The Paris Apartment

★★★★☆

In Lucy Foley’s latest thriller, Jess is looking to start over after she is forced to leave her job. With nowhere else to go, she contacts her half-brother Ben, who lives in a swanky apartment in Paris, and asks to stay with him. He reluctantly says yes, but is nowhere to be found when she shows up. Jess is determined to find out what happened to the only person she can call family.

This is the third book I’ve read by Foley, and it is my favorite so far. Like all of Foley’s books, the story is told through multiple points of view, in this case through the eyes of Jess and several of the other residents of the building. The number of POVs was more manageable than in The Guest List and they were more distinctive than in The Hunting Party, which made it easier to keep the characters straight. 

Jess was also more likable than most of the characters in my previous reads by Foley. Although she had experienced hard times and hadn’t always made the best choices, it was evident throughout the book that she was a good person.

With its secret spaces and foreboding atmosphere, I liked that the old apartment building served as a character of its own. However, save for a few French phrases sprinkled throughout the story, Paris wasn’t as much of a feature as I expected based on the title.

Be prepared for a very slow, suspenseful start – Foley takes her time setting this one up. While I guessed some of the minor twists, I was surprised by the major twist at the end. I’m glad I decided to read this one and I’m likely to read more by Foley in the future.

My review of The Hunting Party.

My review of The Guest List.