1893. A deadly fire engulfs a Parisian bookbindery. Then, a celebrated artist is stabbed to death in the street. As panic spreads the police struggle to keep pace with a killer growing ever bolder.Soon amateur sleuth Victor Legris and his bookselling team are on the case. But the murderer seems to be taunting them, leaving cryptic notes at every crime scene and even placing a death notice in the newspaper. Who is this theatrical killer, and can Victor untangle the mystery before they strike again?



Claude Izner is the pen-name of two Parisian sisters, Liliane and Laurence Korb who were booksellers on the banks of the Seine for many years. As a writing duo, the sisters published numerous novels, including the bestselling Paris Bookshop Mysteries. The series has sold more than 800,000 copies in France and been translated into eight languages. Liliane Korb passed away in 2022.Lorenza Garcia translates from French and Spanish. Her two most recent translations are The Montmartre Investigation by Claude Izner, which she co-translated with Isabel Reid, and The Season of the Beast by Andrea H. Japp. She currently lives in London.



- - PRAISE FOR THE VICTOR LEGRIS MYSTERIES



A clock-beating thriller



A book of great charm, full of delightful historical detail and deftly written



Reading Izner is like taking a ride into the belle epoque in a time machine. A wonderfully breathtaking ride



Witty and creepy... a seamless translation captures the novel's many period charms



An extremely satisfying traditional mystery with lots of suspects and panache. Izner writes in a witty, breezy style, which conjures up the Paris of 1889 and the huge sprawl of the exhibition. The plot is terrific, and who can't enjoy another good time in the City of Light...



I read this charming, evocative, and suspenseful book with the mounting excitement I always get when I realize I've found a new series - I can't wait for the next Victor Legris book. What a pleasure it is to visit Paris with such an expert tour guide!



Fans of quality historical will welcome Izner's debut. The taut pacing and vivid period detail will have readers eagerly turning the pages



The energetic curiosity of the hero dovetails nicely with the readers' interest in a fascinating era. The colorful supporting cast lays a solid foundation for Victor's further exploits



A charming and amusing whirl around a time of rapid social an intellectual change



Izner combines a sparkling puzzle (reminiscent of one of Agatha Christie's most famous novels) with complex characters and appealing descriptions of Paris... A well-executed beginning to a series with great potential



A charming journey through the life and intellectual times of an era



Evokes the electric atmosphere of 1889 Paris