The Books of the Dead
A Death in Paris Mystery
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5.0 • 5 Ratings
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- $16.99
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
The second book in Emilia Bernhard's charming Death in Paris series, featuring two American sleuths in the City of Lights, is perfect for fans of M. L. Longworth and Juliet Blackwell.
Parisian summers are for strolls in the park . . . and solving a murder--or two.
When American sleuth Rachel Levis stumbles upon an employee of the French national library strangled in the bathroom of a cafe, she's not surprised to be asked to help with the investigation by her old acquaintance Capitaine Boussicault--after all, she and her best friend Magda solved a tricky murder only eighteen months before.
But right from the start, this case proves to be très difficile. When Rachel goes undercover as a librarian to determine which of his book-loving colleagues loathed the man enough to kill him, the library is rocked by more bad news: a priceless antique book has been mutilated. And the very next day, her favorite suspect for the murder is found dead in the stacks.
Just as the case is heating up, Boussicault pulls Rachel from the investigation. Undeterred, she and Magda decide to forge ahead with their own investigation--even if it could put them at odds with the police and in serious danger. With evidence and suspects piling up, it will be up to them to find the culprit--and stop more innocent books from being harmed--before anyone else checks out for good.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
On a hot summer afternoon, witty and erudite poet cum banker's wife Rachel Levis, the heroine of Bernhard's spirited sequel to 2018's Death in Paris, stops at a Paris bar looking for a refreshing spritz. Instead, she finds a body in the restroom. This leaves her with the perplexing problem of whom to call first: her husband, best friend, or "Capitaine Boussicault, the policeman she knew from the last time she'd encountered a murder." The victim turns out to be a much-despised librarian in the rare books and manuscripts reading room of the Biblioth que Nationale. Boussicault asks Rachel to go undercover at the library in order to find potential suspects and motives. She soon stumbles on another series of crimes, involving the theft of illustrations from antiquarian publications. Are the murder and the thefts connected, and if so, how? Bernhard keeps the reader guessing right up to the surprising finale. This mystery has it all: authentic Parisian local color, fully realized characters, amusing dialogue, and a satisfyingly complex plot.
