In lieu of a review, my notes. With actual spoiler, be warned.Already the same thing again. She's not actually a great writer, all hints and bitterness. Very sneaky in her telling not showing, but still doing it. "i am this, i like this, i feel this."Well, ok, I like that her rich people are awful. She somehow is rather good at atmosphere, and a good level of tension.It's very weird to have this tell-not-show in first person narrative. I bite my fist. I blah blah blah.If you're not sure of everyone's motivation - don't worry, they'll tell you in real time. Why is the killer always a woman? That's 3/3. ( )

3.5/5

Benjamin ‘Ben’ Daniels is a journalist presently renting an old apartment in one of Paris’s posh neighborhoods, an arrangement made possible by his old college buddy Nick Miller with whom he has reconnected after a long gap and who is also a resident in the same building. As the novel begins Ben is seen in his apartment awaiting the arrival of his half-sister Jess Hadley. Both Ben and Jess were orphans under the foster care system. Ben, having been adopted by an affluent family has led a comfortable life, received a good education, and though he isn’t quite as successful as he wants to be, is gainfully employed as a journalist. Comparatively, Jess has not had it easy, having been in and out of foster homes all her life and needing to fend for herself. Her recent stint as a bartender did not end well and she finds herself unemployed and in need of a place to lay low for a while. Though Ben isn’t quite thrilled with Jess’s visit, he doesn’t refuse her when she plans to crash with him for a while. However, when she arrives Ben does not respond to her calls despite having left a voice message on her phone saying that he was expecting her. She manages to enter his apartment and notices Ben’s coat, wallet and personal belongings intact but Ben himself nowhere to be found. She waits in his apartment and when he does not return or return her calls, she is sure that something has happened to him. Ben’s neighbors are of no help, between them they are openly resentful of her presence, often hostile and on occasion weird and creepy – a snobbish socialite with a mysterious past and her rich husband, an alcoholic whose wife has recently left him, a neurotic young woman and her party crazy roommate, a ‘concierge’ who sees everything that goes on in the building and Nick who is the only one who offers to help her locate Ben. In her efforts to unravel the mystery behind Ben's disappearance she also tries to find out more about what Ben was currently working on and whether his work had anything to do with his disappearance.

What happened to Ben? Do his neighbors know more than they are letting on? Will Jess be able to find him before it is too late? Is Jess safe in that apartment?

Through multiple POVs we get to know more about Ben and his interactions with his neighbors. It is obvious most of these people are untrustworthy and harbor secrets of their own. It is also apparent that Ben had his own agenda in befriending them. Jess, is portrayed as street smart and has had a tough life but somehow, her role in trying to solve this mystery is more reactive than proactive (at times passive even) and her “helpless” reactions to the events that unfold are somewhat contradictory to how the author initially builds up her character. There also isn’t much “Paris” in The Paris Apartment, not that it really matters. Most of the events are restricted to the apartment building and its residents, most of whom aren’t particularly likable.

This is my third Lucy Foley novel and I found it marginally better than either The Hunting Party or The Guest List (both of which were average reads for me). At the 25% mark I was hooked, halfway in I felt let down but thankfully, the final 25% of the novel really picks up the pace. The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley is atmospheric and suspenseful up to a point but soon the plot does feel a bit contrived. Some of the ‘twists’ aren’t really ‘twisty’ (a few I found downright ridiculous) and much of the final reveal isn’t completely unpredictable though the build-up is gripping enough. Though the pace drags a bit in the middle, the chapters are short, it reads fast and is not unnecessarily lengthy. Overall though I didn’t dislike Lucy Foley’s The Paris Apartment, I’m yet to be truly impressed by any of her novels. ( )

With very short chapters where the first-person narrative changes each time, makes for a confusing read. Yes the suspense builds and the mystery is a whopper. But The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley is a disappointment because there is little character depth. ( )

Jess arrives in Paris to visit her brother, Ben, only to find he has disappeared without a trace from the apartment building where he lives. Trying to discover just what has happened to him and his whereabouts, Jess comes across some mysterious neighbours who are not very forthcoming and an even weirder concierge. She soon finds herself in the midst of some very peculiar goings on.

I have to admit to finding this completely gripping. I found it such a page turner, I literally couldn’t put it down. Rosemary’s Baby meets Thoroughly Modern Millie springs to mind, if only just the vibes. The apartment building even has a creepy laundry room in the basement complete with wine cellar. There are plenty of twists and turns and it kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. I did guess a few of them but loved the twist at the end. Full of oddball and eccentric characters, an entertaining plot line and with an atmospheric setting, this makes for a fun and riveting psychological thriller. I loved it. ( )

Jess goes to Paris to visit her brother, but he is not around. The other residents of his apartment building are evasive. Jess eventually discovers that all the residents in the building are related to each other. Apparently her brother Ben was closing in on the source of their wealth, which isn't wine, but human trafficking. ( )