In the turbulent Parisian summer of 1893, Victor Legris has vowed to give up the dangerous hobby of amateur sleuthing to concentrate on selling books. But a murderer is at large in Paris, intent on revenge for events that took place many years before during the Commune. And when a bookbinder friend of Victor's becomes the latest victim of the mysterious killer, the young bookseller feels impelled to resume his detective work and uncover the identity of the Batignolles predator.



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