I enjoy reading books prior to a trip that are set in the place I'm going to visit. Does anyone have any recommendations for current fiction that has a strong Paris (or France in general) flavor? I enjoy all types of fiction and am quite fond of mysteries.
Thanks for any advice.

I'm addicted to the series of mystery books written by Cara Black. The first is Murder in the Marias. You can order them from amazon.

Look for books in the police-detective series by Fred Vargas. Quirky and wonderful. I think at least two have been translated into English.

I just finished reading Suite Francaise by Irene Nemerovsky and couldn't put it down - I highly recommend it!

Alan Furst's dark novels about WW II are excellent, especially The World at Night.

Aaron Elkins' Old Bones is a great mystery set at Mont St. Michel.

I am just finishing up "Is Paris Burning?" about the final days leading up to and including the liberation of Paris.

Having been there on numerous occasions and having a working knowledge of the city layout, buildings, etc. it makes the book come alive for me.

It is a very good historical book on the French people and what they had to endure during the war years.

I have only 10 pages left, but alas, my book is at home and I am at work.

I hate to say it , but there are a plethora of threads on here on this subject already. Try using the search function

I agree with the Cara Black suggestion(I have Murder in Clichy set by for next month's trip). I love Vargas, but watch because the last 2 I read aren't in Paris.

I've got Lisa Appiganesi's Paris Requiem for the trip too, and I just finished reading "The Forger" by Paul Watkins which is in the war and has a huge sense of place about it.

If you have any intention of going to the Cluny read "The Lady and the Unicorn" (I hate romantic fiction and historical fiction and I LOVED this book

Don't forget Maigret and the Three Musketeers and A tale of Two Cities and the Scarlet Pimpernel and... and...

Have a look at bibliotravel.com

Hi V,

Try the Monsieur Pamplemousse series by Michael Bond.

I just finished an enchanting book set half in Paris the rest in Italy--the Sidewalk Artist about a fictional accounting of Raffaelo (the artist).

I assume you've read DaVinci Code, but that comes to mind right off. I'm reading a fabulous one now set in Paris (in the first part) in WWII called Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky and also have Almost French by Sarah Turnbull on my nightstand (we're going in April).

I'm looking forward to new suggestins too.

Not mysteries, but very enjoyable. Both have been made into movies, but don't let that stop you if you have already seen them.

Charlotte Gray by Sebastian Faulks
Le Divorce by Diane Johnson

I love the Inspector Maigret books by George Simenon. Most of the mysteries are set in Paris.

"Paris Hangover" by Kirsten Lobe

"Paris" by Andrew Hussey

Victor Hugo's Les Miserables.

Sheila, thanks for that website!

I don't have any book suggestions. I am looking for books set in the south of France or Northern Spain. Any suggestions?
thanks

Not fiction and not a mystery but I really enjoyed "The Judgement of Paris" by Ross King which explains how Impressionaist Art came to be in France. Great before a trip to Musee D'Orsay.

<u>A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century</u> by Barbara Tuchman is a historical novel that makes one grateful - and amazed - that we survived.

Cara Black's latest book is out. Murder on th ile St Louis.
She'a a charming lady. I met her at a book reading and we dined together later.
The Book of Salt by Monique Truong.
This was recommended to me by our notorious poster, Thin.
It's a fictional account of a Vienames live-in chef of Alice B. Toklas and
Gertrude Stein in Paris.

ttravelbug, if you mean South West France, I have a number of suggestions. Maybe you'd like to confirm on a new thread and not hijack vanne's?