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The brand-new, shiny Eiffel Tower is the pride and glory of the 1889 World Exposition. But, one sunny afternoon, as visitors are crowding the viewing platforms, a woman collapses and dies on this great Paris landmark. Can a bee sting really be the cause of death? Or, is there a more sinister explanation? Enter young bookseller Victor Legris. Present on the tower at the time of the incident, and appalled by the media coverage of the occurrence, he is determined to find out what actually show more happened. In this dazzling evocation of late nineteenth-century Paris, we follow Victor as his investigation takes him all over the city and he suspects an ever-changing list of possible perpetrators. Could mysterious Kenji Mori, his surrogate father and business partner at the bookstore Legris operates, be involved in the crime? Why are beautiful Russian illustrator Tasha and her colleagues at the newly launched sensationalist newspaper Passepartout always up-to-date in their reporting? And, what will Legris do when the deaths begin to multiply and he is caught in a race against time? Murder on the Eiffel Tower is painstakingly researched, an effortless evocation of the glorious City of Light, and an exciting opening to a promising series of eight books featuring Victor Legris. show lessTags
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davidt8 Set in Milan, Lombardy, in 1483, this historical murder mystery is entertaining and filled with interesting details.
Member Reviews
*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 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 show more 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
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 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 show more 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 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 show more 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
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 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 show more 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
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.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 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 show more 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
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 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 show more 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 review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.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 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 show more 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
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.This book is a splendid evocation of Paris during the Belle Époque, and Legris' frequent walks in various neighborhoods made me very happy indeed. The two women booksellers who write as Claude Izner bring their setting to life.
The mystery is also a good one. By the time I pieced all the clues together, it was almost time for the reveal. The list of suspects is a long one and represents almost all the various social strata in the city, which gives the authors more opportunity to depict their beloved Paris.
The one aspect of the book that I felt was lacking was the cast of characters. The only character in the entire book whom I felt had a real spark of life to him was Joseph, the assistant in Victor's bookshop. (While I'm on the subject show more of that bookshop, librarians and booksellers reading Murder on the Eiffel Tower will see that customers really haven't changed much from one century to another.) The main character, Victor Legris, is what I've always thought of as a boulevardier-- a man-about-town. He dresses well, he dines well, he has a mistress. Victor has many things and does many things (even deigning to work in his shop from time to time), but he still felt a bit two-dimensional, a bit reserved, as did everyone else.
As much as I loved mentally walking the streets of Paris in the late nineteenth century while solving an enjoyable mystery, it's the stiffness of the characters that will make me hesitate to continue with this series. show less
The mystery is also a good one. By the time I pieced all the clues together, it was almost time for the reveal. The list of suspects is a long one and represents almost all the various social strata in the city, which gives the authors more opportunity to depict their beloved Paris.
The one aspect of the book that I felt was lacking was the cast of characters. The only character in the entire book whom I felt had a real spark of life to him was Joseph, the assistant in Victor's bookshop. (While I'm on the subject show more of that bookshop, librarians and booksellers reading Murder on the Eiffel Tower will see that customers really haven't changed much from one century to another.) The main character, Victor Legris, is what I've always thought of as a boulevardier-- a man-about-town. He dresses well, he dines well, he has a mistress. Victor has many things and does many things (even deigning to work in his shop from time to time), but he still felt a bit two-dimensional, a bit reserved, as did everyone else.
As much as I loved mentally walking the streets of Paris in the late nineteenth century while solving an enjoyable mystery, it's the stiffness of the characters that will make me hesitate to continue with this series. show less
About two thirds of the way through this book, I stopped to write this review. Another body had been found; another minor, uninteresting character had been killed. Our protagonist is worried that it might be his best friend or the hot chick--he's in a relationship, but his girlfriend is fat and racist, and he's only using her for sex anyway, so it's all okay--but can't actually ask his friend anything, as that might advance the plot. There's no tension in this book, as none of the deceased really matter to anyone in the story, and neither internal nor external forces push Legris to find the murderer. Skipping to the end of the book, I found that it was pointless to expect anything to make sense at this point in the book; the main plot show more point leaves it all obscure until near the end of the book. It reminds me of the ending of a certain Agatha Christie novel, but Agatha Christie's deft hand and added structure made that ending audacious instead of merely unfair. I shouldn't be this bereft of clues 200 pages into a mystery, especially one that can't depend on brilliant characterization.
The characters aren't likable and are poorly drawn. The plot is ungrabbing and the mystery needlessly obscure. Whereas some literature makes the location itself a character--the home of Ed McBain's 87th Precinct comes to mind for mystery literature--and presumably Paris would have been a rich source for this, location is more of an obstacle than a source of enjoyment. I can't really see any reason to recommend this novel. show less
The characters aren't likable and are poorly drawn. The plot is ungrabbing and the mystery needlessly obscure. Whereas some literature makes the location itself a character--the home of Ed McBain's 87th Precinct comes to mind for mystery literature--and presumably Paris would have been a rich source for this, location is more of an obstacle than a source of enjoyment. I can't really see any reason to recommend this novel. show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.Normally I love historical fiction, and end of the 19th century/early 20th century is one of my favorite time periods, so I was all set to really enjoy this book, set during the 1889 World Exposition in Paris. Sadly, however, I had a very hard time even getting through the book. It suffered from what felt like the author's attempts to prove how much research they had done on time period. It felt choppy, jumping from one character to the next, hearing everyone's inner thoughts instead of having a single perspective. The concept had potential, but sadly it just didn't work as a cohesive whole. Perhaps some of that is due to translation, but I think it probably isn't particularly strong in its native French either.
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.Members
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Author Information
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Claude Izner is the pen-name of two sisters, Liliane Korb and Laurence Lefèvre. They are both booksellers and experts on nineteenth-century Paris.
Some Editions
Awards and Honors
Series
Work Relationships
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Murder on the Eiffel Tower
- Original title
- Mystère rue des Saints-Pères
- Original publication date
- 2003
- People/Characters
- Victor Legris; Kenji Mori; Marius Bonnet; Antonin Clusel; Tasha Kherson; Joseph Pignot
- Important places
- Paris, France; Eiffel Tower, Paris, France
- Important events
- 1889 World Exposition
- Epigraph
- Paris raises its tower
like a big, anxious giraffe
its tower
which, come night-time,
is frightened of ghosts.
Pierre Mac Orlan - Dedication
- For Etia and Maurice
Jaime and Bernard
Jonathan and David
Rachel - First words
- Storm clouds raced over the barren plain between the fortifications and the goods station at Les Batignolles, where the scrubby grass smelled unpleasantly of sewers.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Before they left she looked around happily at the untidy room: she had uncovered the dormer and sunshine was now flooding in.
- Blurbers
- Akunin, Boris; Finch, Charles; Tallis, Frank
- Original language
- French
- Disambiguation notice
- First published in France as Mystère rue des Saintes-Père.
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 606
- Popularity
- 48,022
- Reviews
- 80
- Rating
- (2.75)
- Languages
- 7 — English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 19
- ASINs
- 7
