Lost in Paris: A Novel

by Betty Webb

Overview

"Lovers of post-WWI Paris will have fun." —Publishers Weekly

"It's perfectly frothy fun supported by a wealth of tasty historical tidbits." —Booklist

Pulsing with the glamour and excitement of the Jazz Age, Lost in Paris explores a young woman's journey to redeem herself from the heartaches of her past, while finding her way forward in tumultuous, unprecedented times.

NO ONE CAN HURT YOU LIKE FAMILY

PARIS, 1922: Zoe Barlow knows the pain of loss. By the age of eighteen, she'd already lost her father to suicide, and her reputation to an ill-fated love affair—not to mention other losses, too devastating for words. Exiled from her home and her beloved younger sister by their stepmother, she was unceremoniously dumped in Paris without a friend to help her find her way.

Four years later, Zoe has forged a new life as a painter amidst fellow artists, expats, and revolutionary thinkers struggling to make sense of the world in the aftermath of war. She's adopted this Lost Generation as her new family, so when her dear friend Hadley Hemingway loses a valise containing all of her husband Ernest's writings, Zoe happily volunteers to track it down. But her search for the bag keeps leading to murder victims, and Zoe must again face hard losses—this time among her adopted tribe. If she persists in her reckless quest to find the killer, the next life lost may be her own.

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781728269900
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	04/04/2023
Series:	Lost in Paris
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	480,689
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

As a journalist, Betty Webb interviewed U.S. presidents, astronauts, and Nobel Prize winners, as well as the homeless, dying, and polygamy runaways. The dark Lena Jones mysteries are based on stories she covered as a reporter. Betty's humorous Gunn Zoo series debuted with the critically acclaimed The Anteater of Death, followed by The Koala of Death. A book reviewer at Mystery Scene Magazine, Betty is a member of National Federation of Press Women, Mystery Writers of America, and the National Organization of Zoo Keepers.

Editorial Reviews

01/09/2023

Set in 1922, this capable series launch from Webb (the Lena Jones mysteries) introduces painter Zoe Barlow, who moved to France four years earlier after her family banished her from their Alabama estate for her scandalous behavior. Zoe’s friendships among the Paris avant-garde, among them Ernest and Hadley Hemingway, substitute for the family she’s lost. When she hears that Hadley lost a suitcase containing Ernest’s manuscript drafts in a Paris railway station, Zoe mounts a search. She learns that the valise was stolen by porter Vassily Popov, an impoverished Russian immigrant living in a tiny village outside Paris. She arrives at Popov’s hut only to find him and the young woman he says is his daughter—who may be Anastasia Romanov, daughter of the murdered Russian czar—shot to death. Zoe clashes with handsome Det. Insp. Henri Chaillot, whose suspicions of her reawaken a few days later when she discovers the bodies of two of her friends shot with the same gun used in the earlier crime. Zoe’s intriguing backstory and Webb’s inventive use of incidents such as Hemingway’s lost valise and Anastasia’s rumored survival more than compensate for the forgettable sleuthing. Lovers of post-WWI Paris will have fun. Agent: Jill Marr, Sandra Dijkstra Literary. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"A maelstrom of a mystery that combines grit, determination, and tragedy with social commentary." — Kirkus Reviews

"The compelling story, filled with actual artists, models and writers, will appeal to readers who enjoy fact-based mysteries involving history, racism, and conditions in post-war Paris." — Library Journal

From the Publisher

12/01/2022

The author of the Lena Jones mysteries begins a historical mystery series featuring members of the Lost Generation in post-World War I Paris. In December, 1922, Hadley Hemingway left a valise filled with Ernest's manuscripts on a train, and someone stole it. Although Alabama-born artist Zoe Barlow dislikes Ernest, Hadley is a friend, so Zoe attempts to find the case. She asks enough questions at the train station to track the thief to a village, and hires an Armenian driver to take her there. Although she finds the shack with two Russians in it, they've been shot dead, and some of Hemingway's pages are burning in the fireplace. After being questioned by Inspector Henri Challiot, Zoe becomes even more popular with her inquisitive friends in the artist community. Now, she's determined to find the rest of the author's papers, but also wants to find a killer. When several of Zoe's friends are killed, and she finds the bodies, Challiot warns her that she's become a target. VERDICT The compelling story, filled with actual artists, models and writers, will appeal to readers who enjoy fact-based mysteries involving history, racism, and conditions in post-war Paris.—Lesa Holstine

Library Journal

2023-02-08
In 1922, Paris is packed with wounded soldiers whose lives have been destroyed by the war, artists of all stripes, and expatriates hiding dangerous secrets.

American artist Zoe Barlow is an excellent poker player who uses her skills to augment the allowance she receives from her family to stay out of Alabama. Her friends range from aristocrats to literally starving artists, and they include Hadley Hemingway, the writer's wife, who leads her into a dangerous adventure. Although no fan of Ernest's, Zoe is determined to help Hadley when some manuscripts her husband left in her care are stolen from a train. When she goes to the Gare de Lyon for information, a Russian expatriate porter—after she slips him 50 francs—tells her the valise was stolen by a man named Vassily Popov, who lives in the small town of Le Mesnil-Théribus with his “daughter,” possibly the fabled Anastasia Romanov. Zoe hires Avak Grigoryan and his vehicle, the Grim Reaper, to take her to the village, where she finds the murdered bodies of the unfortunate pair and burns her hands raking some of Hemingway’s papers from the fireplace. Zoe takes an immediate dislike to the investigator—handsome, supercilious, and rude DI Henri Challiot—but still ends up in a sexual relationship with him. The next to die are dancer Jewel Johnson, another of her friends, and Jewel’s lover, a Russian count. Despite dire warnings from Challiot, Zoe is more determined than ever to investigate. As much as it distresses her, she realizes that the killer is very likely one of her circle of friends.

A maelstrom of a mystery that combines grit, determination, and tragedy with social commentary.

Kirkus Reviews