Paris 1899. Capital of the crime passionel. Paris is electric with excitement. Everywhere preparations are underway for the universal exhibition and the new century - an age of speed and modernity. But the sensuous spectacle of the belle époque is shadowed by racial and social tensions. Street demos are rampant. Anti-Semites vie with the defenders of justice and the rights of man. Scientists propose hereditary explanations for the rise and rise of murder, madness and nervous disorders. The police force is embattled, exposed in a scandal-mongering press. How can they keep the order citizens want, if their accusers champion the individual liberties of even prostitutes and criminals?In the midst of all this, the body of a beautiful woman is found in the Seine. Her corpse is not the first to turn up in river or canal or subway shaft. But she has a name. She is the performer, Olympe Fabre. She is also Rachel Arnhem, a young Jewish woman, whom gossip, back in Boston, has linked to one of its favourite prodigals, Rafael Norton.James Norton, his elder brother, is charged with the task of bringing Raf and their high-spirited, though ailing sister, Ellie, home from the hotbed of vice and murderous entanglements. It is a mission he confronts reluctantly. He and Paris have a history - not altogether unlinked to the turbulent present which now confronts him. A gripping psychological period thriller, reminiscent of Caleb Carr, PARIS REQUIEM has Lisa Appignanesi writing in top, chilling form.
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It's 1899 in Paris, and the world stands on the cusp between the century of Napoleon and Victoria and the darkness of a century as yet unknown. Hope is in the air, as well as a blind faith in progress and modernity. James Norton, at his mother's behest, comes to Paris from Boston to urge the return of his younger brother, Raf, and ailing sister, Ellie. Raf and Ellie, however, are enmeshed in the complications resulting from the murder of Raf's lover, a young Jewish actress, and soon so is James. As historical fiction, this detective novel is well researched and takes the reader deep into the psyches and cityscapes of the period. With the Dreyfus Affair always lurking in the background, Paris Requiem is a novel about justice, on both the personal and historical levels. Lisa Appignanesi is particularly adept at drawing characters--Jewish, French, and American--who have believable histories and motivations for their actions. Although there are numerous murders, suicides, and scenes set in dank hospital laboratories, the novel is fairly low on the gruesome scale. Except for a few contemporary colloquialisms ("His brother had enough on his plate"), it is a well-written, engaging look at turn-of-the-century Paris. --Mark Frutkin
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
About the Author
Lisa Appignanesi was born in Poland and brought up in France and Canada. A former university lecturer and Deputy Director of the Institute of Contemporary Arts, she has produced several television films and is the author of several novels, including THE DEAD OF WINTER and SANCTUARY.
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
By Mary Ellen
Format:Paperback
Set in Paris, 1899. Murder, romance and the salon life.Great sense of place and style. Well-paced story. Believable characters. Good summer reading.
Format:Paperback
The premise of this story is intriguing. James Norton, a young attorney from Boston has been sent by his domineering mother to Paris, where his newsman brother and ailing sister are living as ex-pats and he is to make them return home. James's brother is deep in grief over the recent, violent death of his fiancee, an actress from a Jewish immigrant family. The plot delves into illicit medical research, racial prejudice, dysfunctional family relationships, and investigative journalism, and its depiction of turn of the century Paris is fascinating. The characters, however, are strangely flat, and I never really grew to care about any of them. It was also easy to solve the crime by the midpoint of the book. Worth a look, but certainly not "gripping", "lavish", or "chilling", as promised on the cover notes.
Format:Paperback
Beautifully written, suspensful, colorfully describes Paris in 1899, its political climate and the treatment of different classes of people, especially women and immigrants. Surprising ending! Highly recommended. (One her other novels "The Dead of Winter" is also excllent, the writing style being somewhat different.) The author knows how to cleverly reel you into a world of intrigue surrounding the lives of fascinating people.
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