Book Review: The Paris Affair by Pip Drysdale
The Paris Affair’s heroine is Harper, who has just moved from London to Paris and begun a new job, writing for the Arts section of a local online magazine. Eager to make her mark, as she ultimately hopes to crack into crime journalism, she pursues a story of a mysterious up-and-coming artist, Noah X. Harper finds herself as attracted to Noah as she is to his edgy artworks — and the feeling seems to be mutual. But the story she planned on writing takes quite a deviation when she realises Noah could turn out to be at best a witness to a murder, or at worst the actual murderer.
Harper is an interesting heroine. She could almost be described as an anti-heroine at times, given that she often makes very questionable choices. Circumstances have led her to find real strength and independence, however, and this, combined with her intelligence, makes her no pushover for any potential serial killer.
Drysdale’s mystery plot was multi-layered and complex. She managed to link everything together. A lot of the scenes I thought she’d written to merely highlight some character trait of Harper’s, ended up being integral to the main plot in the end. Very clever indeed.
The book is written from Harper’s first person point of view which felt very intimate. The action scenes were very clearly described and, given the Paris location, almost had an old fashioned Hitchcock-like way about them. The suspense and tension built gradually, with interactions Harper has with other characters going from innocuous to threatening at a nice pace.
Drysdale takes full advantage of the Paris setting when it comes to the suspense and tension. The style of the houses — their less than secure entrances due to numerous sets of stairs, and their internal designs that allow neighbouring properties a clear view of each other — add to the Harper’s sense that someone is watching her. Drysdale also throws in a few dimly lit back lanes and (in the complete reverse really) the crowded Metro carriages and stations, to great effect.
This book is very modern, its young characters are effortlessly tech savvy and conversant in all things social media and app driven. Harper’s relationships are [mostly] initiated on dating apps. She investigates the murders via videos, Instagram and podcasts. Her previous job was writing a blog. As such, I’m not sure every older reader will be able to easily relate to the book. (I think a lot of it would go over my 84 year old mother’s head.) I would, however, highly recommend it for those new adult readers who are in their 20s and looking for something relevant to their generation.
In fact, Drysdale is fast becoming the queen when it comes to the modern contemporary thriller and I highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a sleek and stylish thriller. 5 out of 5
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