Paris

I heard this author being reviewed on the 700 Club. He is a Christian Consumer Advocate. He is practical, clear, concise, direct and provides you with ample opportunities to learn how save money on several topics.He covers lots of topics, from how to travel abroad dirt cheap, or travel in country on a budget. He also covers how to become an investor on $25 month, different types of insurance and what you should know and or shouldnt buy and why, as well as how you can be on a budget and still have fun! He also lists companies that offer DRIPS, (Dividend reinvestment Plans.) I wish I had read this book before going across country. But, at least I am glad I got it before going out of country! I will save almost 60% on airfare alone! I havent seen another book with all these topics covered at once, usually only travel, investments or insurance, etc.I am very glad I bought this book, and no, you wont find me parting with it at my next garage sale, so I suggest you buy your own copy. :) This is a keeper of reference material!

In 1925 Paris, the "War to end all Wars" seems a distant memory as the city serves as the literary Mecca of the world. Seemingly all the famous authors and wannabes live on the Left Bank. American journalist Michael Ward is the latest expatriate to settle in Paris. Jason quickly falls in love with his mentor Jason Waddington, a person accused of writing an expose.

As Michael adjusts to the excitement of the cafes, Jack de Paris, a Ripper clone, is terrorizing the city. When Jack apparently murders Laure Duclos, a member of Jason's inner circle, only Michael thinks otherwise. The journalist believes someone killed the woman by disguising the murder to look like Jack's action. Now Michael begins to investigate, not yet knowing how much danger he must confront.

MURDER IN MONTPARNASSE is an excellent historical mystery that leaves readers feeling as if they are sipping café au lait at an outdoor restaurant. The story line is crisp and entertaining and the investigation fun to observe as it unfolds. The characters are enjoyable with real historical persona mingling with fictional players. Howard Engel's tale is must reading for sub-genre fans as the autumn air of 1920's Paris will leave fans wondering when the next time they read about the gay city will happen.

Hariet Klausner

Think 1920's, the Left Bank, Hemingway, prolonged erudite discussions over bottles of wine, and you've set the scene for what is billed as "A Mystery Of Literary Paris."

Mike Ward, a Canadian journalist, arrives in this wannabe mecca eager to be a part of the scene. He meets and befriends Jason Waddington (this is where you think Hemingway) who is quick to include Mike in a select coterie of writers, artists, and world weary types.

It seems there's also a murderer ala Jack the Ripper roaming those dimly lit streets. The killer has a penchant for fatally stabbing beautiful women. When gorgeous Laure Duclos, with whom Mike has been having a romantic encounters, falls victim, Mike has a theory of his own.

As Mike begins an investigation of his own, café rumor has it that Waddington's latest book is a thinly disguised roman a clef, a character besmirching study of his friends.

A highly readable multi-layered mystery

The Mystery of the Deadly Diamond
By Elizabeth Howard

I read The Mystery of the Deadly Diamond, by Elizabeth Howard. I enjoyed the book mainly because it was right to the point. It wouldn't try to throw out metaphors and stuff like that to confuse me. For example, on page 73, "Perhaps she was thinking about the fist or plotting her next crime. Whatever the reason, she was deeply and unmistakably absorbed in her own thoughts." That section told me exactly (and clearly) what she was doing. The book also made it obvious that Marcel loved and cared for Paris deeply. Simply stated on page 125, "I was worried about you because I love you Paris."\

The theme is how Paris Mackenzie tries to find out why a missing diamond relates to her and her family. Also, things are rarely what they seem to be. I definitely agree with that statement. In life, you may think you know something, but it turns out it's the total opposite.

I would definitely recommend this book to others. It's a fast read that makes you keep turning pages. The print is also large enough so that people with poor eyesight can read it no hastle. It was also somewhat short which is normally good. If your looking for a good book that doesn't beat around the bush, it's a must read. This is the best mystery I have ever read. I think a mystery needs the following components to make it good: an interesting plot, a brave hero or heroine, and a surprise ending. The Mystery of the Deadly Diamond has all of those qualities. I think anyone who's looking for a fun and exciting mystery, look no further than The Mystery of the Deadly Diamond.

Perhaps Sue is the French Dickens--Mysteries of Paris is a novel of social criticism, written as fiction. In the typical style of french prose roman, Sue weaves a tale of prostitutes and the middle class, violence, compassion and the Seine. Sue's novels are grand in scope, and grand in size. Sue also wrote another multivolume work, The Wandering Jew.

This novel presents many of the regular characters from the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew series (Chet, Tony, Fenton, Laura, Bess and George among others) as friends of the fictional Frank Dixon and Carolyn Keene. The tale begins with two threads: Joe Dixon, Frank's brother, goes off to become a World War One aviator and is killed (or is he?) and Frank, already an amateur detective, goes to Europe to investigate. Meanwhile, Carson Keene, Carolyn's father, is about to marry a woman young enough to be Carolyn's sister and Carolyn, thinking only of Carson's happiness, flees to Paris.

In the course of their European adventures, both Frank and Carolyn meet up with and befriend some of the famous literati of the "Lost Generation", such as Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway.

Frank discovers that Joe had married a French woman while overseas and sets about tracking her down, while Carolyn discovers that her step-mother had a somewhat shady past. Eventually Frank and Carolyn meet and, gasp, fall in love!

Unfortunately, the course of true love never runs smooth and that, along with Carson's death, break the loving couple up, as Carolyn leaves Paris to return to River Heights. Never one to mope, Frank puts his time to good use in tracking down clues about his brother's long-lost wife - a trail which leads him to England.

I don't want to give away the story here, I'm sure you'd rather find out for yourselves how this all turns out in the end.

I enjoyed Mystery Box despite the somewhat improbable nature of the plot. I just find the premise of both Frank and Carolyn hobnobbing with some of the most famous writers of the 20th century a bit hard to swallow but if one suspends disbelief, it shouldn't bother you too much! The dialog rings fairly true, despite some lapses into sappy romanticism. Some of the action would not out of place in any one of your favorite series books. All in all, this is an enjoyable read for lovers of Nancy or the brothers Hardy.

Althought the subject matter is rather dark, the overall message is a good one. This book is a gentle introduction to dealing with death. The unlikely pairing of the little bird and the old musician teach our children that diversity in our friendships enlightens and educates us. The untold demise of the old man gives us an opportunity to teach our children about the emotion of sorrow and honoring the memories of those who have past.

We were in Paris in April 2000. From this book we picked a small hotel in the San Germain area, on the Left Bank. We loved the hotel, it was the perfect location for us, and great service. After reading this book, we choose five hotels that we were interested in. I am sure that any of the five hotels would have been to our liking. This book made it so easy to decided where we wanted to stay in Paris. It was recomended to us by a friend who had used it for her trip to Paris.

The pages in this book are acutally postcards, which you can tear out and mail. Each is 9" x 4" card stock, with a panoramic photo of Paris on one side, the typical postcard lines on the back with the most very brief descritpion of the photo.
The photos are hand tinted, so the colour is interesting, although a few of the 30 are perhaps a shade too dark. Overall, this book provides some interesting postcards, as well as a good "remember we were there" book.
This little book can also open your photo-eyes to panoramic seeing, as the photos range from classic city skyline, a few of the Eiffel Tower, and some interesting views of cafes, closeups of buildings, etc. Those on their way to Paris can use this for some unusual photo ideas; if you have an APS camera and never played with the panoramic aspect, this will open your eyes some. Not fabulous, but solid, good buy for the price. Also can be a small coffee table book.

A beautiful book with nice photos and an interesting text. Especially on architecture and their previous occupants. It also states who is at what number. (Handy to know for where you have to be for your next shopping trip!). It also gives an exclusive insight into one of Paris' finest hotels, Ritz. The stories on the joailliers are all too well-known but the photos make up for it. And the stories on the bankers are quite entertaining, especially J.P. Morgan. All in all, a nice book for a nice price (it'll probably be the cheapest thing to any item at or around Place Vendome).