From the New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Key comes the story of a mysterious work of art and the woman inspired to uncover its history in the City of Light.
After surviving the accident that took her mother’s life, Claire Broussard has worked hard to escape her small Louisiana hometown. But these days she feels something is lacking. Abruptly leaving her lucrative job in Chicago, Claire returns home to care for her ailing grandmother. There, she unearths a beautiful piece of artwork that her great-grandfather sent home from Paris after World War II.
At her grandmother’s urging, Claire travels to Paris to track down the century-old mask-making atelier where the object, known only as “L’Inconnue”—or The Unknown Woman—was created. Under the watchful eye of a surly mask-maker, Claire discovers a cache of letters that offers insight into the life of the Belle Epoque woman immortalized in the work of art. As Claire explores the unknown woman’s tragic fate, she begins to unravel deeply buried secrets in her own life.
A Cajun woman who escaped her rough childhood to live the corporate life in Chicago, returns home to take care of her dying grandmother. While she's there she rediscovers an old death mask in the attic (death masks were made from plaster moulds taken after someone died - it was a thing about a century ago), that leads her to Paris, searching for answers about the elusive face of L'Inconnue.
I really enjoy Juliet Blackwell's writing and this book did not disappoint. It's not a perfect read; there are moments that aren't followed through at all or very well in the first half of the book, but overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the story.
I bought this for the mystery and the setting; I've read her other book The Paris Key and remembered how vividly she brought Paris to life in my mind. Paris came to life again here, although the mystery sort of fizzled. (I don't know how to explain it without spoiling so I'll leave it at that.)
The big surprise (for me) was the romance. It was excellent! I expected it to be more a suggestion of romance (as she did in her last Paris book), but here it was much more a part of the plot, and it made the book so much better.
What can I say? I liked it - I'd recommend it.
Reading updates
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Started reading
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13 April, 2017:
Finished reading
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13 April, 2017:
Reviewed