Death in Paris by Kate Darroch, (Màiri Maguire Cozy Murder Mysteries Book One) follows a school teacher, Màiri Maguire. She starts the summer holiday with her boyfriend of twelve years, breaking up with her when he returns to Glasgow with a new girlfriend he met while working overseas. Màiri takes a job as the Head of English Studies at the Nautical High School in Istanbul to escape the embarrassment and convinces her friend Lianna to travel with her to work as her assistant. During the train trip across Europe, they book a City Break (a package holiday tour) in Paris. When Lianna becomes the chief suspect in a murder, the school teacher turned amateur detective begins her own investigation to clear her friend’s name.

This book starts slowly, methodically introducing the characters and the background to why Màiri is traveling to Istanbul. However, the story picks up the pace once Màiri and Lianna set off on their journey. I especially enjoyed it once the intrigue element was introduced after they arrived in Paris.

With so many characters making an appearance on the train to Paris, it might have been difficult for readers to keep them all straight. However, the author included portions of Màiri’s notebook as she worked on figuring out the clues; which helps readers remember all the details and keep track of who is who. It also makes readers feel like part of the story, working to solve the mystery alongside Màiri.

There were a lot of threads connecting various characters, and I enjoyed trying to figure out how everything fits together. I had an idea of who I thought was the killer, but the story gives so many red herrings that I was not certain, and it kept me guessing until the end of the story. There were a few unexpected surprises revealed when the mystery was finally solved. I liked that the story ended with a new mystery to solve, leading to the next book of the Màiri Maguire Cozy Murder Mysteries series, Death on the Istanbul Express.

Death in Paris is the first in a new cozy murder series that will put mystery readers on the hunt for a killer. This international crime story is reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s novels and is filled with details about Paris that will allow readers to fully immerse themselves in the mystery.

Pages: 189 | ASIN : B09PMP4J6Y