Claude Izner

[Sheramy]

Anybody else been reading the Victor Legris mysteries by Claude Izner? Izner is actually a pseudonym for a pair of Parisian bookseller sisters; their hero, Victor, is a (guess what) Parisian bookseller in the late 19th century. The first book, Murder on the Eiffel Tower, was released in the US last year, and the second, Murder at Pere-Lachaise Cemetery (I'm thinking the US title is different, but I'm too lazy to look right now :-) ), will be out in America soon.

I'm currently on the third book, The Montmartre Investigation, which I recently ordered from the UK via Book Depository. Murder on the Eiffel Tower was pretty good; Murder at Pere-Lachaise Cemetery I thought was terrific. The latter taps into the late 19th century interest in spiritualism and is well paced. The Montmartre Investigation I'm finding to be a bit more disjointed, but I can't stop reading because I love the setting so much!

The sister-authors certainly know their stuff when it comes to fin-de-siecle Paris. Occasionally the prose gets slightly research-dumpy, with Victor or another character's walks through a neighborhood getting overwhelmed with unnecessary detail, but at least the facts are right on. The translation of Murder on the Eiffel Tower could use a little more smoothness, but translations of the other two books are better along this line.

Recommended as a look-see for anyone interested in 19th-century France!

[Madeleine]

Anybody else been reading the Victor Legris mysteries by Claude Izner? Izner is actually a pseudonym for a pair of Parisian bookseller sisters; their hero, Victor, is a (guess what) Parisian bookseller in the late 19th century. The first book, Murder on the Eiffel Tower, was released in the US last year, and the second, Murder at Pere-Lachaise Cemetery (I'm thinking the US title is different, but I'm too lazy to look right now :-) ), will be out in America soon.

I'm currently on the third book, The Montmartre Investigation, which I recently ordered from the UK via Book Depository. Murder on the Eiffel Tower was pretty good; Murder at Pere-Lachaise Cemetery I thought was terrific. The latter taps into the late 19th century interest in spiritualism and is well paced. The Montmartre Investigation I'm finding to be a bit more disjointed, but I can't stop reading because I love the setting so much!

The sister-authors certainly know their stuff when it comes to fin-de-siecle Paris. Occasionally the prose gets slightly research-dumpy, with Victor or another character's walks through a neighborhood getting overwhelmed with unnecessary detail, but at least the facts are right on. The translation of Murder on the Eiffel Tower could use a little more smoothness, but translations of the other two books are better along this line.

Recommended as a look-see for anyone interested in 19th-century France!

These books have also started being published in the UK too, there's a 4th one, set in the Marais district (can't remember the exact title) plus another one, also set in Pere-Lachaise, due out in the not too distant future. Haven't read them yet but they sound promising, and very atmospheric settings.

[Chatterbox]

I think the 8th of these has now been published in France. I quite like them, although they're not all of the same quality. Great insight into the period, though. I just hope some more of that rich trove of French HF gets translated...