Historical cozy set in 1930s Paris.
The Honourable Opal Laplume and her mother operate a millinery shop in Marylebone, London. Opal loves designs and her mother sends her off to Paris to do costume headdresses alterations on the showgirls for a new production that actually will star and feature her cousin, Clementina Lalonde, at the fabulous Casino de Paris. Unfortunately, tragedy struck before her arrival when one of the dancers, Valentine Beaumanoir, ended up dead on the street below her hotel balcony. No one knows how it happened and if it was suicide, accident, or murder. Amidst all the drama, Opal makes friends with the assorted characters involved with the show as she tries to parse the clues after yet another person dies.
This was mostly a satisfactory debut but something was missing or it was just that the character of Opal didn’t really feel realistic given the time period and setting. I didn’t warm to her. I’m still trying to figure out how big that tube of red lipstick was that someone could use it for drawing and writing so often. Also, and here we go, I’m tired of the new cliche where all of these amateur lady sleuths have a pet and far too much of the narrative is focused on it. The mystery was OK and some of the story drug a bit, but it was solved as you’d expect it to be while also having the inevitable peril for the main character. I may or may not try another installment featuring this character.
I was able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book, both provided by the publisher. The narrator, Antonia Beamish, tried her best to do all the different accents from plummy English, to Cockney, to French with varying degrees of success. She also had to do all the male characters, which was hit and miss. As always, this audio book would have benefited from having a male narrator as well. I enjoy how a good production enhances my enjoyment of a book.
This is the first in a new series that should be read in order.
Genre - cozy, historical, showgirls, Paris, famous 1930s personalities, art, design, fashion
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