A Most Parisian Murder by Millicent Binks
A Most Parisian Murder by Millicent Binks
Feathers, diamonds, showgirls, oh la la… Paris is everything Opal Laplume could dream of. But she wasn’t expecting to be cast as the lead detective in a murder case…
Paris, 1930. The Honourable Opal Laplume has just started working as a seamstress in the most glamorous cabaret in Paris. The stage is set for a spectacular opening night, but tragedy strikes when the star of the show, Valentine Beaumanoir falls from her hotel balcony.
The police believe it’s an accident, but Opal isn’t convinced. Witnesses heard Valentine shout for help before she fell. But if she was pushed, how could the culprit have escaped when her room was locked from the inside? And who left a perfect white rose on her bedside table?
When a deadly note to another dancer is found, Opal ditches her threads and thimbles to take charge of the case. Stepping backstage, she finds everyone had a reason to want Valentine dead. The chorus girls were jealous of Valentine’s spot in the limelight. But did one of them want the lead role that badly? Before she fell, Valentine called out the name of her beau, costumier Christophe. Could the show-stopping murder have been a crime of passion?
But just as Opal thinks she’s on track to solve the mystery, the theatre is rocked by a murder on stage, where once again the killer vanishes into thin air. Opal soon realises a bigger plot is unfolding. Can she keep her composure and catch the cabaret killer? Or will it be her final curtain call?
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A Most Parisian Murder by Millicent Binks
My review
As Opal Laplume settles into her new life in Paris, sporting her unique style of headwear, and with her adorable companion Napolean at her side, it doesn’t take her long to realise that if she wants the truth about the mysterious disappearances happening to the cabaret cast, it is up to her to piece the clues together.
Opal was a fabulous character to get to know, and being with her in 1930’s Paris was a riot for my senses that put a huge smile on my face. Her observation skills were a gift, ensuring she picked up even the tiniest detail in every situation, and never failed to notice when something was amiss. The cabaret dancers were vibrant, as were the colours and textures of their costumes and feathery headdresses, and the arty society soirees she attended, with familiar names, swirling cigarette smoke and absinthe pipes all came alive from the pages.
I never doubted that Opal would succeed where the police had failed, but I wasn’t expecting the twists and turns this book gave me. It was one of those books that was easy to slip into, but not so easy to put down and I’m looking forward to reading more fabulous adventures from the Honourable Opal Laplume.
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Audible
Millicent Binks
Author Bio
Millicent is a writer, former costume designer and burlesque performer from Suffolk. She now resides in North London with her husband and two cats, Queenie and Tarquin.
She has a BA (Hons) at Wimbledon College of Art in Costume Interpretation. Her writing credits include a column in the The London Evening Standard about her life as a burlesque starlet. She wrote the cover story “Alter Shego's” for The Sunday Times Magazine, in which she disguised herself as different women, took self-portraits, went out, introduced herself to random gentlemen and documented their reactions. This was optioned for TV by NBCUniversal.
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