Lucy and her closest friends win a trip to France where they get to sightsee and also visit Lucy’s daughter Elizabeth, who is working at a hotel in Paris. But while they’re there, they get tangled up in a murder. As with most of the “destination” books in this series, lots of tourist stops at famous sites around Paris, descriptions of French cuisine, and French phrases sprinkled in for fun. Some discussion of Elizabeth’s love life as well. ( )

I usually like how Leslie Meier weaves in political and social issues into her mysteries, but I think she was a little out of her depth here. Also, I don't think this book took as much advantage of its Paris setting as it could have. Lucy and her friends spent a LOT of time in their apartment. ( )

Very good! Lot of political info about the French--very involved book yet quite exciting. ( )

So this is how it's like to read a book by an author so unconnected with the rules of fiction writing that she begins to remind us of the Agatha Christie of The Postern Of Fate fame. That's quite ironic as Leslie Meier here tipped her hat to the Great Dame and before has lifted an entire plot for her convenience.

My jaw dropped when reading the hodgepodge that was part of the ending of this book. It was, bar, none, the worst finale to a book that I've ever read. Ever. Easily. But it was fun as well. I could have rated the book 1 or 2 stars, but instead went for 4 because the start was strong and because my favorite character of the series, Bill, appears the most of any of the books in this one. But the weirdness that permeated the book was impossible to dismiss. There were little things at first, here and there, that the author let get printed. There was a lot of rubbish about French society and culture. There was Bill being decidedly thick at times, and given rotten dialog to spout. There was Lucy Stone counting down to one IN FRENCH, at a time under stress. The entire plan of the American group, their destination choices and shopping concerns were weird. There were amazing coincidences.

I could go on and trust me I will to some extent. There's Lucy thinking Gainsbourg as sexy, and being very much anti French and pro American over no brainer benefits like extended holidays, which France has, and the USA don't. I can't even picture Serge, the guys that bones Elizabeth, realistically as 'ridiculously handsome' because there's no accounting for what's going on in Lucy's brain, and by projection, the mind of the writer. The one thing that rivals all the conveniences, and the unbelievable ending was the fact that Lucy Stone never got close to solving the murders. The two murders are almost unrelated. Good. We're on firm ground. Laurence gets stabbed, stabilizes in the hospital, then is murdered successfully this time. But there's no explanation over what subterfuge the murderer used to escape notice and forge an alibi. I could go on and on. The ending doesn't even give us the closure of the group returning to America. There's just a footnote about Elizabeth as she finds herself at the apex of a love triangle. I never thought a book could rival movies like Plan 9 and Manos as the best worst work I've ever experienced. That's because book editors have tremendous say in the final cut than their movie counterparts. I'm giving the book 4 stars, but all of the bad things I've said about it, if viewed in a given mood, can pass for a funny read. Unintentional, inept but still stunningly eccentric. ( )

Lucy Stone and three of her friends are awarded a two-week trip to Paris, with their husbands, in recognition of the money they have raised to make sure every child in Tinker’s Cove has clothes and supplies for school. A week of cooking classes from a French chef is part of their prize. While there, things do not go as planned when they get associated with a murder and their passports are confiscated.
Of course the French justice system is different from that in the US but the US representative they spoke with was not very helpful.
There would have to have been a lot more detail about the sites they visited for them to rise to the shallow level. Situations were unrealistic. For example, someone who did not speak French and was never in Paris before would be unlikely to take a solo bicycle ride across the city at night.
I thought the story line was rather thin. Their accommodation situation was strange. Her friend Sue was totally self-centered; she may have known a lot about French cooking but her trip mates did not. There were too many untranslated French words used throughout the book.
Thankfully, the book was a fast read so I didn’t waste an excessive amount of time on it. ( )