I really enjoyed the first Fen Church mystery A Dangerous Goodbye. I’m pleased to say that this book picks up pretty much where the first one left off and the transition is virtually seamless.
After the sad findings at the end of the previous book, Fen heads to Paris to regroup. I thought that the author did a great job of capturing post-WWII Paris. Even as it was war-torn and battered, it still managed to maintain its mystery and the aura that made it famous.
Although, in this case, that aura is most apparent in Rose’s (Fen’s godmother) apartment. I liked how the author used the beauty of art to show that Paris could return to its former glory (at least, that’s what I got out of it).
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Of course, nothing is going to go smoothly for Fen, and it isn’t long before she is thrust into the middle of another investigation. The historical angle of Rose’s work was fascinating to me because I have studied the era and the dealings that Nazis had with art are indicative of their depravity.
It makes for a good basis to the mystery because Fen has to find out what part Rose played in the Jewish artworks trade. Was she part of a resistance or was she complicit?
Of course, since it’s Fen, there are cyphers and puzzles involved with one in particular playing a major part in the plot.
I enjoy how the author writes. It’s easy to understand but because of Fen’s love for crosswords and cypers, there’s some thinking to be done in addition to trying to solve the mystery. This makes it doubly entertaining.
It’s another winning investigation for Fen Church, and I look forward to more.
Author Bio:
Fliss Chester lives in Surrey with her husband and writes historical cozy crime. When she is not killing people off in her 1940s whodunnits, she helps her husband, who is a wine merchant, run their business. Never far from a decent glass of something, Fliss also loves cooking (and writing up her favourite recipes on her blog), enjoying the beautiful Surrey and West Sussex countryside and having a good natter.
