Customer Reviews

The Paris Enigma: A Novel

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I debated whether to give this book a 3 or a 4, but in the end I liked it well enough so I went with the 4. Had I the option, I guess it would have gotten a 3.5.

Part of the problem was that the book description doesn't really describe the book, so my expectations weren't met. The only similarity to The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America, a book I loved, was the World's Fair. The Paris Engima lacked the rich detail and history. The description promised a "series" of grisly murders, of which there were only two, and only one "grisly". Etc.

I liked the writing, and the main character, and when the story was being told the book was quite good and compelling. The problem was that there were numerous case vignettes put forth by the "Twelve Detectives" which had no bearing on the story and actually detracted from it. If the book had just told the one story, it would have been a really good novella, but a lot of what was there felt like filler, or the author wanting to put all his murder mystery ideas into one place.

Glad I read it, but I wouldn't rush out to read more of the same.

The witty cover of this book caught my eye when I was looking through the new releases on amazon the other day. I'm very happy I let myself be seduced by it because THE PARIS ENIGMA - the first novel to be published in English by what I understand is a young writer who's already acclaimed in his native Argentina - is quite brilliant. First of all, the setting: the Paris of 1889 that de Santis evokes is wonderfully gothic and mysterious, on the cusp of the modern age, but still full of the darkness of an earlier, less scientific, age. (The unfinished Eiffel Tower is the central symbol for this in-between state.) And then the plot: a serial killer investigation like none other you'll have come across, conducted by a cabal of the world's greatest detectives (aka The Twelve Detectives) and the novel's hero and narrator, the young assistant to one of them. It's simply a superb historical mystery, but it doesn't stop there - if you want, you can also read THE PARIS ENIGMA as a philosophical investigation into the nature of good and evil, of crime and punishment. Perfect reading for a cold winter's day!

In 1889 Paris hosts the World's Fair. There twelve of the greatest detectives from around the globe meet for the first time. Make that eleven as the twelfth Sigmundo Salvatrio is representing his employer Renaldo Craig who is ill and unable to attend besides being tied up with two murders back home. Two of the investigators Louis Darbon and Polish immigrant Viktor Arkazy claim to be the Detective of Paris. However, their heated rivalry for the honor of top Paris sleuth ends when Darbon falls from the Eiffel Tower just before the gala begins.

Arkazy agrees to train Argentine Sigmundo Salvatrio on detecting although his student is Craig's assistant. They work on solving Darbon's homicide, as the Polish expatriate fears more of the international alliance of Twelve Detectives will be targeted by an unknown adversary especially when a preserved corpse is burned.

Told by the intelligent yet lacking confidence Sigmundo Salvatrio, THE PARIS ENIGMA is a superb historical mystery that uses late nineteenth century Paris (starting with the still not quite finished Eiffel Tower) as the backdrop to an entertaining whodunit. The story line is driven by The Twelve Detectives, whose competition for top gun turns nasty as superegos explode. Fans will enjoy the dysfunctional exploits of the world's greatest detectives struggling to solve THE PARIS ENIGMA with each wanting to be the one acclaimed as the best.

Harriet Klausner

I purchased this book expecting an Agatha Christie/John Dickson Carr old style locked room mystery. To my surprise this book fell far short of the mark. Though well crafted overall its characters, including the main protagonist, don't really get off the ground. What could have been the setting for a great mystery, the 1889 Paris World's Fair, fell far short of its mark.

What a wonderful, fascinating book! This is one of those books that can be enjoyed as a piece of genre writing or as a more philosophical investigation of an anxious historical period of transition.

The main character is a young man, sent by his famous detective mentor to the Paris World's Fair in 1889 to attend the meeting of the 12 Detectives. The 12 Detectives are the World's Greatest Detectives, embodying every detective stereotype (e.g. an all-action American Pinkerton with his silent, but all-noticing Sioux assistant, a British detective who reminded me strongly of Sherlock Holmes). They are all about solving perfect crimes, such as their prized locked-door murders, using scientific methods. Meanwhile, the World's Fair, and the Eiffel Tower in particular, are celebrating a brave new world where science and reason dominate.

Ultimately, the success of the 12 Detectives' scientific methods is dependent on the criminal. Without rationality behind the crime, the motives of a killer are opaque and untraceable, meaning that the unglamorous, disdained "crimes of passion" are more intractable than the classic "plotted" murders. What is the new human condition at the dawn of the 20th century, and are the methods of the 12 Detectives appropriate to solving its crimes? And more fundamentally: what does enigma provide that rationality cannot?

This book is well-written, quickly paced, full of delightful detective anecdotes told by colorful characters. He packs all of this into less than 250 pages with short chapters (2-5 pages). Yet, if you are looking for a classic whodunit, you might be disappointed. I was pretty sure I knew who the murderer was and I was right. The solution wasn't an astonishing Agatha Christie-type reveal. But if you enjoyed Caleb Carr or In the Name of the Rose then you should enjoy this memorable story.

The book was good, but not as good as I had hoped. There was little of the excitement of the Paris exposition and the "mystery" was rather mundane. The idea was a good one, but keeping the various detectives and their aides straight was not easy. I think a rewrite would be a good idea.

I was looking forward to reading this book during my trip to Paris, hoping it would both provide a good murder mystery and evoke turn of the century Paris and the Exposition Universelle. It did neither. The mystery was bland and unengaging. Worse, I could not believe that a book with this setting at this time period could do so little to create any sense of what Paris was like or to convey the history and the excitement of the Exposition. It felt as if the main character never left his hotel room. Would not recommend.

I gave this author a good review for his Voltaire's Calligrapher. I really enjoyed it, so I bought this larger tome. Wow. Not enjoyable, not a good read. There is really no plot going on here, just endless small scenes that are so similar that the whole thing just disintegrated in my mind to a grey mush of meaningless meandering, never quite getting to the point of being interesting, or of even moving the plot along. It's always a bad sign when the reader DOESN'T CARE who killed the victim. I got to that point halfway through.

I read four to five thrillers a year, and 'The Paris Enigma' did not disappointed me. It was an enjoyable read with nice descriptions and good style. This is not an action thriller, the pace is slow, and like a calm river water flow, it is beautiful. An original work of art, well away from the run!-bang!-hide!-kiss the pretty girl! usual bunch.

Highly recommended if you like thrillers.

I had high hopes for this book after reading some of its accolades in the press but found it to be just OK. It moved slowly and somehow the writing just didn't grip me. There was never a point in the book where I just had to know what happened next. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't special either.