Note: Thank you to NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and Nancy Warren for the advanced reader copy of the book. This review will also be posted on NetGalley. What follows is my unbiased review of the book.

The roaring twenties are back in this 1920’s cozy mystery by Nancy Warren. It has elements of Agatha Christie in the middle of Paris following the First World War.

Abby Dixon is an American in Paris. She’s actually just arrived, running from the ghosts of her past. There’s a job awaiting her, at the Paris office of a Chicago newspaper, which was arranged by her Uncle. However, the editor of the Paris office isn’t too keen on a new female reporter, especially when she wants to work the real news stories rather than the fashion and society pages women reporters are normally relegated to in this era. He sends her to cover the new collection at the fashion house of couturier Paul Joubert. Her arrival coincides with that of another relative. Unbeknownst to Abby, the woman she wanted to avoid most in the world, her former stepmother Lillian Dixon, is at the fashion house. When Lillian turns up dead, stabbed with scissors, Abby is the most likely suspect.

Acting as both a reporter and in her own self-interest, Abby tries to figure out who killed Lillian. She knows she didn’t, but the police seem keen on pinning the murder on her. Along the way, she meets a variety of 1920s celebrities in Paris, as well as garners the attention of a wealthy English nobleman, and, most reluctantly, becomes the latest “it” girl of the season.

I enjoyed Murder at the Paris Fashion House. It’s typical of the first book in a series that it tries to get a lot of information across and build the characters. This is probably its weakest point, as well as the name-dropping of people Abby happens to run into. I thought the character of Abby’s Aunt Ida who is a medium who talks to spirits was a bit of a diversion that didn’t necessarily work, but it brought a good deal of lightheartedness to the story.

Abby involved her roommate Vivian in her investigation. It seems like Vivian is in Paris just to find a wealthy husband and becomes extremely vapid at times. However, she stands by Abby when she needs her most, and is deeply concerned about her safety.

The mystery itself has many twists, turns, and red herrings. I don’t think anyone could have figured out the situation from the beginning. I kept thinking I knew where it was going and that it was too obvious, but that turned out to not be the case which very much surprised me. The answer to who killed Lillian Dixon and why fits with a theme running through the book.

I’m not normally a fashion hound, but I did enjoy the scenes in the fashion house and Abby getting a makeover of sorts as she tries to help Joubert salvage his reputation following the murder. Abby starts evolving from the girl who left the United States after a tragedy into a woman more assured of herself. I think I detected two potential suitors in her life, which will make future books interesting.

I will read future books as I think this series is off to a good start. Sure, there are weak points in Murder at the Paris Fashion House, but it was an enjoyable read that was a nice break from reading several real history books in a row. I also look forward to the next book in the series.

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