The Ghosts of Paris by Tara Moss is a Historical Fiction/Mystery novel set in Sydney, Paris and London after the second world war as all three cities are picking up the pieces. Ms. Billie Walker a Private Inquiry agent who is tough as nails, but deeply moral and also trying to pick up the pieces of her own life. I loved Billie’s spunk and also gaining an idea of what it may have been like in these cities post war. Over all a great read!

This book needs a content warning for the prologue: anybody who is disturbed by current videos of Russian tanks, or living in/near their field of operations, will find the imagery there more than ordinarily disturbing.

Although I really like the era and the concept - kind of a Miss FIsher character but after WW2 instead of WW1 - this ARC failed to land for me. There are a few scenes that stood out as polished & with good forward drive, and characters I'd have liked to see more of (Shyla and Ginger). The writing is competent, the suspense/tension/crime-solving less so. If you're reading for the Paris parts, you can skip most of the first half. After a suitably climactic pursuit scene, the actual ending was both emotionally and intellectually unsatisfying.

So much promise left unfulfilled. I hope the problems got addressed in the final edit before proofing.

The Ghosts of Paris is book that captures your attention from page one to the final chapter.

Its shortly after the War as Billie Walker a female detective from Australia and her partner are off on a mission to find two missing people.

One of them is Billie's husband Jack and the other she has been hired to find Richard Montgomery who never returned home from a trip to Paris.

Billie is a strong female protagonist who you cant help but cheer for and admire.

I had not read book one but the author does a remarkable job with background information that you can easily read as a stand alone.

I am of course off to read The War Widow Book 1.

I can't wait for the next book in the series as I could not put this one down.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins Canada, Harper Avenue for a great read.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins Canada for the opportunity to read a preview copy of The Ghosts of Paris by Tara Moss.

The Ghosts of Paris is part two of the Billie Walker mysteries. Tara Moss does an excellent job of reviewing parts of the first book. This helped me to remember the story and the characters of The War Widow. I loved the return to the adventure and got the most of being reunited with Billie Walker and her cast of characters. The history in The Ghosts of Paris is fascinating and well researched.

The story took me from Sydney, Australia to London and then Paris and back again. It is a ride and there is a lot of excitement and intrigue. The twists in the story fit with the characters and their time in history.

Tara Moss is a strong activist and supporter of women's rights and injustice. I recommend the Billie Walker Mysteries and The Ghosts of Paris does not disappoint as a sequel to The War Widow.

Tara Moss has made sure that readers have an immersive reading experience by incorporating details about fashion and architecture, as well as era-specific mindset and verbal expressions, societal issues and post-war reality. The author’s love of this time period is evident in her work and results in a better experience for her readers. I’m still thinking about the Bakelite clock and the female tied to the front gun of a tank!

“Stay out of it. Girl. Was that a threat?”

You’ll read about an Australian private investigator, the formidable Wilhelmina ‘Billie’ Walker and her hunky partner, Sam Baker, who follow clues to London and Paris in search of their client’s missing husband. You’ll love reading about the glitz and glamour of Paris and identifying with Billie’s heartbreaking connection to the City of Lights. Moss brings the quintessential image of the 1940s silver screen female P.I. alive for her readers and mixes in car chases, Tussy’s Fighting Red lipstick-wearing and gun-toting females, espionage, reflective moments shrouded in Lucky Strike cigarette smoke, and a foray into the dark world of an underground Nazi network.

Give the author time to set the backstage and then be prepared for a fast-paced journey back in time as Billie wrestles with the ghosts of her past while trying to solve a case. A compelling story full of secrets and intrigue set in postwar London and Paris, this engaging novel and the series need to be on every historical fiction lover’s reading list.

While this is book two in the Billie Walker Mystery series, it can stand alone.

I was gifted this advance copy by Tara Moss, HarperCollins Canada, HarperAvenue and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Billie is back at it in this second instalment of this mystery series. Once things get going, the plot is engaging, with shocking, unpredictable twists and turns. In this book, the reader follows Billie from Sydney to London and Paris which was a nice change of pace from book 1.

Billie is a fierce protagonist and her take charge approach and intelligence are so fun to read. I also love the way the author incorporates historical details into the story; her written descriptions of the fashion, mannerisms, cultural beliefs, architecture, and so on enrich the story and help immerse the reader in the time period. I continue to appreciate the romantic tension between Sam & Billie, and the entire storyline with Jack was one of the best parts of this book!

Where I struggled with this one was the pacing. The beginning was a slow start, and while I recognize that it was laying important groundwork for the mystery to come, I felt it could have been tightened up. Additionally, the ending was anticlimactic and a bit confusing. When the reader finally learns the mystery of Richard Montgomery, it was not as exciting as earlier moments. There were also some storylines that I had hoped would develop further (such as Shyla’s); I wanted more from her perspective. I imagine she’ll feature prominently in the next book.

Overall, this was not as exciting as the first in the series, but it does deal with some very real issues of the time (such as homophobia) and I learned more about the underground queer community in Sydney, London, and France at this time.

While it can be read as a standalone, there are many references to the mystery of the first book that the reader would benefit from understanding going into book two.

TW: violence, shooting, homophobia

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins Canada for this advanced copy of The Ghosts of Paris by Tara Moss

The Ghosts of Paris is story about an Australian Private Inquiry Agent, Ms. Billie Walker. She is a drinking and smoking, red lip-stick wearing with a gun strapped to the inside of her leg, fierce female! I liked Billie a lot and enjoyed her as the lead. Her assistant Sam Baker, a war vet, is sweet and kind and the perfect partner to Billie. Together they strive to solve the case of the disappearing husband which takes them from Australia to London and Paris.

We get to uncover some of Billie's past throughout the book and even though this was the second in the series, I never felt like I had missed anything. Likely, the first book covers some of this background in more detail, but I didn't feel lost, instead I felt more intrigued.

This is a fun read filled with lots of action - fights, car chases and shoot-outs all while the scenery takes us from London to glamourous Paris! I would definitely recommend!