The Paris Secret: A Novel

The Paris Secret is by Karen Swan. This book is based on the apartment they found in Paris which had been closed up during the last part of World War II and had never been opened. When it was finally opened, it revealed a treasure trove of items which had been preserved in that apartment for seventy-five years. It was completely inventoried and catalogued, much as it was in this novel. This novel takes the basic story and adds to it to make it Karen’s story. Flora Sykes works for Angus and his firm buying and selling and hunting down special art pieces for their clients. Flora is very good at finding the pieces they need and getting them at auction. However, in this case, Angus comes to her and sends her to Paris to go into an apartment his clients, Jacques and Lillian Vermeil, had just learned his parents had owned for seventy-five years and by his Father and Mother’s requests, no family member was to enter the apartment until both Magda and her husband were dead. Unfortunately, Magda was still alive; so, they hired Angus and Flora to go into the apartment without them. When flora first enters the apartment, she notices the dust all over everything. Then, Her eyes fell on the multitude of paintings and art objects, including a stuffed ostrich, that filled the room. She knew immediately the security service they used would be immediately Called. Among the paintings were ones by Renoir and other major painters. Where did they come from and did they have provenance? This is the job Flora is hired to do, find it? Can she do her job Without being distracted by the Vermeil’s son and daughter, Xavier and Natasha? Who can be trusted? The book is very good and is such fun to read and imagine myself helping to go through the entire museum

I'm surprised by the negative reviews because I loved this book. The main character Flora, works for an art auction company (think Sotheby's or Christie's but on a smaller scale) and she is asked to go and evaluate and authenticate a collection of art found in an abandoned apartment in Paris. Apparently, the author was inspired by the real life finding of a forgotten apartment in Paris. Anyway, the owners are a very wealthy and elite Parisian family and they call in the h's company to do the evaluation and investigation into the history of the pieces. The h meanwhile is worried about her brother, whom she is very close to, because he seems to be in serious trouble. The h then meets the H, who is the son of the Parisian family who own the apartment. The H is actually quite an unpleasant character to start and he has a dreadful reputation along with his wild sister. The h uncovers the fact that the art work appears to have links going back to Jewish families selling their art in order to purchase their escape from the Nazis. It's difficult to summarise a complex tale briefly but I will just say I was engrossed. The romance isn't the main focus of this book, which is a good thing as the H is not particularly likeable for most of the book. And the h is a bit casual about her sexual affairs. I don't usually enjoy a book where our main characters are intimate with other characters after meeting each other. I could look past that here because this is not primarily a romance.

I was really eager to read this novel, as it promised to involve the Nazi theft of art treasures during WWII, the world of high-end art auctions, a mystery to solve, and a bit of adventure in Europe. Ultimately, it did involve each, as well as a rather unlikely romance. However, I found the author’s obsession with designer name dropping and detailing characters’ accessories so unnecessary and distracting, especially in the early chapters, that I almost stopped reading. I got it — these people live and dress well. Move on. Once the plot ,lines began to evolve, the focus shifted and the novel became more enjoyable to read. The ending is certainly predictable, but that’s better than its being incredible.

That kept me reading. Great historical background and insight into art. The sentence structure was fabulous. I particularly loved the sophisticated use of absolute phrases (this coming from an English teacher). What I didn't like was the constant reference to designer clothes. It came off as showy, and I doubt most of us had any idea what the author was referring to, so it didn't help me visualize what the characters were wearing.

I found this book fascinating when detailing the ins and outs of the world of fine art. The tie with World War two was also interesting since the discoveries of the blatant art thievery by the Nazis. There's probably six million stories that could be told. The love aspect of the story was predictable and the ending was as was expected.

This was a great read! I was so surprised at the plot twists and turns. I love a novel that I am surprised at the ending! Could not believe the epilogue, saying the story was inspired by an actual event. Fascinating!

As always with Karen Swan books, I read The Paris Secret in one day and absolutely loved it. It might even be my favourite book by this author. Unlike many of her other leading ladies, Flora was easier to identify with and understand. I don't particualrly like insecure characters who don't know their worth so following the journey of this strong, independent woman was a delight. I won't go into the details of the underlying story line but I will say I enjoyed the mystery and the drama. The art world is fascinating and even more so when shrouded in secrecy. The only aspect of Karen Swan books that I dislike is the constant focus on brands. I knew the other has experience in fashion but I do think that the quality and stylishness of outfits and decorations can be described without reference to brand names and price tags. To my relief, the focus in this book was on art and not items of clothing so a lot more enjoyable. All in all, I strongly recommend this book and can't wait for the next one!

It took me ages to get into this book. Not sure why but it just didn't grip me at first, but never to be outdone I plodded on regardless until 75% of the way it all seemed to fall into place, roll along nicely & then it was read non stop until finished, knowing full well what was going to happen but just wanting to be sure! The story was plausible, interesting & believable, the setting imaginable reading through the lines & the characters believable in their life styles. A world of art, auctions, antiques & heritage always make for good reading material. I did enjoy this & would read more of this author just to prove I wasn't mistaken.

Karen Swan is one of my favourite Authors. I always look forward to reading her books. She transports you to beautiful , scenic places , her writing is so descriptive. Her characters are believable and you can empathise with the situations . There are elements of mystery and nothing is ever quite as it seems. I don't know a great deal about auctions and tracing artwork so it was very interesting reading. I was totally involved in the compelling storyline and didn't want to put it down.

I enjoyed the story ... the art world ... But the constant references to designer clothes and accessories was really annoying.The main character Flora was believable and the writer made you 'feel' her emotions and clearly picture her turmoil.A good read.

I loved this story from beginning to end. Karen Swan is a brilliant author who spins a wonderful story line that just grabs your attention and keeps you spellbound.This story is set in Paris in the world of art, it is full of intrigue and with twists and turns that keep you guessing all the way through. I loved the characters in this story. I became very drawn into their lives and their ups and downs, I loved and hated them in equal measure.I would definitely recommend this as a great read, you won't want it to end.

I actually liked this book. The characters were interesting and the plot was acceptable. However it was a romance. To be fair I wouldn't leave it on the train for the next person as I enjoyed it. Not all trashy books are bad, to be honest.