Countess of Harleigh #7
An Art Lover’s Guide to Paris and Murder is the seventh entry in Dianne Freeman’s delightful Countess of Harleigh series. Set at the turn of the twentieth century, the series features Frances, the American-born former Countess of Harleigh, and her second husband, George Hazelton, who carries out secret investigations for the British government. This book is somewhat of a departure for the series, since it takes place in Paris instead of the usual setting of London, but you can hardly complain about that.
At the beginning of the novel, Frances and George prepare for a journey to Paris after George receives a letter from his Aunt Julia, asking him to investigate the death of her former lover, the artist Paul Ducasse. The police had declared Paul’s death an accidental drowning, but Julia suspects he was murdered, even though she won’t tell George exactly why, or who she suspects. Frances and George are very happy to go to Paris, not only to help Julia, but to visit the Paris Exposition of 1900, the world’s fair celebrating the achievements of the past century and displaying the latest technologies, such as the “moving sidewalk” where an important scene is set. Frances and George also hope to spend their long-delayed honeymoon in Paris and to bring Rose, Frances’ eight-year-old daughter by her late unlamented first husband, to the city once the investigation is finished.
Frances and George meet with Julia at the Moulin de la Galette, famous as the setting of Renoir’s painting. Frances, a longtime admirer of the Impressionists, recognizes the place. Julia, an artist herself, is happy to meet Frances, but doesn’t want to talk about her reasons for suspecting that Paul was murdered. In fact, after someone breaks into her apartment, she has second thoughts about asking George to investigate. She does, however, agree to meet George at the Exposition the following morning.
As they are all walking back from the Exposition, a footbridge collapses and Julia is among the victims. Frances and George couldn’t see exactly what happened, with the huge crowd around them, but it turns out that Julia was stabbed to death, and the killer took advantage of the bridge collapse to make it look as if she died accidentally. Of course, she never had time to tell George what she suspected about her former lover’s death, but Frances and George are certain that Julia was killed for what she knew.
George inherits Julia’s estate, including a lovely country house, and he and Frances discover a secret: Julia had a fifteen-year-old daughter, Lissette, by Paul Ducasse, and now they have become her guardians. Frances is glad to take the girl in, thinking she will be a welcome companion for Rose, but Lissette proves difficult and unjustly blames Frances for her mother’s death, saying that Frances should have done more to prevent it. She gets along a little better with George, but not much. Of course, much of her reaction to Frances and George has to do with being devastated by her mother’s death. Frances and George realize they must catch the killer soon. Without knowing the motive, they can’t be sure that the murderer won’t come after Lissette next. Keeping their new ward safe is far from easy, though, since Lissette always seems to slip away from them.
There are several suspects in the murders, of course. Paul and Julia shared a studio with two other artists, painter Edouard and sculptor Martine. Edouard had been in love with Julia, and Martine with Paul. Martine, especially, has a jealous nature. Paul’s wife, Gabrielle, is also a suspect. Theirs was a loveless marriage based on social status, and it took place after Julia’s family refused to consent to her marriage with Paul. Although Paul was married to Gabrielle for years, he was still in love with Julia, who wouldn’t continue the affair after Paul’s marriage. Lissette’s governess, Christine, who is only a few years older than Lissette, behaves suspiciously and is said to have been one of Paul’s many mistresses. Then there are Paul’s manager, Lucien, and an art jurist, Beaufoy, who always had negative things to say about Paul’s work. All the suspects seem to have had alibis for one or both of the murders, though, and Frances and George need to figure out who’s lying before the killer strikes again.
This is an excellent addition to the series. As someone who, like Frances, has always loved the Impressionists, I especially enjoyed the setting in the Parisian art world of the time. Freeman also brings the Paris Exposition to life and makes you feel as if you were there. Her website includes some great photographs of the Exposition, which was largely torn down after the fair ended, except for three structures which still exist.
Frances and George investigate separately for much of the book, so there isn’t as much of the witty dialogue between them as there is in the earlier books, but there is enough of it, once they come together to compare notes, to satisfy the reader. I liked Julia’s character so much that I wish she hadn’t been murdered so early in the book. I would have liked to get to know her better. This is not a complaint, though–just a comment on the strength of even the minor characters. Lissette looks like she will be a great addition to the series. She seems like a spoiled teenager at first, but her character grows and develops as the novel goes along, as does her attitude toward Frances. It will be interesting to see what happens once she meets Frances’ daughter Rose.
I highly recommend this book, as well as the whole series, especially to fans of Tasha Alexander and Anne Perry (even though Freeman’s books are much more lighthearted than Perry’s). The dialogue between Frances and George also reminds me of Amelia and Emerson in Elizabeth Peters’ Amelia Peabody series even though the setting, of course, is different. I would, however, recommend starting with the first book, A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder. This book can be read on its own, but it’s much more rewarding once you’ve seen how the relationships have developed through the whole series. I had only recently discovered this series, and now it’s one where I always look forward to a new book. — Vicki Kondelik