Saturday, September 14, 2013

The Bones of Paris

The Bones of Paris by Laurie R. King
3.5/5 stars
Bantam, 2013
432 pages
Adult Historical Mystery

Source: Received an e-ARC from the publisher through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Apparently I may sometimes lack reading comprehension because I totally thought this was the latest Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes book. I kept waiting for them to pop up and orient me in the story! Then I finally looked at it on goodreads and discovered that it is a second book (which helps explain why I felt a bit off balance while reading-presumably someone who has read the first book would be able to follow it more easily.)

The book opens with Bennett Grey, who played a big role in the introductory book but meant nothing to me so it was not until we meet Harris Stuyvesant and I realized that he was the main character that I was able to settle into the story. Harris is a down on his luck private investigator who has been hired by a young woman's worried uncle and mother to track her down as she hasn't been seen in months. Harris had previously had a relationship with the girl (lasting some few days) and is desperate for money so he jumps at the chance. While investigating, he goes deep into Parisian culture during these bright hectic 1929 days (we're approaching the stock market crash in hindsight) and uncovers a bloody trail.

As is often the case when I read historical fiction incorporating real-life personages, seeing how the author chose to render them was a pleasure. Though most only merit brief mentions like Hemingway, I got a thrill every time I recognized a name and enjoyed looking up the others on wikipedia (I had never heard of Man Ray for example; how is "Man" a first name? Isn't it merely a noun?) Another part I liked was the references to the Great War, which hang over all of our characters. Though peace has been in place for eleven years, many are still haunted by those dark days. A third element I liked was the depiction of Paris itself. Yes, there is glitter but there is also the fact that the city is built on bones and women are sadly a dime a dozen for a potential serial killer.

Meanwhile when I consider the mystery itself, I am shocked at how quickly it became so complicated while at other times, it seemed to be almost forgotten when Harris unexpectedly reunites with an old love. This enthralling woman and her possible connection to the case were interesting enough but I didn't care for them as much as Harris did. Other character relationships were not well-developed though I sensed there was potential between Harris and Bennett, a relationship that probably would have been much richer if I had read the first book.

Overall: I loved the atmosphere of Paris and how the darker underbelly was exposed but found the character relationships too muddy as well as the tone's darkness conflicting with my penchant for a light comedy. I'd wait for the next Mary Russell installment.

24 comments:

  1. I have been meaning to try the Mary Russell series. Maybe I will make an effort to pick it up this winter.

    I hate when a book is part of a series and you don't realize it till you're halfway in. Some series you can read out of order which is nice. I just read my first Bess Crawford book and it was the fifth book in the series (A Question of Honor)but I was able to follow along without a problem and I loved it.

    This book sounds interesting because it is set during that time period and there is a serial killer. I don't know if it will be worth it to me to read the first book however so maybe I will have to give the other Laurie King series a try instead.

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    1. I read the first book, Touchstone, when I heard that the second book would appear this September. I recommend reading Touchstone. It will give you a background and enrich the characters of Harris and Bennett. There is at least one other character that does not show up in Bones--he is the nemesis of Bennett and is wonderfully despicable. I am already hoping for book three and more of all the characters. Laurie King has become one of my very favorite authors. I discovered her about a year ago and have devoured her books as quickly as I can. While the Russell/Holmes books are mostly a lighter read they are still proof of King's depth of background and education. However, I think Touchstone may be my favorite novel. Bones runs a close second.

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    2. I love the Mary Russell series and I bet you'd like them too Christina. At least try the first one.

      I have started some series out of order and it's been okay (like Molly Murphy from Rhys Bowen) but in general, I really prefer to read them in order if I can.

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    3. Thanks for the rec on Touchstone Barb! I hope to seek that book out and give it a try, more prepared.

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  2. Drats, the cover got me and I do love atmospheric Parisian settings but the relationship issues would bother me. I'm completely anal about reading in order lol

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    1. I bet it works better if read in order so give the first one a shot!

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  3. Pretty cover! I haven't heard of this book (or author) before. It always annoys me when I'm reading a book and I discover it's actually part of a series - and not the first book.

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    1. I'm usually pretty careful so this was very surprising to me. I think it would have been a more successful read if I had picked up the first book first.

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  4. I love historical fiction and this one sounds like it has an amazing setting. I really need to read more adult books!

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    1. It's very dark and atmospheric-not my favorite Paris (I like the more romantic one for sure.)

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  5. It sucks when character relationships aren't all that great. It kills me. I hope that your next read is better, girly!

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    1. I did read some better books after this-thanks for the wishes :)

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  6. I have gotten to where I have been enjoying the historical fictions, and this one sounds good. Great review.

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    1. I do always love to give HF a try and this one had some great details for the period, just not one of my faves.

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  7. I was once reading a book that had totally lost. I was just wondering "what is this c.r.a.p.?" When I decided to look it up. It turned out it was the second book in a series but Amazon didn't say so when I bought it. It felt like a waste of time because there was no way I was going to read the first one to understand the second one because I was already upset!

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    1. Right??? That's kind of how I'm feeling except that I do like King's writing for the other series so I might still be willing to give the first book of this series a try if I can find it.

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  8. Aw, sorry you didn't fully love it. I don't read adult, but ohh, I like that cover :D Pretty :) Thank you for sharing your honest review. <3

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    1. I liked switching it up a bit and diving in to an adult-that made for a fun change!

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  9. This is another author I've been meaning to read, but I don't think I should start with this book! Maybe the first one in the series. But probably I should read the Mary Russell series since that's what people have recommended. Helpful review!

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    1. I would start with the Mary Russell series-I'm pretty sure I read the second book first there and it didn't impact my enjoyment at all.

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  10. Historical reads aren't really my thing, but I'm glad you found enjoyment in this book. It does sounds interesting :) Great review!

    Janina @ Synchronized Reading

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    1. Sorry you don't much like HF-it's one of my fave genres so I tend to review quite a bit on the blog here.

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  11. I think I would like this one a lot. First off I'm a total Francophile. Second, I love that time period, when all the ex-patriots were hanging out in Paris alongside the writers and artists. I have a degree in art history so I do know who Man Ray is (was) and I think I would get a total thrill reading about those figures just like you did with Hemingway:) I'm going to have to check into this one a little more. Thanks for putting it on my radar:)

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    1. I bet Francophiles will dig this book-there are so many tidbits! I also love that you know Man Ray-wasn't sure what period of art you knew best.

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