Claude Izner

*Parisian Puzzle*
What a delightful romp through 19th century Paris! Murder on the Eiffel Tower is the first in a series that shows much promise for many enjoyable future reads. Although this is a debut in the USA, two other installments have already been published in France, waiting for translation. The setting is late 1800s Paris at the time of the Worlds' Exhibition which dazzles the local Parisians with it's many marvels and wonders from around the world. At the same time we have the show more unveiling of the famous Eiffel Tower, both events showcasing a variety of mysterious murders thought to be caused by bee stings. To unravel these cryptic and unusual deaths comes young Victor Legris, a local Antiquarian bookseller caught up in the melee and who soon suspects his own business partner may be the murderer. The novel offers great character development, good plots with twists and turns, great historical backdrop and plenty of action and intrique to keep the reader turning the pages. Not being able to put this wonderful book down, I found it a breath of fresh air and a pure delight to read. I eagerly await book two and three which I have already ordered UK copies of. I simply cant' wait another year or more for US translations to get here. Dont' miss this sparkling debut. It's fun, it's different and darn good simple old fashioned murder mystery. show less

Murder on the Eiffel Tower by Claude Izner (pseudonym for two sisters who are booksellers in Paris) was published about five years ago in France as the first book in a series. This fall, it was offered in translation as part of the Early Reviewers program.

Before writing this, I checked out some professional reviews as well as the LT ER reviews and those of readers at amazon.fr and amazon.co.uk. The professional reviews were more complimentary than those of the average reader at all three show more sites checked. Apparently I'm an average reader.

I have to wonder if the reason St. Martin's decided to bring this out in the US was to try to capitalize on the popularity of Erik Larsen's Devil in the White City, a non-fiction look at a serial murderer at the Chicago world's fair. The French and British reader reviews vary as widely as do the reviews here at LT, although the majority seem lukewarm toward it. And I doubt the translation is the reason for the "stilted language" referenced by some readers. One of the French reviews mentions an uneven quality to the writing.

I finished the book today. I didn't love it. However, it didn't disappoint me as greatly as another mystery featuring a bookseller which I read for my historical fiction book group. (_Ex-Libris_ by Ross King was much worse. I apologized profusely to my book group for that choice.)

Victor Legris is a secondhand bookseller in Paris, the setting for a world exposition and celebration of the completion of the Eiffel Tower. And the place where people are beginning to drop like flies -- er, like bee-sting victims. Legris becomes obsessed with a Russian artist and newspaper cartoonist, red-headed Tasha. He also becomes obsessed with finding out whether she or friend and mentor Kenji Mori could possibly be involved with the murders.

Many first in series mysteries suffer from too much backstory. I think this book had the reverse problem: we don't learn very much about the past of any of the characters, don't learn to care for them. The book doesn't even start in Victor's viewpoint: the characters we meet in the prologue and beginning of chapter one aren't around for long.

What we do learn about Victor doesn't endear him. Victor seems to be led entirely by his hormones through a good portion of the book. He's sleeping with married mistress Odette while chasing Tasha. And worrying about Tasha's virtue. He supposedly has a close relationship with his mentor, but cannot bring himself to ask questions which might either clear Kenji or enlist him in the hunt for the murderer.

The author sisters also drop in more information on the personages of fin-de-siecle Paris than needed to set the stage. And bits that are repeated turn out to be neither actual clues nor red herrings (Buffalo Bill's troupe, for example). A couple of the suspects who are NOT the murderer lie or are evasive for no discernible reason. Oddly, the newspaper articles claiming killer bees are responsible for the multiple deaths and the newspaper articles that claim these were murders seem to have no effect on the efforts of fairgoers to avoid being stung or murdered.

The answer to the mystery of why the murders are committed seems to come out of the blue. What Victor pursues through the book is primarily opportunity, with a bit of means sprinkled in, but never motive. Apparently I'm more interested in the why. The murderer's confession is printed in one of the newspapers of Paris at the end of the novel. The events of the novel happen primarily over the course of about a week, and presumably the murderer had expectations of continuing, yet the confession is up-to-date at the point he is stopped? I am skeptical.

And yet, for all that I didn't love the book, I do hope St. Martin's brings out at least one or two others in the US. I love the idea of mysteries associated with literature and bookselling. I love the 19th century. I love the idea of a series set in France. Perhaps later stories, which are already available in French and English bookstores, have improved. show less

I was excited to read this book because I am an avid fan of historical mysteries AND the amateur sleuth in the novel, Victor Legris, was a Parisian bookseller. What an unbeatable combo for any bibliophile!

Set in the glittering world of 19th-century Paris, the author effortlessly whisks readers to the vividly painted world of the City of Light during the 1889 World Exposition, a heady event commemorating the 100th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, which dazzles visitors with its show more many wonders from around the globe and whose highlight was the sensational unveiling of the then-tallest structure in the world: the Eiffel Tower. And it’s at the Eiffel Tower that a string of seemingly unrelated deaths occur that compel bookseller and amateur sleuth Victor Legris to investigate what he believes is actually murder. Thus begins an engaging romp around turn-of-the century Paris in pursuit of the truth.

“Murder at the Eiffel Tower” best aspects were how it transported me takes to the streets and homes of fin de siècle Paris as well as serving up a host of tasty tidbits about the art and book world of the time. FYI, Claude Izner is actually the pen name for two French sisters who are modern-day booksellers in Paris who are touted to have expertise in this time period, thus the reason why this historical whodunit has such well-researched period details that are so spot-on and pitch perfect. You will also especially like this book if you are a fan of French architecture. The actual mystery aspect of this volume seemed, to me, less masterful and many of of the characters, especially the secondary ones, felt less than fully fleshed out. However, the author does hold potential: I did enjoy the story and would check out another book by this author (especially as this book launches an 8-book series featuring Victor Legris) to see how “they” are developing their craft. show less

This book reminded me of a cocktail party where, on first entering, you don't know anyone. You are surrounded by a whirl of names and faces. But as you mingle, you start to remember just which name goes with which face, and you start to enjoy yourself. Murder on the Eiffel Tower is set in 1889 Paris. The entire city is drawn to the newly opened Eiffel Tower, which is visited by large crowds every day. Amid the excitement, citizens, police, and the press begin to realize that a serial killer show more is at work. A bookseller named Victor Legris discovers that several of his friends and acquaintances have been at the scenes of the crimes and is determined to solve the mystery. Claude Izner--a pseudonym for two book-selling sisters--gives an authentic portrayal of the hustle and bustle of late 19th-century Paris as well as its diversity, with such characters as a Japanese bookseller, Russian artist, and Serbian opera singer. It is clear that that the sisters have done their research. If anything, the book might offer too much detail. While engaging, cameos by the art dealer Tanguy and Toulouse-Lautrec also distract from the search for the murderer. But perhaps that is the authors' goal--to keep Victor (and the reader) guessing to the end. show less