The Honeybee Emeralds

I got my hands on an advance copy, and everything about this worked for me: the diverse cast, the deep dive into Parisian history, the unfolding mystery element and its slow reveals. Alice works as an intern at a Parisian expat newspaper called 'Bonjour Paris'. An important discovery is the catalyst for a front page story that may be the publication's salvation, if she and her friends can piece together its details in time and keep a lid on the story while they're at it.

A competing paper and some stubborn clues that require careful unravelling are the surface impediments, but the personal issues of the core team may prove their real undoing. Alice lacks self-confidence and wrestles with her Iranian heritage, Lily has to enlist a show more friend-with-complications to help the cause, and Daphne's marriage is on the rocks. Other characters are like satellites who will spin out of orbit if these three can't work through their challenges.

I was enjoying the ride in a casual way, so I wasn't prepared to get so swept up in the ending. Amy Tector brings a unique brand of humour to the proceedings, and demonstrates her skill at playing English, French and American perspectives off against one another. She also has a phenomenal gift for chapter titles. Take this one to the beach. show less

If you’re looking for a lighter read in these dark times, The Honeybee Emeralds is a good choice.

Alice Ahmadi, 23, is an Iranian Brit interning in Paris at a floundering expat magazine, Bonjour Paris. She discovers a magnificent diamond and emerald necklace in the basement of the building. Lily, the editor, sees an opportunity to save the magazine with a cover story about the necklace’s provenance. They assemble a team to help them: Luc, the owner of Bonjour Paris; Jacob, a well-known writer and college friend of Lily; Daphne, an art expert and Lily’s best friend; and Alexander, an Icelandic perfumer with a shop next to the magazine’s office. This Fellowship of the Necklace, as Alice thinks of them, finds connections to several show more historical figures; their search is complicated by the fact that a rival magazine seems also to be working on a story about the necklace.

Almost from the beginning, I knew where the solution to the mystery would be found. A logical source of information is ignored and that’s a big clue. I found it improbable that six supposedly intelligent people would disregard a source that is so obvious. Nonetheless, the research that the team members undertake is interesting. Though I found it unlikely that a necklace could be connected to these “three extraordinary women,” the author clearly did research to try to make the connections credible.

Several events reveal a contrived plot. Never in the decades that pass would a person look for the necklace in the most logical place? Someone would take personal items after the death of a loved one but not look at them? The gathering of everyone in the basement at the end seems forced. Yet the character who messages everyone for that meeting wonders “Who else was down here”?

Characters are well-developed. The focus is on the female characters, each of whom has personal issues with which to contend. For instance, Lily has unresolved romantic feelings for Jacob; Daphne’s marriage is disintegrating; and Alice suffers from a lack of confidence. Each of these women proves to be dynamic: they learn something about themselves as they learn about the necklace. And the women to whom the necklace belonged are also interesting. The information provided left me wanting to learn more about them.

There are some wonderful touches of humour. Having smelled hákarl on a trip to Iceland, I loved Alexander’s explanation for becoming a perfumer. Alice’s identifying people as characters in The Lord of the Rings is a great touch: “She wasn’t Legolas or Frodo or even Samwise Fucking Gamgee – she was Gollum.” Alice comes to trust one of the men but in a way so in keeping with her personality: “he was there and present, as immovable as a glacier . . . although the whole point of glaciers was that they moved. Also, weren’t they melting?”

There is also romance. Fortunately, for a reader like me who does not enjoy romance novels, the romance is more implied than detailed. There are hints at possible romantic relationships in the future and chaste kisses rather than steamy loves scenes.

Though there are weaknesses in plot, there is much to enjoy. I loved the literary allusions. Though I couldn’t help but think of Dan Brown novels, this one has more depth. We all need some escapist literature, and this book is among the best I’ve read recently.

Note: I received an ARC from the publisher in return for an honest review.

Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) and follow me on Twitter (@DCYakabuski). show less

This book had a wonderful premise and I was looking forward to receiving it. The setting - in the art/literary/academic world in Paris - was engaging and as a follower of vintage fashion, I enjoyed the story of the titular necklace as it passed in and out of the possession of a series of intriguing historical characters. Had the story focused on these historical characters and a single contemporary one, it would have been more compelling. As it was, I found myself skipping over the chapters focused on the contemporary characters - there were too many of them and so their stories didn’t hold my interest very well. But otherwise this is a well-written book - I look forward to seeing what else this author does.

Loved this fun mystery with its historical tidbits and current and past love stories all interwoven, and not a dead body in sight. I also appreciated that it was focused on a number of interesting women in history - this sparked a bit of additional research to learn more about these remarkable women.

Part mystery, part historical novel, part romance, and completely entertaining, The Honeybee Emeralds was a delight to read. The discovery of a fantastic necklace kicks off a search to uncover its true history. Along the way, unlikely friendships are formed among a magazine editor and her shy assistant, an Icelandic perfumier, a brittle art authenticator, and a macho writer. Together, they are determined find out the truth behind the jewels, not knowing that they will also learn truths about themselves. I love books set in Paris and this one brings wonderful authenticity to the setting. Three historical women also get their chance to speak. Throw in a deliciously wicked adversary and you will keep turning the pages to this novel’s show more satisfying conclusion. show less

I loved this historical fiction. Listening to this drew me in right away, kept me engaged and hooked throughout the whole story. Listening to this story gave me an itch that made me want to go dig up an unsolved historical mystery and try to solve it, which is easier said than done.
This was so engrossing with each of the characters and their individual stories as well as the story of their group together investigating the mystery of the honeybee emerald necklace. Alice, who works at a magazine in Paris, goes to the neighbors to ask for help and while in the basement finds an old lot of costumes and in a coat pocket, she finds the honeybee emerald necklace, which she presents to her boss and then her boss tells the owner of the magazine show more about it and how they can use it to save the magazine. This group of friends becomes known as "the fellowship of the necklace" and they each have a part to play as they research and investigate this mystery.
Along the way, they unravel much more than just the secret of the necklace. Lily, Alice's boss, faces unresolved feelings with a long-time friend and the fact that she hasn't been writing like she wanted to years ago. Daphne, Lily's friend, and the Art specialist, who verifies the authenticity of the necklace, faces the issues with her struggling marriage and Alice finds her place where she belongs. There are a couple of lovely and heartfelt moments with romance and finding yourself and realizing/following your dream throughout. The mystery of the necklace is what drives and keeps everything tied together and going until the end when we find out the final key to the mystery of how the necklace ended up in the basement of their Parisian magazine building.
I couldn't listen to this fast enough to find out what the final key was and what happened with everyone.
Part of what kept me going and interested in this so much was the effect of listening to it on audio because I don't know that I would have been as engaged if I had been reading it. The narration on this one was lovely and well-done in my opinion. I was impressed by the fact that the narrator, Lameece Issaq, did all the voices so she sounded like multiple people speaking each part and not the same person. She did great in doing each character so you could tell which person was speaking and in building the world and drawing you into the story. If you haven't listened to or read this yet, then go check it out. It's very intriguing and wonderfully done.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for letting me listen to and review this 5-star story. All thoughts and opinions are my own. show less

Loved this book and was so happy to have received it a an early reviewer’s edition. The Honeybee Emeralds is an intriguing tale that held my interest from page one through to the very end of the book. I highly recommend it.

Alice Ahmadi interns for an ex-pat magazine in Paris. When the heating stops working in her building, she heads to the basement with a neighbor to investigate. They stumble upon a room filled with beautiful vintage clothes in the basement of the magazine’s office building. Here she discovers a beautiful necklace with diamonds and emeralds surrounding a bee in the pocket of a jacket she borrows to keep her warm.

The mystery begins to unfold with her discovery of the necklace. Alice and her editor, Lily and copy show more writer, Daphne, decide to find out about the origins of the necklace in the hopes that the story surrounding it will save their floundering magazine. Early in their search they find a photo of Josephine Baker wearing the very necklace. They are determined to unravel the mystery of the necklace's origins, which dates back to the 1800's, and it's journey into the present day.

This book has it all - intrigue, suspense, romance, an underdog, and a villain. show less