Murder on the Eiffel Tower (Victor Legris Series #1) by Claude Izner

The Barnes & Noble Review

On a sweltering summer day during the 1889 World Exposition, a woman collapses and dies while visiting the newly opened Eiffel Tower. The police believe it’s the deadly result of a bee sting, but bookseller Victor Legris -- also on the Tower that day -- has his doubts, especially when other victims of the “killer bees” start dropping dead in the City of Light. This first in a series of mysteries by Claude Izner (a pseudonym for two sisters who are Parisian booksellers) follows the often clueless Victor through the bustling Exposition as his list of suspects grows with each new body. While the mystery has its share of problems -- among them: thinly drawn characters and wooden dialogue -- it’s also full of period details that provide a vibrant backdrop for readers who like murder encased in history. --David Abrams

From the Publisher

The brand-new, shiny Eiffel Tower is the pride and glory of the 1889 World Exposition. But one sunny afternoon, as visitors are crowding the viewing platforms, a woman collapses and dies on this great Paris landmark. Can a bee sting really be the cause of death? Or is there a more sinister explanation? Enter young bookseller Victor Legris. Present on the tower at the time of the incident, and appalled by the media coverage of the occurrence, he is determined to find out what actually happened. In this dazzling evocation of late nineteenth-century Paris, we follow Victor as his investigation takes him all over the city and he suspects an ever-changing list of possible perpetrators. Could mysterious Kenji Mori, his surrogate father and business partner at the bookstore Legris operates, be involved in the crime? Why are beautiful Russian illustrator Tasha and her colleagues at the newly launched sensationalist newspaper Passepartout always up-to-date in their reporting? And what will Legris do when the deaths begin to multiply and he is caught in a race against time?

Murder on the Eiffel Tower is painstakingly researched, an effortless evocation of the glorious City of Light, and an exciting opening to a promising series of eight books featuring Victor Legris.

Publishers Weekly

Fans of quality historicals will welcome Izner's debut, the first of a series to feature an engaging and fallible amateur sleuth. In 1889, Parisian bookseller Victor Legris finds himself in the midst of a baffling series of deaths connected with the newly opened Eiffel Tower. The victims all apparently died from bee stings, but Legris suspects foul play. His inquiry coincides with another role outside his usual occupation, as a contributor to Le Passe-partout, a new sensationalist newspaper. Almost as soon as the bookman seizes on a promising suspect, that person turns up dead as well, leaving him with a dwindling pool, which, to his chagrin, includes Le Passe-partout's attractive illustrator, an enigmatic Russian woman with whom he's become besotted. The taut pacing and vivid period detail will have readers eagerly turning the pages. (Sept.)

Jo Ann Vicarel - Library Journal

At the 1889 World Exposition in Paris, bookshop owner and photographer Victor Legris witnesses the death of a woman, apparently from a bee sting, atop the new Eiffel Tower. More deaths soon follow, launching an emotional investigation concerning everything that Victor holds dear. Coauthored by two Parisian sisters and booksellers writing under a nom de plume, this debut of a very Gallic series will appeal to Francophiles and fans of historicals. [See Prepub Mystery, LJ5/1/08; a Minotaur First Edition selection; library marketing campaign.]

Kirkus Reviews

The excitement of the 1889 World Exposition is muted, then intensified, by murder. With Paris abuzz over the debut of Gustave Eiffel's magnificent tower, the death of a rag-and-bone man at a parade for Buffalo Bill's visiting troupe merits little attention. Weeks after the fatality is ascribed to a bee sting, maiden aunt Eugenie Patinot succumbs to a similar fate during the world expo for which the Tower serves as an entrance arch. Nearby, bookseller Victor Legris meets his dogged journalist friend Marius Bonnet to celebrate the latter's newspaper, Le Passe-partout. Also in attendance are Victor's mysterious business partner Kenji Mori and Russian emigre Tasha Kherson, who works as Bonnet's illustrator. Romantic sparks flash between Victor and Tasha even before Bonnet publishes an anonymous note suggesting that Eugenie was murdered. When another "bee sting" death occurs outside the Colonial Palace, Victor's insatiable curiosity turns him into an amateur sleuth who juggles clues about the crimes, a budding affair with Tasha, elbow-rubbing with celebrities like Anatole France and an attempt to prove, at least to himself, that his friend Mori is not the killer. In this series kickoff from Izner (pseudonym for a pair of collaborating sisters), the energetic curiosity of the hero dovetails nicely with readers' interest in a fascinating era. The colorful supporting cast lays a solid foundation for Victor's further exploits.

Product Details