THE FRENCH ILLUSION

5 stars out of 5

Well, this is a bit of an unusual situation – I’m not sure whether I’m happier to have read and finished this intriguing, edge-of-seat story or the expectation that there’s another one (or two, or three or more) in the making? The latter isn’t a certainty, but since it’s billed as “The French Illusion #1,” logic tells me a #2 will follow.

Anyway, it took a while for them to show up, but I already love leading man Stuart Nash and his “future wife,” Rae-Claire Russo – even though, contrary to almost every other book I’ve read by this author, there’s no courtroom action. Nash is an ex-military man and an assistant U.S. attorney in North Carolina, though, and the soon-to-be dynamic duo “accidentally” meet each other at a cybercrime seminar in Washington, D.C.

Behind the scenes – at least the public ones – Paul and Chelsea Tanner head for Paris for their honeymoon. It’s a dream come true, till it turns into a nightmare for the couple and both sets of parents when they go missing – and said parents get ransom calls from what appears to be a network of criminals asking for millions. The money isn’t a huge issue for Chelsea’s parents – dad is an orthopedic surgeon who is financially savvy – but it’s beyond hope for Paul’s less financially well-off mother and father. And of course, all are warned not to tell anyone what’s going on, especially law enforcement.

As the story progresses, readers see what’s happening from the points of view of both the parents and the victims – and, down the road a bit, of the FBI and CIA, which agree to hold hands for once in an effort to shut down what appears to be a long-running and highly successful operation. Enter Nash and Russo (nope, not gonna explain how that came to pass), and from that point on, the action never stops – and neither did my reading about it.

All told, it’s edge-of-seat exciting, and I hope we’ll be seeing this pair again. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review this one!

The French Illusion by John Grisham (Doubleday, September 2026); 352 pp.

PERIL IN PARIS

5 stars out of 5

Golly - another stellar installment of this wonderful "Royal Spyness" series set in 1930s England (more accurately, Paris, where Lady Georgiana Rannoch and her husband, Darcy O'Mara, are visiting - he on spy business, she, at least at the outset, on holiday). Of note in this one is that Georgie, as her friends call her, is pregnant - finally moving past the morning sickness that made her early months miserable.

When they arrive in Paris, Georgie is content to visit friends and see the sights, providing readers with one of the most interesting elements of the series (well, at least to me): descriptions of the period in which the stories are set and her "connections" to the rich and famous (would you believe her cousin is the King of England and she's well acquainted with Wallis Simpson, who has a somewhat prominent role in the plot)? Georgie's friend works for noted designer Coco Chanel, who is preparing for the latest fashion show, and Georgie gets tapped to model a Chanel-created maternity dress (albeit rather outlandish). Georgie also goes to a party in one famous writer of the day's apartment, where another famous writer drops by, and her mother currently lives in Germany and runs in the same social circles as Adolf Hitler.

But of course, best-laid plans aren't meant to go smoothly, and Darcy asks for Georgie's help with his secret mission. Then comes Chanel's fashion show, where an unlucky guest turns up rather dead - and Georgie is a suspect (French policemen, it seems, have very little respect for British aristocracy). Readers, of course, know she's not guilty, but it's great fun to find out the lengths to which she'll go to prove her innocence and, in the process, find the real killer. Overall, it's another truly enjoyable adventure - many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to ride along on a pre-release journey. Well done!

Peril in Paris by Rhys Bowen (Berkley, November 2022); 300 pp.

PARIS MATCH

3 stars out of 5

My reviews of the more recent Stone Barrington books haven't been all that great - the plots have been thin (almost nonexistent, in fact). As for real action? Fuhgettaboutit. This, the 31st in the series, started off much the same, with typical British understatement of just about everything that happens. 

"Oh, someone has shot off your arm? Bummer. Might I offer you a glass of champagne before the ambulance arrives?" (my words, BTW). 


There also seems to be more in-bed action in this one; within the first few chapters, Barrington has well satisfied, or so it is claimed, no fewer than three different women in about the same number of days. And, there's a fourth so eagerly awaiting her turn that she can't help grabbing his crotch - in public, no less. 

From that description, one might assume I wouldn't care much for this one. In fact, it surprised even me by being, in the end, not all that bad, but still not good enough to earn 4 stars. Yes, the action is understated as usual, but at least there is some. The filthy rich attorney is in Paris for the opening of his new Arrington hotel and discovers that an old enemy - and a couple of new ones - are out to get him. 

Meanwhile, there's a heated Presidential election going on; the current First Lady is in the running to replace her husband as the country's chief. Both are close friends of Barrington, who supports her candidacy and contributed heavily to her campaign (besides that, he's been cohabitating with the woman who will become her chief of staff should she win). Should that happen, Barrington may have to find someone else since she'll be too busy and too far away - bummer.

The threats keep coming - at least one of them because Barrington does something stupid like wander off by himself (reminiscent of the women in horror films who choose to run down a dark alley to escape the ax murderer who's chasing them). How he survives that one is more than a bit unrealistic, and in true Barrington fashion, he just shrugs off the whole episode as another day in Paris. His only notable emotion (even in bed) comes when he actually gets angry enough to say he'd love to see one of his would-be killers dead.

There's a cliff-hanger at the end - suggesting the topic and location of the next book, I suppose. And I suppose I'll read it, hoping that it'll be an improvement on this one.

Paris Match by Stuart Woods (Putnam Adult, October 2014); 312 pp.