For those of you who have read The Hunting Party and/or The Guest List, you will be familiar with Lucy Foley’s approach: multiple points of view, unreliable narration and numerous red herrings before the central mystery is solved.

The setting, on this occasion, is Paris, with the action mainly centred within a single residential block of apartments. The resident(s) of each apartment has their own agenda and their own secrets and into this dynamic comes the outsider, Jess, whose search for her brother, Ben acts as the pivot for the book.

First the good. There are characters you like and characters that you love to hate. Having an ingenue thrown into the centre of intrigue is a well-trodden path but it is so because it works so effectively. The apartment complex is yet another elegant solution to the formula of enclosed groups who are somehow linked with the plot revolving around them.

However, this has genuinely started to look like a formula. We know that the narrative will be delivered from different POV, that the action will take place within an enclosed group within an enclosed space, etc.

Lucy Foley is clearly a talented and imaginative writer but after 3 novels that follow the same path, I would love to see her break out into a different format within the same genre. Maybe have a single viewpoint, or allow the characters to exist within the world at large.

With thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, Harper Collins and the author for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for the arc of The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley.

5 star read! If you loved the Hunting Party or the Guest List by Lucy Foley you'll love this one i'm sure of it! This thriller is set within an apartment in Paris called 12 ru Des Amants which is an very old apartment block which is split into 5 different residencies across 5 floors and one per floor. There are 5 different people living here there is the watchful conceriege, the prying Journalist, the unwanted guest to the scorned lover to finally the Naive Student.. all is not what it seems.. there were many surprises and twists along the way like both of her previous books, the book makes you think you are in Paris as it is so delicatley intracately detailed. What are the secret hidden behind these doors.. Totally recommend 5 stars such a brilliant masterpiece yet again from Lucy Foley

This tells the story of Jess and her hunt to find her brother, Ben. There are a number of different characters living in the building and the reader gets to know their stories through a number of flashbacks. I did like the character of Jess, she has had a hard life and is quite a feisty person but she doesn’t give up, no matter the danger. She does have a caring side. There are a number of twists and turns and a few surprises but this was an entertaining read as usual with this author. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Looking for a thriller that you don’t want to put down? The latest book from Lucy Foley is just this! I have read books by this author before and some I enjoyed, some I didn’t- so when I saw this I wanted to give it a go… full of suspense, well crafted characters and intensity this book was so hard to put down. The story centres around an apartment in Paris, where Jess has gone to visit her brother Ben. It soon becomes apparent however, that there is something more sinister going on within the walls of the building. I liked that there were not too many characters so it was easy to track them through the story and the way that the story is told from the different narrative perspectives of the main characters, allows us an insight into their part within the unraveling mystery. The one downside that I found was that the first part of the book was a little slow paced but the action soon began. This has enough twists to give you whiplash- just as you think you’ve figured it all out, the author cleverly sends the plot off in another direction and unlike other books I’ve read the twists are not just left until the end, they are scattered throughout to keep you guessing. Would definitely recommend this one!!

I found The Paris Apartment to be a slow burning, suspenseful story that I really enjoyed. I loved the Paris setting and I found the characters interesting. This is actually my first read by Lucy Foley (although I have her other books sitting on my bookshelf waiting to be read) and now I can't wait to dive into the others.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

An old but well maintained building in one of the quieter streets of Paris covering up a multitude of sins.
A family business built on the sleazy underbelly of Paris.
Could not read this book quick enough,so engrossed was I in the tale. Well developed characters,excellent storyline lots of twists with a terrific ending.
Loved it,no wonder this writer is a best selling author.

The Paris apartment is a creepy, dark thriller. It follows the story of Jess who goes to Paris to visit her brother Ben in order to escape some trouble at home. Little does she know what she is walking into!

The story is told from multiple points of view which can get a little confusing at times. Slowly we learn more and more about the residents of Ben’s apartment block, as Jess searchs to find her brother who appears to have disappeared.

What she uncovers is a sordid, vile secret that people will kill to protect.

On the one hand as a creepy who dunit it is a good read. However I was left disappointed that such a meaty subject matter was dealt with in such an off hand and neatly wrapped up manner. I felt there was so much more potential to write about this dark world rather than glossing over it.

A good read but could have been so much more.

Lucy Foley has excelled herself – yet again!

Jess has left England and headed to Paris to stay with her brother, Ben. Although it was a sudden decision, she let him know she was coming and expected him to meet her at the station – but he never showed up. Armed with the address, Jess sets off and finds that he lives in a private apartment in a building with it’s own courtyard, complete with a live-in concierge. However, there’s no sign of Ben; where is he? His old friend Nick lives in the apartment below – can he help her find her brother?

Such a good read! Without giving anything away, the author provides just enough information to get the reader hooked on the story and unable to let it go until discovering what’s going on. Lucy Foley produces another well-paced novel and she is exceptionally good at always having a few secrets up her sleeve to both surprise and delight her audience. Did I see what was coming? Well, I thought I did but the author was way ahead of me at every turn. A stunning read and the kind of book I wish I could start all over again without being aware of what was going on. Dazzlingly delightful, highly recommended and easily earning all five glowing stars.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is – as always – my honest, original and unbiased review.

I know I am the odd one out here but I HATED this book, it was almost painful to read, for a book that is a thriller nothing happened until around the 70% mark and then it sped right up almost too much, I felt detached from the story from the get go and hated all the characters even the one we were meant to be rooting for also the story itself was so unrealistic and far fetched. Not sure if I will read others by her now.

Another good read by Lucy Foley! An eery, suspenseful atmosphere with a few twists that readers will enjoy. I've already got my copy pre-ordered!

This is a great read.
Jess decides to visit her brother Ben in Paris and whilst he’s not too keen on the idea, he agrees.
When Jess arrives there’s no sign of Ben and despite the voicemail telling her he’ll be in that night, his apartment is in darkness.
Jess eventually gets into the building but when she reaches the apartment she feels uneasy and can’t understand where Ben is.
The next day Jess asks the neighbours when they last saw Ben and is surprised by how unhelpful they are.
We also have chapters from other residents in the building and it seems Ben was not everyone’s favourite person.
As the days pass It’s clear the questions Jess is asking are causing the residents to become anxious and soon it’s made clear that she’s not welcome there.
This is a great read with a few twists and turns to keep you on your toes.
Thanks to Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

A whodunit thriller set in a historic apartment block in Paris.

Jess goes to Paris to visit her half brother Ben, but when she arrives, he is nowhere to be found. A voicemail on her phone is the only clue to Ben’s disappearance until she finds his St Christopher and a spot of blood on his cat in his apartment!

Jess soon discovers that all the other residents in the apartment block are not what they seem and are not to be trusted. Secrets will come out if enough questions are asked but is Jess putting herself in danger the more she digs into Ben’s disappearance?

Written in chapters from multiple points of view, past and present. Fairly easy to follow.

My only slight negative, which is such a shame, was the overuse of French words and phrases. This started to annoy me part way through as it interrupted my flow of reading each time. I did feel it was unnecessary as it was very repetitive in places and often in the same dialogue as English was being spoken.

Really enjoyed the whole plot though and it certainly kept me page turning. The characters were interesting, some I warmed to more than others.

Many thanks to netgalley, the publishers and the author for an arc.

An intriguing story set in Paris about dysfunctional characters and a mystery when one of them goes missing. Family relationships are explored, along with issues about how well we know our relatives and even ourselves. Keeps you reading! 4 stars

This was a really good read. I have read the author before and this did not disappoint. I particularly enjoyed the Paris setting and the story unfolded in a most unexpected and gripping way! Recommend!

Another thriller-y murder from the author, this time based in Paris.
Jess runs away from a troubled life in the UK to her estranged brother’s luxury apartment in Paris only to find he has mysteriously disappeared and his neighbours are acting peculiarly.
I have to admit that I’ve struggled with the characters in each of Lucy Foley’s novels as they seem to be either highly unpleasant and incredibly privileged or highly suspicious “normal” folk who have a lot of emotional baggage. This shouldn’t spoil my enjoyment of the novel but it certainly taints it, consequently I’m just not bothered about the outcome. I know I’m in the minority and this will be another sure-fire bestseller, it’s just not my cup of tea so 2.5 stars.

Jess is expecting to meet her brother, Ben, at his Paris apartment. When she arrives he has vanished. None of the other residents of the building can shed any light on his disappearance. Jess moves into the apartment and begins to search for him.

Well plotted with a selection of dysfunctional and untrustworthy characters, this is a very good read. It is well paced, well written and set against a richly described Paris. It is very enjoyable.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have only recently read Lucy Foley’s previous two books and enjoyed both immensely, so I was really looking forward to reading The Paris Apartment. It’s a page-turning, ominous thriller, with great twists and reveals which kept the pace steady and I found the ending quite satisfying, which seems to be a novelty with thrillers at the moment as I have read some terrible endings recently!

The thing I find I enjoy most about Foley’s books though, is the atmosphere she builds in the almost claustrophobic settings; The Guest List takes place on an island, The Hunting Party in a remote Scottish lodge, and even though the setting for this novel is Paris, the building in which the apartment is, is so contained and seems so far removed from the rest of the city, that the effect is similar.

Ben has moved to Paris to stay in the aforementioned apartment building where his friend, Nick, also lives. His sister, Jess, is coming to visit on a spur of the moment trip, but when she arrives, Ben is nowhere to be found. There are signs that all is not right and Jess starts looking into the inhabitants of the apartment building and soon realises that Ben was on to something that others did not want revealed. That is a very brief synopsis as I don’t want to give anything away! I didn’t guess the twists and wouldn’t want to spoil it for anyone else.

The only issue I had with the novel was the repeated use of French swear words, not because I’m offended or annoyed at the use of French, but because they are just repeated so much! I’m sure there are other French words that could be used. There are also French idioms that are used and then translated in English, but they have followed English idioms and it is someone saying ‘oh we have a similar saying in French,’ so you get two or three pointless sentences of idioms or phrases that don’t do anything for the story.

Anyway, that’s my only issue. As expected, this was a thoroughly enjoyable read and I would highly recommend reading it and any of Foley’s other books if you haven’t already. I’m looking forward to what she does next. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A mystery centred on a luxury apartment building and its inhabitants. A destitute young woman with just the fare gets the Paris to join her affluence brother who has offered to help her. When she gets there, he phones and gives her directions. However, when she gets to the place he is not there, and she is viewed with suspicion and rejected by the concierge. By some subterfuge she gets into the building and into her brother’s apartment. She finds all his personal belongings and no evidence that he has gone somewhere especially that he had just phone her. The other few inhabitants know nothing, are unhelpful and hostile except one who turns out to an old friend from by gone days who was the one who got him the apartment. Everyone else seem weird with hidden secrets. How she discovers the places’ hidden secrets and the relationships of the inhabitants and their individual agendas and what happened to her brother makes an intriguing story where she gets to end well for everyone.

What could have been yet another family based murder mystery has been tautly drawn by Foley keeping the reader guessing until the very end. The clues to the disappearance of Ben are gradually teased out by his sister Jess as she navigates the foreign landscape of Paris. Confronted by reluctant neighbours, limited by her understanding of the language, who can Jess trust and can she escape her own past and begin again? A dysfunctional family, a decaying apartment building, glamour, desire and peril, The Paris Apartment has it all. If you like your thrillers this won't disappoint.

A slow burn of a novel that hits its stride halfway through.

The first half builds the characters and intrigue extremely well and up to that point it's a fairly decent 3 star read.

At the halfway point it suddenly hits 4 stars. And it's the last 50 odd pages that turn it into a 5 star read for me.
It reminded me in tone of the movie Knives Out (albeit in a French setting).

The Paris Apartment is very clever and very good.

I'll save the main crux of my review for the book tour, which I'm privileged to be taking part in on 23rd March.

Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to read my first Lucy Foley. Recommended.