Readers will want to start with Tuohy’s first book in the series, as the events coming into play here largely hinge on Sarah and Miranda’s earlier experiences. As the murders escalate, Sarah, Miranda, and their group of friends and family must band together, investigating clues while trying to nail down who’s responsible, all while traversing the nooks and crannies of Paris. Readers spend the most time with the free-spirited Sarah, whose obsession with all things Sarah Bernhardt pops up throughout her amateur sleuthing, but Miranda plays a close second. A feisty young girl with great intelligence but an equally demanding attitude, she is harder to connect with, though her eagerness to help solve the murders stalking her aunt is endearing.

What Tuohy does best is give readers a sense of roaming through Paris's museums, theaters, restaurants, and parks, where the book’s characters live, play, and, in some cases, die. As Sarah and Miranda meander through Parisian streets—hunting for Sarah Bernhardt’s grave in the Montparnasse cemetery, sampling ice cream in Le Marais—they subtly draw readers into a world of elegance and charm that only thinly veils the dangers lurking beneath. The clues are plentiful, and readers who enjoy wild rides through a slew of red herrings, as opposed to more methodical mysteries, will be entertained.

Takeaway: Wild mystery ride through Parisian streets, with loads of amateur sleuthing.

Comparable Titles: Emilia Bernhard’s The Books of the Dead, Jean-Pierre Alaux and Noël Balen’s Treachery in Bordeaux.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: A