Member Reviews
Lucy Foley's latest thriller is set in a posh Paris apartment building at Number Twelve, Rue des Amants. All of the residents have lived there for a long time, with the exception of Benjamin Daniels, a charming, outgoing British journalist who moved into the building three months ago. Other than Ben's former college mate Nick, the tenants are an eclectic and mysterious ensemble.
At the story's start, Ben is expecting a visit from his half-sister Jess, a down-on-her luck free spirit hoping to leave her dead-end existence in England for a new start across the Channel. Upon her arrival, however, Jess finds Ben's apartment empty. Where is he? He knew she was coming and assured her he would be at home to greet her. He's not answering his phone, and when he doesn't return after a few days, a concerned Jess begins contacting his work colleagues and the tenants in the building, looking for clues as to Ben's whereabouts. Speaking with the neighbors, it's obvious they've had dealings with Ben before his disappearance, but they are less than forthcoming with details.
As Jess presses on, the information she uncovers has her fearing not only for Ben's safety, but for her own as well. Secrets, deception, and illicit activities raise the stakes in this fast-paced tale. With curves, twists, and turns to the very end, Lucy Foley proves once again that she is one of the best contemporary thriller writers to date.
I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
A young woman travels to meet her half brother and finds his apartment empty. During her search for him, she meets shady characters. I love the ending.
As big release thrillers go, this was not bad. Better than expected, even.
I didn’t like The Hunting Party and therefore didn’t expect to like this book much either, but I was at least somewhat pleasantly surprised.
The setting could have been perfect but lacked the eeriness needed to take a stock domestic thriller and turn it into something truly bone-chilling and fun. I got pretty excited when the book reveals a secret passage early on, but that type of descriptive atmospheric content pretty much dies there.
Like most domestic thrillers, this is largely character driven, and thus suffers from the same problem that most domestic thrillers have: Character-driven books aren’t great when the characters aren’t original, complex, or likable.
But the story does have a decent twist (or two) at the end, and a much more satisfying solve than Foley’s previous work. The plot actually isn’t bad on the whole either, even if the book is short on a few elements that could have made it a genre standout.
This started slow but ended up being a twisty thriller. The characters were interesting and their stories were layered in an interesting way that kept me guessing throughout the whole story.
This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Wow!! The Paris Apartment was such a fun read. I loved the great character development and the changing points of view. I was constantly trying to figure out the twists and turns but couldn’t quite get there! Lucy Foley did a great job keeping me guessing. I loved the setting of the apartment building and following the tenants there. It gave a “Only Murders in the Building” vibe. Overall, this was a fun read and I know it’s going to be another hit for Foley!
This is the first book I have read by Lucy Foley. I have heard great things about 'The Guest List' so I was excited to receive an ARC copy of this book through NetGalley in return for my honest review. I definitely wanted to figure out the mystery but did find some of the details unnecessary. The end also felt unreal and rushed. Overall, I give it 3 stars.
Excellent whodunnit! Lucy Foley definitely keeps you going with her twists and turns throughout her books. Surprising to the very end. Excellent plot and great depth to characters.
Lucy definitely outdid herself with this title!
The book opens with us meeting Ben, however, while leaving a message for his sister, an intruder enters his home and we can only assume something has happened to him.
Jess, Ben's sister, is on her way to Paris to escape her life and past. She wants a fresh start, but she never imagined what she would find when she arrives.
Lucy takes us on a whirlwind of who-dun-it, but not in the style of Christie. Just like in her previous titles, the story builds through the multiple points of view of the strangers who live in the building. As the plot thickens, you will be left guessing to the very end of what actually happened to Ben!
Definitely recommend.
This book is perfect for mystery lovers. It gives you just enough nuggets to make you think you almost know what’s going on, but keeps you turning the pages to find out more. I didn’t love any of the characters, but trying to figure out who was the worst person in the story was part of the book’s charm. Highly recommend. Kept me guessing until the end.
Foley has quickly become an auto-read author for me. She continues to deliver fast-paced, intriguing plots that take place in the most interesting places. Similarly to THE GUEST LIST, this book allows the reader to hear the story from multiple points of views, which is one of my favorite writing styles.
Even though I flew through this one (in one day), the plot/"twist" didn't captivate me as much as her other books. This one fell a bit flat and lost my interest towards the end. I wish that there would've been more with either the Parisian environment OR more creativity with the apartment aspect.
Despite those thoughts, I know that this book will be a hit with thriller lovers and will definitely keep in mind while providing recommendations at the library.
* spoiler alert ** Ok I really really wanted to like this book. But it took me forever to read because I was so bored. Maybe it was just the way it was written but I had issues with it. This is I believe the first book I’ve read by her and I probably won’t read the rest. I could not stand Jess the main character. She plays dumb the entire time throughout the book and is ho humming around. I’m sorry but your brother is missing just because you have issues with law enforcement you’re going to go and have someone you barely know do your talking for you? That shit is just stupid. I couldn’t with this whole book.
I do want to thank NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to review this book. All of these opinions are my own
This was quite an intriguing whodunit that kept me continually guessing and had an abundance of twists and turns. It felt like a giant game of clue where you needed to pay close attention after hints and secrets were constantly being uncovered leaving you with the clues assemble the final puzzle.
As with her previous work, this one has multiple POVS which always leaves me slightly confused at first but ends up coming together nicely!
Foley has such a knack for locked room mysteries and this one certainly had all the aspects I look for in thrillers but I did find it a little slow at times and dragged out.
All in all, probably my favourite of her work and was an enjoyable thriller with a fun and unique atmosphere!
3.5 rounded to 4 for goodreads
This is one wild ride that you won't see coming. Some content may be a little mature or triggering, so would not recommend for a younger audience.
I would sum this book up as a "Twisted game of Clue".
Jess is heading to stay with her brother Ben. When she arrives to his apartment, he is no where to be found. She begins to get worried when he has not made contact with anyone and finds his keys and wallet are still in his apartment and his vespa still in the garage. Where could Ben be?
Introduce neighbours.
Nick ~ good looking and "in between jobs" - also friends with Ben from college days.
Mimi ~ socially awkward, an artist and resides with a roommate the total opposite of her
Antonie ~ an alcoholic who's wife has recently left him
Sophie ~ 50 year old snobby trophy wife , resides in the penthouse suite of the apartment complex and married to Jacques
Without going into full detail, the story begins to unfold and Jess begins to connect the dots.
Other than the fact this book is a slow paced read, it was still good. My heart rate didn't go up with excitement at any point like with some thrillers but I found it intriguing. The book had greats twists thrown in and the ending had some big ones. A few I seen coming but kudos to the ones I did not.
I loved the Paris setting. The descriptive writing allowed my imagination to visualize where everything was taking place. Les phrases français ajoutées étaient une belle touche.
Four solid stars. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in advance! Extremely grateful.
Our main character's brother is missing. All tenants of his ritzy Paris apartment building are highly suspect.
Lucy Foley's PARIS APARTMENT does not disappoint. My current Foley ranking goes THE GUEST LIST > THE PARIS APARTMENT > THE HUNTING PARTY. This title was very twisty and the big finale very literally dropped my jaw. Also a note: this was a pretty explicit read, certainly an R rather than a PG-13. It took me a few sittings to really get engaged, but THE PARIS APARMENT was well-worth the read.
Lucy Foley brings you into a creepy, yet luxurious, apartment building in the city of Love, where a sister is unraveling a mystery: Where is her brother? He was supposed to be there when she arrived, but a cut-off voicemail sounds weirder by the day and leads her to think something is terribly wrong. It's full of suspense, allows you to dig into each of the peculiar residents' lives, and weaves it all together for the makings of a true thriller. You'll be guessing until the end.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book but ultimately this was not really for me. One of the things I liked most about “The Guest List” was how atmospheric the writing was. That was not how I felt about the writing in this book. It’s seemed less refined and in my opinion lacked the tone the setting needed to feel creepy and thrilling. It just did not work for me. I do have to say that this was entertaining and I flew through it but I still didn’t enjoy it overall. Again, the tone felt so off to me and it made any plot twist feel bland and unconvincing. I would recommend “The Guest List” for anyone curious about Lucy Foley.
An absorbing, twisty story full of intrigue and secrets. Ben Daniels sister, Jess, has traveled to Paris with plans to stay with him. When she arrives however, Ben is missing and Jess is determined to find him and figure out what’s happened. His neighbors in this sinister apartment building are unreliable and Jess struggles with who she can trust. Full of atmosphere and lots of twists, this psychological crime drama delivers.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
4.5/5 stars
The Paris Apartment is a thriller set in a Paris apartment building.
There are a bunch of 1st person narrators. But the main character is Jess. She arrives at the apartment to stay with her brother Ben.
The characters are all super odd and extremely dysfunctional. Sophie lives in the penthouse with her husband Jacques. Mimi lives on the 4th floor with her roommate Camille. Nick is Ben's friend and lives on the 2nd floor. The concierge lurks around and watches everything. They are the other narrators. But we also get some of Ben's POV.
I really liked the beginning. Jess was such a fun character. Her brother Ben is a journalist who also lives in the apartment. But something happens that leads Jess to try to solve a mystery.
The characters in this book are fascinating. Everyone in the book is lying. They are mostly all hostile and they hate strangers. So it's interesting to see how they react to Jess in their building. The apartment was super creepy. And I loved everything about it!
This was a really interesting mystery. There aren't a lot of characters. And it's basically a locked room mystery. The last chapters were riveting and there was a lot happening. The ending was quite chilling with one reveal after another (I loved that!) Overall this was an enjoyable read!