You are aware that something strange is going on from the start of this story but it is difficult to work out what! A plot that keeps you guessing until the end. An enjoyable read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the advance copy of this book.

Wow, I loved this book and I couldn’t put it down.
The latest by Lucy Foley is going to be another bestseller.
A murder mystery set in a Paris apartment block. The cast of interesting characters are a watchful concierge, a scorned lover, a prying journalist, a naive student and an unwanted guest.
Lots of twists and turns in this clever psychological thriller and an unexpected ending too.

On the run from some unspecified unpleasantness back in England, Jess arrives in Paris late at night to stay with her half-brother, Ben. But, on arrival at his swish building, she gets no response to the buzzer and no reply from his phone. After blagging her way in to his apartment, Jess sets out to discover just what's become of Ben.

Despite touching on similar themes - wealth and privilege, old sins, family ties - to Foley's previous two books, The Paris Apartment just didn't do it for me as a reader, with unconvincing characters who felt more like caricatures than real people and a twist that seemed way too far-fetched. However, I know other readers have loved it so I suspect it's one of those marmite books, and I just happened to not 'get' it.

I hadn’t read anything by Lucy Foley before but had heard good things of her previous books. I was thrilled to get the opportunity to read this tightly-plotted mystery.

Troubled Jess turns up at her half-brother’s Paris apartment with little notice. Surprised at the unexpected old-world exclusiveness of the building, she is even more perplexed to find that Ben has disappeared. The various neighbours all seem to have secrets and act suspiciously as outsider Jess gets more concerned and is determined to uncover what’s happened.

The building itself is like another character, with an atmospheric feeling of hidden spaces and secrets. The Paris riots play out outside the calm walls of the building, so there is an unspoken air of threat inside, balanced with the overt physical dangers outside.

The story is told in present tense, first-person narratives that jump around between the different characters. This did make me feel it was quite disjointed at first. It also took a little too long to develop. Everything comes together though with credible motivations and a satisfying conclusion. In looking back I can appreciate how clever the plotting is. Every detail holds together like clockwork.

Many thanks to HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. All opinions are entirely my own.

‘The Paris Apartment’ is Lucy Foleys next venture into mystery/ thriller style ‘whodunnit’ type fiction. The third novel of hers that I’ve read and I have to say I think this one is her best yet. Although I quite enjoyed ‘The Hunting Party’, I wasn’t totally bowled over by ‘The Guest List’. It being set in Ireland, I found it full of paddywhackery and just couldn’t gel with it. However I really enjoyed ‘The Paris Apartment’ and found myself picking it up even when I had other things to do.

Set in Paris (obviously 😂), Jess is visiting her brother Ben, someone who she hasn’t seen in a while and is putting her up for a short stay in his beautiful apartment, as she figures out her next steps in life. However all is not as it seems and when Jess tries to contact Ben upon reaching Paris, he doesn’t answer his phone. Where is Ben and who are the mysterious people who live in the other apartments in his building? Can they help her or will they actually be more of a hindrance? Well in true Foley style, you’ll hear from each of the owners in alternating chapters as Jess tries to discover what has happened to her brother.

I loved the character unravelling here. Foley did a great job in creating mystery and building tension as the story progressed. Each character, it turns out, has some connection to Ben, a charmer who has integrated himself into their lives. There’s a good twist at the end and I found myself growing fond of Jess as she ends up uncovering much more than she planned for. I really enjoyed this one and it’ll be a big hit for Foley next year when it’s published. No doubt you’ll be seeing a major campaign also so keep an eye out for it 👀.

4/5 from me.

Kind thanks to @harpercollinsuk @harperfictionpr @netgalley for the arc.

This is a hard book to rate I loved it and disliked it plenty. The book is slow and there's so many side characters and stories to focus on. Imagine you are in a real life clue and you need to figure out who did it and every person is a reasonable suspect. Some days this book is a 4 but it doesn't jump out as a must immediately read for me and it can be forgotten sadly so it's a 2 for me

Really well plotted and executed. This is a genuinely creepy setting, so much so that wimpy me had to stop reading at night for a little while, because my dreams were so disturbing!
I really enjoyed the twists at the end, one of the smaller ones near the end, was a “Yesss!” moment.
Well done Lucy Foley.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Lucy Foley is a brilliabt, clever writer. The characters are very intricately woven into this very deep story of strange and mysterious happenings at the Paris apartment.

It took me a while to get my head round some of the weird characters, but I got drawn in more and more and I had to carry on reading until I discovered the perpetrators of the mystery.

I will read more of Lucy's books as I have been intrigued by her writing.

Thank you Netgalley & Harper Collins for this ARC.
I read The Guest list by Lucy Foley and really enjoyed it but then didn’t read The Hunting party after reading reviews that they were very similar. I hate to say that this is very similar too, Lucy Foley definitely has a style. I found it a really slow build up whilst each character was introduced and I didn’t really get interested until the last third of the book unfortunately.
Ben lives in the Paris apartment and when his half sister comes to visit him, he has disappeared. Each of the residents in the apartments tell us about Ben but I felt no connection to him, maybe I didn’t believe that he could charm that many people.
It did pick up pace towards the end and I enjoyed that more but there were things left unanswered.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jess is a down on her luck waitress who needs a break from London, so she contacts her half brother, Ben, who is living in Paris. Her reluctantly agreed to her visit, but is nowhere to be found when she arrives. Jess starts to realize there is something off about the other residents in the exclusive building where Ben has been staying.

I liked this book. I am not always a big fan of the closed door type of mystery because we get introduced to too many people too quickly and I can't keep them straight. Luckily I didn't find that to be a problem here. I liked the setting and I liked Jess. I think my only issue had to do with some of the flashbacks being tough to follow as they went from present to past and back again without any warning. Overall a good book. I will read more from this author.

This was a dark thriller told over a short time frame set in a luxurious block of apartments in Paris. Jess arrives late one night at short notice to stay with her journalist brother Ben however upon arriving at his apartment there’s no sign of him yet his keys and wallet are left behind. Jess gets caught up in determining where her brother is and finds herself facing hostility from the other residents of the apartment which only serves to intrigue her further as to just what happened to her brother. This is a slickly told story with some disturbing characters and an eerie setting, a lot happens in the short time frame however it’s not high on action it’s far more about the suspense. I found the ending surprising as well as the other twists and turns along the way, overall this is quite a smart read.

This is the third book I’ve read of Lucy Foley and I’ve mixed feelings about it. I really enjoy her style of writing and if you read The Hunting Party it set the bar high for this author. I loved The Hunting Party and read over a weekend on holiday. Her next book the Guest List I also enjoyed but maybe not to the same extent as wasn’t as captivating as the first. So on to The Paris Apartment, yes it takes on the same physiological thriller theme but I felt the going back and fourth with characters, chapters of each character, breaking into French occasionally just made me lose a little bit of interest. Overall I would say it’s an enjoyable book and would recommend you read.

When Jess arrives in Paris escaping from her life, she expects to find her brother Ben to calm her, but instead she finds a hostile neighbourhood and Ben has gone missing. So, as soon as Jess starts asking questions to the residents of the building she feels that everyone is hiding something and no one is interested in finding her brother. Are you ready to help her find Ben?
This had been a twisted thriller, a little long sometimes but full of interesting characters. No one living in the apartment seems to like Ben and all seem to have a hidden agenda making Jess leave the apartment, but why? Ben was a cooking journalist, what has he discovered from all the people living in the building that could be so dangerous?
It was not difficult to distrust everyone, they all seem to be hiding something from her and lies are told in almost every conversation. I have to say that I would have loved knowing a little bit more of Jess’ past and more juicy secrets from everyone.
It has been an interesting read, this is one of my favourite books by Lucy Foley, she does an amazing job with the atmosphere and the character description, but in this book I missed something.
I hope you’ll take a chance to read it and tell me what you think!
Ready to discover “The Paris Apartment”?

I probably shouldn't have chosen this book to review. I found it difficult to continue with the story as so many things seemed to be happening all at once and we were led from scene to scene very quickly. This might appeal to lots of people but I tend to appreciate a slower more relaxed pace. I'm not an action film fan and I think this is an action book. It's just not for me.

When Jess arrives in Paris to see her brother Ben she finds an empty flat and evidence that wherever he went Ben didn't go willingly. However, all the other inhabitants of the building outright hostile and unwilling to help; are they just unfriendly neighbours or are they hiding something more sinister.

This was my favourite Lucy Foley book to date; the setting and the almost paranoia like state with Jess being unable to trust anyone in the building really built the tension and I read the book in one sitting. A 5 star read

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review

Third novel I read by Lucy Foley, third time I've loved it! I really liked the setting and how you feel Jess spiralling into the centre of the mystery.

I was excited to read the new Lucy Foley after devouring The Guest List at the start of the year. The Paris Apartment is similarly evocative; instead of the mist and chill of the remote island in the Guest List, this new novel is set in plush, gated apartments that nonetheless feel like there's someone always looking in the big glass windows and listening at every wall.

The setting of the novel is definitely it's main selling point. Like the previous book, I wasn't that concerned for the characters while I still was interested in turning the pages, but what really kept me reading was how I felt the whole time. Both settings are exclusive but not without an element of danger, they beckon you towards luxury before trapping you and throwing away the key.

The story itself feels more about the apartment building's secrets than the people themselves who keep them, but they are still intriguing. Jess is down on her luck when she decides to visit her brother Ben, who is a a charming character reminiscent of Highsmith's Ripley; both were separated after their mother's death, but Ben was adopted by a rich family and privately educated, meaning that he was able to ingratiate himself with wealthier people to advance his position. Jess is unable and uninterested in doing this, meaning that she ruffles a few feathers in trying to find Ben, who seems to have disappeared from the apartment. The other inhabitants; the elegant middle aged woman in the penthouse, the charming old friend of Ben's Nick, the hot headed Antoine and the shy Mimi, all seem to know Ben but nothing about his disappearance, but Jess persists as the walls seem to close in around her.

I wasn't entirely won over by this book, but it was a fun read and I love books set in Paris, and books where the place or building is a character. I'd still recommend it to fans of thrillers looking for a good pacey novel.

The one downside of this book is the sheer number of perspectives. I was able to keep track of it all but I was honestly a little exhausted of it by the end. Other than that, it's a decent mystery. Full of suspense, a constrant trickle of new information that keeps you guessing, and that sinking feeling that everyone is involved somehow. I didn't see where it was going and I enjoyed piecing it all together.

A slow build that leads to a crescendo of revelations, secrets and lies. When Jess abruptly leaves her job and decides to visit her brother in Paris, she has no idea of the devastation that awaits her. Upon arrival, her brother is missing despite messaging her earlier with instructions of how to find him. As time passes, she becomes increasingly concerned and as doubts regarding the other apartment owners grows, she knows she must get answers. Delving into their lives puts her own life in danger and is there anyone at all that she can trust? A gripping thriller with strong characters and an involved story that weaves its way to a shocking climax.

Warning: This is the sort of book that you need to read in broad daylight, or at the very least in a brightly lit room where there are other people present.

Brilliantly disturbing and creepy in all the right places, Lucy Foley has done it again, with a cast of characters who all have motive, an unlikely detective in the form of Jess, a girl who is down on her luck and can’t understand why her brother is missing.

I romped through this one, to get to the end, loved everything about it snd it us probably one of my favourite reads this year. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.