Parisians: An Adventure History of Paris

Parisians: An Adventure History of Paris by Graham Robb

I started this a few months ago and finally finished it a few days ago. Robb tells the history of Paris from the point of view and experiences of about 20 Parisians throughout history. The Parisians include: Napoleon, Marie Antoinette, Madame Zola, Juliette Greco, the students of May 1968, and others. Robb's history of Paris spans the time period from 1789 to the beginning of the 21st century. Robb tends to start each chapter/entry by slowly introducing the Parisian; it's not always clear until a few paragraphs or pages later who the person in question is.

At one point I read about half of Robb's the Discovery of France, a geographical history of France. In both cases, there is ample historical detail, but I find the writing to be a bit dry. 

Mr. Parker Pyne, Detective

My latest read was Agatha Christie's Mr. Parker Pyne, Detective, which consists of 12 short stories. 

Mr. Parker Pyne was a government functionary, but now runs an ad in the Personal Section of the newspaper: "Are you happy? If not, consult Mr. Parker Pyne." The first 6 stories are not really mysteries, but rather Mr. Pyne's remedies for unhappiness. Mr. Pyne relies on his vast understanding of human nature.  The second six stories are crime and mystery stories.

Mr. Parker Pyne, Detective was published in 1934. According to Nancy Wynne, the 1930s was Christie's most prolific decade. She wrote 17 novels and six short story collections. It was at this time that she earned the title "Queen of Crime." Even though Christie had published several novels in the 1920s, Mr. Parker Pyne, Detective seemed a bit unpolished to me. The first six stories are a bit formulaic and Christie appears to test out characters that she uses later. For example, Mr. Pyne's secretary is named Miss Lemon. Miss Lemon is Hercule Poirot's secretary and is more developed as a character in the television series than in the Poirot novels. Mr. Pyne is also friends with the famous mystery writer Mrs. Oliver. Mrs. Oliver is good friends with Poirot. Although Poirot, Miss Marple, Tommy and Tuppence, and Mr. Pyne had overlapping lifespans, they and their associates don't usually mix. So, I found it unusual to see Miss Lemon and Mrs. Oliver mentioned in the Mr. Pyne stories when in later works they work closely with Poirot.

 More information about Mr. Pyne and similarities between him and Mycroft Holmes. http://www.agathachristie.com/characters/parker-pyne

The Alice Network

I really enjoyed The Alice Network by Kate Quinn. It was an engrossing read that sticks with you after it's over.

The Alice Network weaves narratives from WWI, WWII, and post-WWII France and England.

In 1947, Charlotte St. Clair (Charlie) is a wealthy but adrift American. At nineteen, she has flunked out of college and is pregnant. Her parents intend to have her Little Problem dealt with in Europe. Charlie, however, decides to track down the last person to have heard of her French cousin Rose, who disappeared in 1944. All Charlie has is a name, Eve Gardiner.

In 1915, Eve Gardiner was recruited to join a network of female spies operating in German-occupied France. Eve joins the Alice Network, which was run by the "Queen of Spies" Lili (Code name Alice Dubois). For two years, Eve (Code name: Marguerite Le Francois) works side by side with her fellow "fleurs du mal"* Lili and Violette. Eventually the Alice Network is discovered and Lili, Violette, and Eve are captured, tried, and imprisoned. *For those who enjoy it, Baudelaire's Les fleurs du mal features in the novel.

Though she survives, Eve is haunted by the betrayal that led to the Alice Network's downfall. The brazen young Charlie helps Eve seek revenge and the two discover a link between Eve's spy work in WWI and her cousin Rose in WWII.

The Alice Network is based on true events and historical figures. The real "Queen of Spies", Louise de Bettignies took the code name Alice Dubois ran one of WWI's most successful spy rings in Lille and the surrounding area. Violette is based on Leonie Van Houtte who worked closely with Louise de Bettignies. Eve Gardiner is a fictional character, but her code name Marguerite Le Francois is based on an actual incident in Louise's life.

Her Royal Spyness

I finished book 79 a few days ago, but haven't had time to write about it until now.

Her Royal Spyness is the first in a series by Rhys Bowen. The series is set in the 1930s. Lady Georgiana Rannoch (Georgie) is a minor royal; her grandmother was one of Queen Victoria's daughters. Her family home is in Scotland and is under the control of her brother Binky, the Third Duke of Rannoch. Georgie's allowance has been cut off so she leaves her family home and decides to find work in London. She decides to work as a maid cleaning wealthy people's homes, one drawback is that she has little experience with cleaning. She is also tasked, by the Queen no less, with spying on a certain Mrs. Simpson.

Georgie and Binky learn that the Duc de Mauxville has laid a claim to their family home, apparently he won it gambling. One day Georgie returns to her family's home in London and finds the Duc de Mauxville dead in the bathtub and her brother has suddenly returned to Scotland. The police believe Binky is the murderer and Georgie begins her own investigation to clear her brother's name. As she investigates, Georgie is the victim of a series of accidents: falling off a boat, being pushed in front of a tube train, falling down the stairs, and almost being crushed by a statue. It seems that someone wants both Binky and Georgie out of the way.

I liked this book, but it took a while for me to get into it.

Death Comes As the End

#78 is Agatha Christie's Death Comes As The End. Professor Stephen R. K. Glanville suggested that Agatha Christie write a detective story that takes place in Ancient Egypt. Death Comes As The End is the result of that suggestion.

The story takes place in 2000 B. C. in Thebes. The auhtor's note explains that the characters and plot were partly inspired by letters from the XIth Dynasty found during the 1920-21 season by the Egyptian Expedition of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

The family patriarch, Imhotep, is a ka-priest and is responsible for maintaining the local tomb. His family consists of his eldest son Yahmose, his wife Satipy and their children; his son Sobek, his wife Kait and their children; his widowed daughter Renisenb; and his youngest son Ipy. Also living in the house are: Imhotep's elderly and blind mother Esa; Hori, Imhotep's scribe and businessman; and Henet, the seemingly devoted housekeeper.

Imhotep decides to bring a concubine into his household. The young and beautiful Nofret stirs up trouble in the household. She is found dead at the bottom of a cliff one day. Her death is believed to be an accident, but Hori, Renisenb, and Esa suspect otherwise. Shortly after, several other family members die or fall ill. Imhotep believes Nofret has cursed his family, but our trio of detectives are now certain that a living person is causing the family's misfortunes. In all, six people die before the murderer is unmasked.