I’m trying to find my reading groove again, so I picked up this mystery chosen by my RL book club and hoped for the best. I was in luck, as Manning wrote a decent story. The setting was distinctly outside my experience, so I have no idea how realistic her version of 1938 Paris and the news business of the time is. In order to enjoy the book, one must make several assumptions: that a young Australian woman would slide into Parisian society so seamlessly, that her employer would be as supportive as depicted, and that opportunities for investigation would be achieved so easily. One must avoid looking at these details too directly or risk destroying the pleasure of a convenient plot.
I admit that I groaned a bit when I picked up the book and realized it featured a journalist. I did not expect to be converted to liking Charlie and it took me about 60 pages to find myself okay with her.
In short, it was better than I anticipated and not a hardship to read (unlike some other book club selections). Some of this is due to me, not the book, as I have a concentration problem currently.
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