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Murder in Montparnasse: A Mystery of Literary Paris [Hardcover]

Howard Engel (Author)
3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

Price: $23.95 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
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Book Description

August 1, 1999
It's autumn 1925, and a killer uncannily like England's Jack the Ripper is stalking the city streets of Paris and preying on young women. Michael Ward is a journalist newly arrived to the Left Bank. When he falls in with Jason Waddington, an expatriate American writer who introduces him to the cafe scene and his crowd of writers and artists, Ward soon discovers that Jack de Paris is not the only trouble afoot in the City of Light. Rumor has it that Waddington has written a damaging roman a clef about his friends, and tempers are rising even as fear of the killer grips the city. When the body of Laure Duclos is found, it seems their circle has finally been touched by Jack. But Ward has his doubts and begins to wonder whether Laure was truly Jack de Paris's latest victim, or if someone else was using the serial killer as a convenient cover to protect themselves.

In a feat of literature reminiscent of Caleb Carr's The Alienist, Howard Engel blends intriguing historical fact with nail-biting fiction to produce a thriller of the highest order. Murder in Montparnasse will delight both new readers of Engel and his long-time fans.
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.


Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

It might help to have a copy of Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises handy as you read this marvelously rich and evocative mystery set among the expatriates in Paris in 1925. That way, you'll know exactly which of Howard Engel's characters are based on Hemingway's cast of thirtysomethings. Hemingway (who narrated his voice through Jake Barnes in The Sun Also Rises) is a cinch to spot in Engel's book--he's Jason Waddington, a tough American from Oak Park, Illinois, who loves boxing and bullfighting. In 1922, his wife lost a suitcase full of his original manuscripts on a train, and she has never quite gotten over the shame. That suitcase becomes a part of the mystery, as does "the Spanish novel," which Waddington wrote about his friends' bad behavior in Pamplona the summer before. Some of these "friends" will go to great lengths to keep the book from being published.

There are several lovely inside jokes, like the ambitious Belgian writer "Georges Sim" who knocks out books quickly and is encouraged to look into the possibility of writing detective stories. And there's enough drinking and snooty literary chatter about real writers and artists to make your head spin. --Dick Adler

From Publishers Weekly

Taking a break from his Benny Cooperman mysteries, Engel (Getting Away with Murder) presents a Parisian mystery involving cafes, romance, murder and lots of wine. In the fall of 1925, Canadian journalist Mike Ward arrives in the City of Light in search of the literary life. Soon he meets Jason Waddington, an expat American writer, and is lured into his circle of fashionable authors, painters, editors and socialites. Among them is the breathtaking Laure Duclos, a "teacher of French"; despite warnings from his friends that "she's poison," Ward is hooked after one look. Their affair is short-lived, however, since Laure is soon murdered, apparently by the notorious Jack de Paris, a serial killer with a penchant for stabbing beautiful women. Ward suspects someone has used Jack as cover to do away with Laure, however, and determines to find the real murderer. Meanwhile, cafe gossip insinuates that Waddington's current manuscript is a character-defaming expos? about his friends. Engel relies heavily on dialogue to push forward his plot, with plenty of intoxicated cafe talk thrown in, and his characters should please fans of the era: Waddington bears a pointed resemblance to Hemingway, and many other players are loosely based on notable writers or their famous fictional creations. Engel's descriptions of Paris in the '20s are charming, adding to the fun of the gambol he provides through the Left Bank and its denizens. Agent, Beverly Slopen. (Aug.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

  • Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  • Hardcover: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Overlook Hardcover; 2nd edition (August 1, 1999)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0879517018
  • ISBN-13: 978-0879517014
  • Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,691,647 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.0 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars HIGHLY READABLE MULTI-LAYERED MYSTERY, February 26, 2004
Think 1920's, the Left Bank, Hemingway, prolonged erudite discussions over bottles of wine, and you've set the scene for what is billed as "A Mystery Of Literary Paris."

Mike Ward, a Canadian journalist, arrives in this wannabe mecca eager to be a part of the scene. He meets and befriends Jason Waddington (this is where you think Hemingway) who is quick to include Mike in a select coterie of writers, artists, and world weary types.

It seems there's also a murderer ala Jack the Ripper roaming those dimly lit streets. The killer has a penchant for fatally stabbing beautiful women. When gorgeous Laure Duclos, with whom Mike has been having a romantic encounters, falls victim, Mike has a theory of his own.

As Mike begins an investigation of his own, café rumor has it that Waddington's latest book is a thinly disguised roman a clef, a character besmirching study of his friends.

A highly readable multi-layered mystery

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Nice sense of place and time, December 24, 2011
If you read this for the sense of place (Paris, 1925)and the glimpses of literary figures of the time, then you'll enjoy it and the mystery related to the Jack de Paris killings will be icing on your cake. But if you expect the mystery to be in the foreground and you aren't interested in portrayals of Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and others, then you're liable to be disappointed.
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9 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A good atmoshpheric read, June 22, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Murder in Montparnasse: A Mystery of Literary Paris (Hardcover)
In 1925 Paris, the "War to end all Wars" seems a distant memory as the city serves as the literary Mecca of the world. Seemingly all the famous authors and wannabes live on the Left Bank. American journalist Michael Ward is the latest expatriate to settle in Paris. Jason quickly falls in love with his mentor Jason Waddington, a person accused of writing an expose.

As Michael adjusts to the excitement of the cafes, Jack de Paris, a Ripper clone, is terrorizing the city. When Jack apparently murders Laure Duclos, a member of Jason's inner circle, only Michael thinks otherwise. The journalist believes someone killed the woman by disguising the murder to look like Jack's action. Now Michael begins to investigate, not yet knowing how much danger he must confront.

MURDER IN MONTPARNASSE is an excellent historical mystery that leaves readers feeling as if they are sipping café au lait at an outdoor restaurant. The story line is crisp and entertaining and the investigation fun to observe as it unfolds. The characters are enjoyable with real historical persona mingling with fictional players. Howard Engel's tale is must reading for sub-genre fans as the autumn air of 1920's Paris will leave fans wondering when the next time they read about the gay city will happen.

Hariet Klausner

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Inside This Book (learn more)
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First Sentence:
I first ran across him walking along the quays. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
railway police
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Hal Leopold, Lady Biz, Laure Duclos, Jack de Paris, Wilson O'Donnell, Anson Tyler, Gertrude Stein, Jason Waddington, New York, Gare de Lyon, Julia Lowry, Miss Beach, Miss Toklas, Cyril Burdock, Luxembourg Gardens, Miss Stein, Closerie des Lilas, Gare Montparnasse, Michael Arlen, Arlette La Motte, Georgia O'Donnell, Josephine Baker, Mlle Duclos, Right Bank, Sherwood Anderson
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