Harper Brown is a very appealing protagonist. Though not without her flaws, with her generally pragmatic and confident attitude, she stands out from the more typical insecure, capricious, aged 20-something protagonist in contemporary fiction. Though her cynicism about love is a little intense, it’s also understandable, and her obsession with true crime podcasts is a fun trait. The added touch of French language-based chapter headings helped to set the mood and tone for this very chic Parisian novel. I loved it The Paris Affair and I hope you do too! 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.

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. 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. Drysdale’s mystery plot was multi-layered and complex. She managed to link everything together. A lot of the scenes I thought she’d written to merely highlight some character trait of Harper’s, ended up being integral to the main plot in the end. Very clever indeed. When she attempts to obtain a somewhat unorthodox preview of a new art exhibition at a private gallery, she has no idea that she'll soon be putting theory into action, drawn into a complex web of murder, suspicion and intrigue in the underground art trade. Having landed a dream job as an arts and culture journalist for The Paris Observer, Harper Brown is enjoying her new life in the City of Love, though love is last thing she’s interested in. Still nursing a broken heart after the demise of an eight year relationship, Harper doesn’t want normal - she just wants to impress her new boss, work her way onto the features desk, and has just one rule- do no harm.Drysdale’s lead Harper Brown provides the bare bones structure to The Paris Affair. Sophisticated, brazen and enigmatic, Harper is an unforgettable central protagonist. The form of narration applied to this novel by the author allows the audience to delve deep into the mindset of this complex but entertaining lead. A lead you love to hate, Harper will seduce you into a state of pure intrigue and mystery. Drysdale works hard to set her scene and fully immerse her audience in the onslaught of events in the first half of her novel, while the second half sees The Paris Affair take full flight. Gripping, perplexing, tension filled and highly engaging, Pip Drysdale’s latest modern fiction novel glimmers with possibility.

Having read both of Pip Drysdale's previous books, The Sunday Girl and Strangers We Know, I had high expectations going into this and I was not disappointed. The Paris Affair delivers a fast-paced, heart-racing psychological thriller that I've come to expect this author but with the charming addition of a Paris setting. Harper's still smarting from being dumped unceremoniously after having supported her now-successful boyfriend through fledgling days as a musician.in Sark I had been the ‘Good Doctor’ and then Sophie had called me ‘the Generous Gardener’, but to the authorities, none of this mattered because my place of birth marked me as the enemy, and so my life was reduced to nothing. I was reduced to nothing.’ Right from the start, I knew this book was prime for screen adaptation. Author Melanie Hudson has set up her story’s opening so that it draws readers into her characters’ arcs from the outset. Immediately I needed to know why Sophie fainted and why Sascha felt he should be released from prison. Her vivid descriptions of the prison, Paris, and of life on Sark make her writing visual and immersive. She also writes to connect with diverse readers because her story has universal themes we can all relate to; strength in the face of adversity, the power of love, ordinary heroism, the importance of friendship and support for our fellow man, and the perils of war.

Much like Drysdale's other work, the beginning is a little slow to start but by the end, I couldn't put the book down as I raced to get to the conclusion. The Paris Affair is a brilliant read for many reasons - Melanie’s books just keep getting better and better! Her writing has gone to the next level with prose and ideas that really touched me. I was swept away by her research told through a main character that was so unique for this genre and time. A darker side to the city of love is exposed in Pip Drysdale’s third contribution to her growing contemporary fiction catalogue in The Paris Affair. Following the exploits of a daring and larger than life lead Harper Brown, the reader is soon swept up in this compulsive tale of murder, mystery and relationships.Aggie meets some friends after she moves to an island in Scotland to manage a cafeteria belonging to one of her friends. The author uses letters from family and friends to narrate the past and the present to tell a story of the ladies’ journey of self- discovery in two different settings. 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. Harper Brown is trying to make it in Paris as a journalist. All of which has come about because of a particularly hurtful breakup (read: she is still stalking him and relentlessly listening to his music).

Christoph was Sascha’s lover. He was ill and had six months to live, so he used the assassin’s teapot to poison himself and gave instructions to Sebastian to use his clothes to escape. He also left a letter for Sascha and asked Sebastian to deliver it and give the teapot to him. Gestapo officers are waiting for him with Wulf. The dirt is compromising photos of him (Sascha) with a man. Sebastian (as Sascha) is arrested and taken to prison, which is where we see him with the chaplain, Christoph, in the 1944 sections, telling the rest of the account. It's probably a little predictable that a romance blossoms between the said artist and Harper though she soon discovers he's not entirely available. Or single.

Journalist, Harper Brown is the @new.girlinparis but she's no stranger to the ‘city of love’. Love hasn't been so kind to Harper, having wasted eight years on a man she thought was ‘the love of her life, only to be epically dumped when he finally got his big break as a musician. Now, bitter and cynical Harper trolls the city for men to hook up with. But her risky behaviour is about to place not only her job in jeopardy, but her life as well. Harper's about to scoop the story of her life but it may cost her her own! I think it's best that I keep the details secret and not give anything away! Sophie Hathaway comes to visit her aunt Dame Sibyl, born in France to an English mother and American father, she married young and is now divorced. Sophie is like a breath of fresh air, a cynical Sebastian thought he was too old to fall in love and he's wrong. The Germans are poised to invade the Channel Islands, Sebastian has to make a difficult choice, he doesn’t want to leave and if he stays he might be forced to fight for Germany again?