a fan of Butler like I am or not, I believe you'll really enjoy this thriller. I know I did.
Now on to my thoughts about "Paris In the Dark." As you see from my "star" rating, this is an outstanding book. Well written and researched, as one would expect from a Pulitzer Prize winner, it is also an easy read -- perfect for a beach read or rainy day. Which is one thing I admire about Butler's writing -- he can move easily (seemingly) between genres. This World War 1 spy thriller proves that.
There are a plethora of historical details which reveal a great deal of research. Such stuff could be boring, but Butler weaves them seamlessly into the narrative. They inform and enhance the reading experience.
His characters are well drawn and likable -- even the villains of the piece. I kept wanting Kit to be wrong in his final analysis of who the terrorists were, even though they made perfect "baddies" -- complex motives instead of just painted as evil.
I don't want to give any thing else away about the plot lest I give anything away. Just let me say that regardless of whether you're a fan of Butler like I am or not, I believe you'll really enjoy this thriller. I know I did.
January 22, 2020
Three and a half stars
Elegantly written. Part mystery. Part spy novel. The thriller part is short and thrilling. The love story involves two deserving people. And it seems Paris can be very, very dark.
The hero is Kit Cobb. He's an American newspaperman and an American spy during World War I. His spy handler considers Kit's Chicago newspaper job a cover, but Kit is serious about writing a story on the experiences of the American volunteer ambulance drivers in France -- at a time when "Woody Wilson" won't bring the US into the war. As dynamite bombs explode throughout Paris, French censors don't let journalists write about the terrorism, or for that matter, any war casualties. His spy master asks for Kit's help in locating the bombers. That's the mystery. And we never do find out whether Kit writes his story on the ambulance drivers.
I figured out pieces of the mystery before Kit did. And that's a bit unforgivable. That's why I couldn't give the book a higher rating.
Elegantly written. Part mystery. Part spy novel. The thriller part is short and thrilling. The love story involves two deserving people. And it seems Paris can be very, very dark.
The hero is Kit Cobb. He's an American newspaperman and an American spy during World War I. His spy handler considers Kit's Chicago newspaper job a cover, but Kit is serious about writing a story on the experiences of the American volunteer ambulance drivers in France -- at a time when "Woody Wilson" won't bring the US into the war. As dynamite bombs explode throughout Paris, French censors don't let journalists write about the terrorism, or for that matter, any war casualties. His spy master asks for Kit's help in locating the bombers. That's the mystery. And we never do find out whether Kit writes his story on the ambulance drivers.
I figured out pieces of the mystery before Kit did. And that's a bit unforgivable. That's why I couldn't give the book a higher rating.
September 13, 2018
“Paris in the Dark” is a fast paced spy thriller set in the trenches and hospitals of France during the Great War. It explores the roles of Americans in the run-up to the US entering the war. Spies, nurses, ambulance drivers; patriots and anarchists all chase each other around Paris and its surroundings. Robert Olin Butler’s very human, and very fallible hero-spy is realistic about his limitations, both as a reporter, and as an interpreter of human nature. He knows a lot about the danger of making assumptions, and knows that he has a lot more to learn.
June 29, 2018
*I received this book from a Goodreads giveaway*
Perhaps I would have enjoyed this more if I had read other books in the series, though it is a fairly stand-alone story. It is a mystery set in WWI Paris, and the cast is replete with spies, turncoats and dames. It seems like a promising start, but I just didn't care about any of the characters.
Perhaps I would have enjoyed this more if I had read other books in the series, though it is a fairly stand-alone story. It is a mystery set in WWI Paris, and the cast is replete with spies, turncoats and dames. It seems like a promising start, but I just didn't care about any of the characters.
October 15, 2021
Spare, beautiful writing. A spy novel reminiscent of those by Alan Furst and Eric Ambler.
November 5, 2018
The title of this wartime espionage drama is aptly chosen although it is not just Paris in the dark with the theme of not knowing, whether through concealment or ignorance a thread that runs throughout the book. It is Autumn 1915 and though the First World War is slaughtering young men in their droves, the heavily censored news reports mean that the general population is being kept in the dark about what is really happening just forty miles from the cafes, bars and restaurants of Paris. Christoper Marlowe 'Kit' Cobb is a frustrated news reporter who has at least secured clearance to write a story on the American volunteers who drive ambulances to and from the Western Front. America is still officially neutral but Kit's cynical disdain for Woodrow Wilson means he is hopeful that his feature may secure him a visit to the Front in order to galvanise the American public into demanding the President finally decides to commit US troops to join the fighting.
He meets Supervising Nurse, Louise Pickering who applies lilac water each morning as a mask against the smells of wounds and death which will infiltrate her day, and then three young ambulance drivers; John Barrington Lacey, Cyrus Parsons and Jefferson Jones whose hesitations and silences are perhaps just as telling as the reasons they give for coming to France. Kit's other role as an undercover agent soon gives him more to investigate as a series of bombings in Paris suggest German refugees may have infiltrated the city to carry out a wave of terror attacks. The atmospheric setting of the novel weaves itself through the pages giving a Noirish cinematic feel to the story as Kit desperately pursues the bomber. As the book progresses, he discovers the perpetrator is motivated not by war but by ideologies which Kit realises he has some sympathies for. His determination doesn't falter but the case exerts a heavy toll on him.
The true horrors of the war are not written about in visceral detail here and yet the grim effect of the ceaseless butchery on those who witness it is abundantly clear. Kit's relationship with Louise is a poignant beacon of fragile hope among two people who have seen too much but his clandestine mission means that he must conceal his true identity from her. Forced to play his part in an investigation which becomes as much about politically motivated deflections as it is about saving lives, Kit is a complex and conflicted character whose hard-won experiences can't stop him becoming tormented by his inner voice doubting who the real Kit Cobb is. It's perhaps not surprising that he should question his identity as he is the son of an actress who spent his formative years backstage watching others disguise their true selves to play their on-stage personas and it's only as the novel reaches its tense conclusion when he finally realises what his role here really is.
Paris in the Dark is an evocatively written, intriguing tale which balances a nail-biting race against time to stop another bombing with a thoughtful exploration of the psychological effects of living a dual existence. This sophisticated and accomplished thriller is the first book I have read by Robert Olen Butler but now I've been introduced, I'm looking forward to reading more.
He meets Supervising Nurse, Louise Pickering who applies lilac water each morning as a mask against the smells of wounds and death which will infiltrate her day, and then three young ambulance drivers; John Barrington Lacey, Cyrus Parsons and Jefferson Jones whose hesitations and silences are perhaps just as telling as the reasons they give for coming to France. Kit's other role as an undercover agent soon gives him more to investigate as a series of bombings in Paris suggest German refugees may have infiltrated the city to carry out a wave of terror attacks. The atmospheric setting of the novel weaves itself through the pages giving a Noirish cinematic feel to the story as Kit desperately pursues the bomber. As the book progresses, he discovers the perpetrator is motivated not by war but by ideologies which Kit realises he has some sympathies for. His determination doesn't falter but the case exerts a heavy toll on him.
The true horrors of the war are not written about in visceral detail here and yet the grim effect of the ceaseless butchery on those who witness it is abundantly clear. Kit's relationship with Louise is a poignant beacon of fragile hope among two people who have seen too much but his clandestine mission means that he must conceal his true identity from her. Forced to play his part in an investigation which becomes as much about politically motivated deflections as it is about saving lives, Kit is a complex and conflicted character whose hard-won experiences can't stop him becoming tormented by his inner voice doubting who the real Kit Cobb is. It's perhaps not surprising that he should question his identity as he is the son of an actress who spent his formative years backstage watching others disguise their true selves to play their on-stage personas and it's only as the novel reaches its tense conclusion when he finally realises what his role here really is.
Paris in the Dark is an evocatively written, intriguing tale which balances a nail-biting race against time to stop another bombing with a thoughtful exploration of the psychological effects of living a dual existence. This sophisticated and accomplished thriller is the first book I have read by Robert Olen Butler but now I've been introduced, I'm looking forward to reading more.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews