The Paris Apartment

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley was my book club’s pick for May. We hadn’t read a thriller in a while so I was really excited for this one. Plus, I had heard great things from several people about her books including this one.

Jess needs a fresh start. She’s broke and alone, and she’s just left her job under less than ideal circumstances. Her half-brother Ben didn’t sound thrilled when she asked if she could crash with him for a bit, but he didn’t say no, and surely everything will look better from Paris. Only when she shows up – to find a very nice apartment, could Ben really have afforded this? – he’s not there.

The longer Ben stays missing, the more Jess starts to dig into her brother’s situation, and the more questions she has. Ben’s neighbors are an eclectic bunch, and not particularly friendly. Jess may have come to Paris to escape her past, but it’s starting to look like it’s Ben’s future that’s in question.

The socialite – The nice guy – The alcoholic – The girl on the verge – The concierge

Everyone’s a neighbor. Everyone’s a suspect. And everyone knows something they’re not telling.

The book is told in multiple points of view throughout the book. You have Jess and Ben’s story then Sophie the socialite, Nick the nice guy, Millie, and the concierge. The chapters are short so you don’t really get to learn much about the characters. You get little snips of their personality. The chapters are short and in then you get a back and forth timeline of now and things that make each character think of Ben.

While the beginning made me excited, I was frustrated with Jess. I didn’t understand how she could believe the residence of the Paris Apartment when things were so sketchy. Unfortunately, as the clues unfolded I figured out all the twists but one. One of the back stories reminded me of a CSI or Law & Order I saw years ago so that I figured out pretty quickly. The other clues made it predictable (at least for me). I never found myself on the edge of my seat wanting to know what happened to Ben and what would happen to Jess.

The book was well written but I just was bored and wished I hadn’t guessed the ending.

Have you read The Paris Apartment?