This is a great start to a series featuring Charlotte "Charlie" James who has moved from Australia to Paris to pursue a career in newspaper reporting. I found Charlie to be very likeable as well as intelligent. It was easy to keep track of the characters and the descriptions of life in Paris were wonderful. The investigation moved well and stayed on point throughout the book. I did not guess the ending, but found it to be a good solution.

This is a good first entry in a new historical mystery series.

Charlotte "Charlie" James is the new Paris correspondent for the Times newspaper, out of London. It's the 1930s, and she has to prove she is just as good if not better than the men to keep her job.

Her first assignment is a profile of Lady Ashworth, who can give Charlie an in with the wealthy citizens of the city. Lady Ashworth likes Charlie well enough, and invites her to the Circus Ball she is hosting. Charlie is dazzled by the extravagance and the amazing performers, but it's the dead body in the garden that steals the show. Charlie will do anything to get the story and solve the murder.

If you like historical mysteries, this is a good one. Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book.

How fun to be in the society world of 1938 Paris. Lush gowns, beautiful parties, intrigue, and murder.
Our heroine, Charlie, is new to Paris from Australia and is thrilled to be one of the first women journalists. She is put on the society page to do fluff pieces but lands right in the middle of the murder of a supposed pillar of the financial community. This allows Charlie to do what she really wants to do - cover the crime beat.
This is a fun book that takes you to a happy Paris between the two wars. We know what is on the horizon, but they don’t so they are just having a good time. I did, too.

I liked Charlie and enjoyed the descriptions of the fashion world and the historical background.
The mystery is a on the very light side but I had fun.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

While I enjoyed the historical setting and Charlie herself, I found the story a bit stereotypically formulaic and predictable. Since it was entertaining, though, and easy to fly through, I would still recommend, and am sincerely looking forward to the next installment in this series. So much potential.

The Paris Mystery by Kirsty Manning is set in Paris in the late 1930s. Chock full of intrigue, glamour and fashion it is the first of a new series. Quirky and feisty Charlotte "Charlie" James has left Australia to make a fresh start in Paris as a journalist for London's The Times, not the easiest thing to do in a man's world. In order to become enmeshed in society and make connections, she inveigles into the lives of Lord and Lady Ashworth and the world of the uber rich. She attends the annual Circus Ball but what happens there is what most don't anticipate. Death comes knocking and Charlie teams up with dashing Inspector Bernard in more ways than one.

The plot is not a unique one and on the whole left me underwhelmed. The story is a little fashion heavy but a very important aspect of the era, especially in Paris. However, I enjoyed the descriptions which transported me to Versailles and Paris in a heartbeat.

My sincere thank you to Penguin Random House, Vintage and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this entertaining novel.

A great tale of a strong, capable, career woman in Paris during the thirties. Charlie has moved to Paris to be a reporter for the Times and escape her failed marriage. As a reporter she meets the most interesting people and attends fabulous parties, all while trying to solve a mystery. A fun, absorbing read. Thank you NetGalley for providing the ARC.

I seem to be picking up a lot of books lately that take place in Paris. That’s fine by me. I have been there twice in the last year which makes them more fun for me to read. This book like a few others I have read recently, takes place on the eve of World War II. It’s not a war time navel but the setting and time add character to the story.
A youngish journalist Charlie, don’t call me Charlotte, James takes a huge leap and moves to Paris from Australia after an unfortunate end to her marriage to take a job at the Paris desk of a large London based newspaper. Her potential employer mistakenly thought he was hiring a man, oops, but instead gets a determined, gifted female writer intent on making a name for herself. When a murder occurs during a huge social event, Charlie realizes she must try and solve the mystery in order to get her scoop. After another murder follows, Charlie is on a race against time to figure out which of her multiple suspects is guilty and which are just hiding something. She must tread carefully since upsetting her sources could cost her her job.
Great fun and loved the fashionable sidekick.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book which looks to be a first in what is to become a series. I liked the characters, the plot was believable and not obvious, and the author did a great job of blending in some factual information which always adds to the depth of the story. I will look for more books in the series.
Thanks to NetGalley fir proving an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is set in Paris in the 1930's. It follows a divorced Australian journalist (Charlie) after she moves to Paris to take on a new life. She is thrown into the glamour and fever of Paris. Suddenly a murder happens at an aristocrat's party and Charlie starts the hunt for the murderer.
This book has promise and is definitely set up for world building and sequels. Charlie is a tenacious character who defies the feminine stereotypes of the time. She is smart, resourceful, but also has skeletons in her closet. The other characters in the book show different sides of Paris, from the wealthy elite to the working class. You follow Charlie on her journey to solve the murder of a friend and she becomes entangled in the secret lives of the rich.
I think it was an enjoyable read, at points it can be slow. The pacing is either focused on characters or moving the plot, but not both. This impacts the pacing and can take you out of it sometimes. The ending hits you all at once and kind of comes out of nowhere. It feels like the author was aiming for a huge reveal with shock value, but it just didn't come together.

I enjoyed this so much! The fashions, the mystery, the characters, the setting...everything was lovely. The mystery was brilliantly paced, the characters were all uniquely distinct, and the setting; c'est magnifique. I really hope that this becomes a continuing series as I would love to learn more about our MC's background and past; we were given enough to make us want more, but was done in a way that I wasn't confused. And, this was a bit steamy, which I definitely didn't expect, but did enjoy.

The year is 1938, and Charlotte (aka Charlie) James moves from Australia to start over in Paris. She is excited to begin work as a correspondent at the British newspaper The Times. She needs to prove herself to her boss, as well as to her male-dominated co-workers. Her ally at work is Violet, who helps Charlie settle in and navigate the circle of upper society. Her first assignment is to report on the society's biggest ball - the Circus Ball, complete with elephants, jugglers, and bare-breasted women on horseback, given by ex-pats Lord and Lady Ashworth. The extravagant ball takes a deadly turn, when a well-known banker is murdered.

Relying on her up-bringing with a father who worked for the Crown as a prosecutor of homicide cases, Charlie follows the clues and her gut, in trying to solve the murder. Balancing her duties to submit good copy for the paper and solving the murder keeps her on her toes. Set against the background of the City of Lights, where the people are not as they seem. Can she solve the murder before harm comes to her?

This is the first in a series featuring Charlie James, and I can't wait to read more! Available now everywhere - add this one to your TBR list for an enjoyable "whodunit" read! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this novel; all opinions are my own.

Paris, 1938. Charlotte, ‘Charlie,’ a reporter recently arrived from Australia, gets involved with the society crowd. Parties, wealthy characters and then a murder! First in a new series.

The Paris Mystery is a great easy to read mystery. I love the strong female character and the story is very entertaining and drew me in.

Fun read, loved the characters. Good storyline and liked learning about late 1930s. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

This was a fun, little mystery.
It had a good female lead.
This was an enjoyable summer read. I’m glad I read it. Thanks, Netgalley!

Indomitable
female lead. Speedy, beach read.
Fun setting, glitters.
⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟


I write haiku reviews but happy to provide more feedback.

Thanks, NetGalley and Penguin Random House, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review! This is one of the better books that I have read lately - and I loved the correspondent angle for Charlie. I love the atmosphere that the author creates, the characters that weave together and the quirky personalities throughout the book. I thought this was a glamorous book and will be cheering on Charlie in the rest of the books.

The Paris Mystery by Kristy Manning introduces us to Charlie James the new foreign correspondent in Paris in 1938. This is a light easy read type of story. It takes you through Paris and Versailles, talks about fashion and has you drinking champagne. Charlie is at a Circus Ball where a murder has been committed. She goes in to investigate and meets up with Inspector Benoit Bernard. Thank you to NetGallery and Vintage for letting me review this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book.

Charlotte "Charlie" James is not what the editor of the Paris edition of the London Times was expecting. For one thing, SHE is female, which is not common for a foreign correspondent in the world of 1930s newspapers. But here she is, and she has a job to do, so she gets right to it. Her first assignment is to interview the fabulous ex-pat Lady Ashworth, who has become a leading light in the decadent Paris society in the years preceding WWII. As Charlie thinks at one time, "who needs Berlin when you have Paris"!

But, at one of the Ashworth's lavish parties, there is a cold-blooded murder. And most of the guests could be a suspect in this murder of a not very well-liked French businessman, whose business practices are not always above reproach, and who has made enemies all across the Continent.

Charlie teams up with the very attractive Inspector Benoit Bernard to try to solve the mystery - and get the story that will truly start her successful career as a Journalist and Foreign Correspondent. But it takes a second unfortunate death to finally bring everything into focus and allow Charlie and the Inspector to solve the case. Or did they?

I really enjoyed this first of, I hope, MANY Charlie James adventures!

ARC for The Paris Mystery by Kirsty Manning
*Pub date: July 25, 2023* Buy it TODAY!

I have always been a fan of Agatha Christie and Kirsty Manning comes very close to bringing back the mystery and intrigue of a Christie novel but with a bit more, bubbly escapades, glamour, and fun in her new cozy novel- The Paris Mystery.

Three good reasons to read this book today:
1) I just love how Charlotte “Charlie” James finds her way to her dream job in Paris…they hire her because they think she fabulous journalist and a MAN. She wins herself the converted chair of correspondent for a major International newspaper and quickly finds herself entangled in a murder mystery. Her attempts to keep her work and sleuthing balance aligned is a playful, intriguing romp through the parties of 1930’s Paris.
2) The characters are over the top with Glitz and Glamour. Fashion, food, and drink are their delightful vices, and they flaunt them with pride at every turn of the page. Charlie even gets to embrace her passion for the designs of Paris haunt couture.
3) The ending is a surprise, just like in a Christie novel. Kirsty Manning keeps you guessing until the last page and leaves you happily satiated with the shocking finish. I also loved the relationship between Charlie and Inspector Bernard---unusual to see such a partnership. I hope they get to solve mysteries together again soon.

Available now! READ IT! 5 Stars

*I was given the opportunity by Net Gallery and the publisher to read a copy of The Paris Mystery in exchange for a fair & honest review.