The Paris Hours, by Alex George

This is first and foremost a work of literary fiction. I inhaled the pages because of the enhanced prose; every word and sentence was bewitching.
The author took one day in the life of four characters and turned it into a beautiful story. Set in post-WWI Paris, four ordinary people begin an ordinary day until their paths cross.

Below is the book summary provided by the publisher:

Mostly, the first few chapters start out with the characters everyday routines. Some ordinary stuff. But the polished language made these everyday things seem fascinating. As the story progresses, their past is revealed in flashbacks. Secrets, regret, loss, and betrayal loom in the shadows as each character continues throughout their day.

Chapters are short and the pacing is good. The cast of characters is colorful and engaging. It took me a few chapters in the beginning to remember which character was which. Chapters are narrated by each of the four different characters.

If you do not like prolific writing or if you want mega fast-paced, then this probably isn’t for you.

The Paris Hours is a May 2020 Indie Next List Pick. Visit Alex George’s website to learn more.

Read Publisher Weekly’s review of The Paris Hours.

Visit the publishers page for more information about The Paris Hours.

Read Bookweb’s Q &A with Alex George about his previous book, A Good American.

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Thank you to Flatiron books for sending me an advance print copy. Opinions are my own.

|Purchase on Amazon| Goodreads Review|

The Missing Sister, by Elle Marr

Shayna goes to Paris after her sister is found dead. While visiting her sisters apartment to pack up her belongings, she reads a message in their secret twin language that she is really alive so she decides to retrace the steps of her sisters last days to try and find her. She trusts no one and tells no one that her sister is really alive. Why is her sister hiding? Who tried to kill her?

Overall, this story was hard for me to get through. It was underdeveloped and the mystery was short lived. The ending was predictable and it was slow to get there. There is little to no build up for the suspense; I was continuously bored and just wanted to just flip to the last few pages because everything in between was so pointless. The whole thing was just a poor quality mystery/suspense novel. Meanwhile, the entire prose was absolutely ridiculous.

The main character, Shayna, is a pre-med student who is described as very intelligent in the beginning. Her character doesn’t seem to maintain this intellectual trait throughout the mystery though.

I kept reading hoping there might be a major surprise and revelation towards or in the end but there wasn’t. It was under 300 pages though, so I suffered through.

The Missing Sister is Elle Marr’s debut novel. Visit her website here.

Read Publisher Weekly’s review for The Missing Sister.

Learn more about her debut novel.

The Missing Sister was selected as one of PopSugar’s 31 new thriller and mystery books to look out for in 2020.

Follow Elle Marr on Facebook or Twitter.

|Purchase on Amazon|Goodreads Review|