I hadn't read anything by Pip Drysdale previously, and feel I'm a bit late to the party! My enjoyment of The Paris Affair was such that I'll be seeking out her other titles soon. I'd recommend it to all readers who enjoy spunky female protagonists and lots of action in their thriller reads. The plot is well paced and structured and it pulled me into the deception, suspense and tension…I hope to see this on the silver screen one day’ Norma An interesting sidebar to the story is the attitude of the French police to missing persons: “in France, the police won’t search for you unless there are clear signs of foul play or you’re a minor. Which means that approximately one thousand unidentified bodies are found in France each year, compared with around sixty-six in Britain, which has a similar population. Most of the time the DNA from those bodies isn’t recorded either.” Lesson: don’t go missing in France, unless you want to. I have loved both of Pip Drysdale's previous books, The Sunday Girl and The Strangers We Know, so I had high hopes for the Paris Affair. And I am so happy to tell you that it is brilliant! I started reading it late on Saturday night and was still reading in the early hours of Sunday morning. It is not a book that is easy to stop reading. I just had to know what was going to happen next, what Harper was going to do with the information. I was kinds sad when it was all over. The Paris Affair is quality WWII historical fiction - something special. If you are looking for that something extra, that next level - a story within a story - look no further. Philosophically flavoured for quiet contemplation, a dash of mystery and romance, with an ending that I simply did not see coming is what sees me recommending that this is a book not to be missed.

Sebastian is a dear, you end up wanting him to be okay even though he has a sketchy past. He is still effected by being a veteran of the first war and is trying to live a very quiet peaceful life. Suddenly he finds his world opening up again when he falls in love with another island newcomer, Sophie. Because of her and his search for her, he ends up meeting new and different people, experiences different places or places he knew in a new way. Often mistaken for a pacifist, he eventually wakes up to the desire of wanting to do more to end the war. We watch him struggle to reconcile taking the side of his adopted home (Britain) or the one he grew up in with his family and old companions (Germany). Although I say I don't enjoy straight romances (ie. romance without murder and mayhem) I actually enjoyed the way the relationship between Harper and Noah plays out and it probably would have sustained the book without the added element of suspense. The Paris Affair is the third novel by Australian author, Pip Drysdale. Three weeks into her new job as arts and culture writer for online English-language magazine The Paris Observer, Harper Brown is desperate to please her editor-in-chief, Hyacinth Cromwell-Scott, hoping she might get a chance at the more prestigious crime column. The storyline of The Paris Affair is captivating, addicting, heart-warming yet heart breaking. The author does a fantastic job at setting the story line and going at a perfect pace. The character development is phenomenal. The banter and conversations between the characters was one of my favorite things about this book. The detailed conversations, raw and in depth emotions and funny banter amongst the characters was very well done. The best thing one can do when the chips are down is focus on helping someone else - or something else. It wards off melancholy.”

eBook Details

This is a story of a strong love that was tested by war, a long period of separation and tragedy and the resilience of those that believe that all endings don’t have to end unhappily. I loved the writing of Melanie Hudson, her obvious ability to research her subject and her wonderful characters. The book is well-paced with some twists adding more authenticity and warmth that will keep you reading to the beautifully drawn ending. Although worlds of the two women were different, they have a shared history, and they did not mind the distance between them. The books is full of emotions that we can all relate and inspire you to treasure your friends because you never know what life may bring. An absolutely enthralling read from beginning to end…The historical research that has gone into this book is incredible. A fantastic story. A definite must read’ Amy While out and about, a person Harper has a run-in with is murdered. Harper is drawn into the investigation in the hopes of solving what happens, not because she wants to be an amateur sleuth, but because she wants the scoop and has an interesting angle, one that perhaps no one else has. When a young female art model goes missing, Harper realises she was one of the last people to see her alive, at that party, but is conflicted, as the woman has something that has the potential to threated her career. When the body turns up, Harper begins to suspect the person who compromised her situation.

About the Book Sebastian Faulks’s Birdsong meets Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale in this moving and powerful novel about love, loss and the resilience of the human spirit. With a blurb that provides a comprehensive list of the main attributes of the lead character of The Paris Affair, Harper Brown, the reader is immediately intrigued by this main character. Harper is an arts and culture writer, who aspires to be a respected news reporter. Harper receives an opportunity to work in Paris when we are first acquainted with her. With no attachments romantically, Harper is soon swept up in a life beyond the perfect façade of Paris. Harper is confronted with a much darker side to the city of love, a gritty and dark underground world, where crime is commonplace. The question is, can Harper gain her big break in the reporting world by following the path of a murderer who is walking the streets of Paris? The story gathers momentum towards a dizzying crescendo as Harper races against time to prove Noah's innocence and identify the real killer or killers. The story begins with Sebastian as he flees France as the Germans invade and lands at a small island in the Channel Islands where he opens up his medical practice among other things. He meets a lovely woman Sophie who he falls in love with, but they become separated when the invasions expand, and so their story goes.

Drysdale introduces a charming relationship between Harper and her best friend Camilla that felt very real and it's a reminder how important close confidantes and trusted and supportive friends can be. As the Germans approach the Channel Islands, Sebastian has to make choices: be the peace-loving man he has become or stand up and fight for his principles? When he and Sophie are separated, Sebastian is left realising love may have eluded him forever. Until a chance meeting in Paris sets the wheels in motion for a dangerously devastating love affair. Readers are loving The Paris Affair : Here however, we've got the added bonus of a murder. So, Emily in Paris meets Girl on a Train. Perhaps.