The Ghosts of Paris

This is the second book in the historical fiction mystery series featuring the sassy and smart Private Investigator from 'down under', Billie Walker. I enjoyed getting reacquainted with Billie and in this latest book, she heads to post-WWII Europe in search of a missing husband and gets unexpected information about her own past.

This was an intriguing and tense read ... until it wasn't. The book started off strong but midway it lost its steam and pacing. And despite getting some resolution about Billie's past, I was disappointed with the reveal which, after the build-up since book one, felt a bit lackluster. 

What Moss excels at is her vivid descriptions of time and place and her attention to important issues of the time - particularly regarding the rights of women. Billie is a great character and I love her 'take no crap' fierce forthrightness and determination to be taken seriously by the patriarchy! But I wanted more from Billie's occasional sidekick Shyla and found Billie's repeated correction of her honorific and regular reference to the 'little woman in her gut' to once again be overdone.

This was a good addition to this series and Billie is a character that stands out from others in this genre with her personality, passion, and skill set. I think this book series would appeal to fans of Deanna Raybourn's Veronica Speedwell series as their protagonists are cut from similar sassy, take-no-guff cloth.

My Rating: 3 stars

Author: Tara Moss

Genre: Historical Mystery, Canadian

Type and Source: Hardcover from public library

Series: #2 in the Billie Walker mystery series

Publisher: Dutton

First Published: June 7, 2022

Book Description from GoodReads: A thrilling tale of courage and secrets set in postwar London and Paris, in which a search for a missing husband puts investigator and former war reporter Billie Walker on a collision course with an underground network of Nazi criminals.

It's 1947. The world continues to grapple with the fallout of the Second World War, and former war reporter Billie Walker is finding her feet as an investigator. When a wealthy client hires Billie and her assistant Sam to track down her missing husband, the trail leads Billie back to London and Paris, where Billie's own painful memories also lurk. Jack Rake, Billie's wartime lover and, briefly, husband, is just one of the millions of people who went missing in Europe during the war. What was his fate after they left Paris together?

As Billie's search for her client's husband takes her to both the swanky bars at Paris's famous Ritz hotel and to the dank basements of the infamous Paris morgue, she'll need to keep her gun at the ready, because something even more terrible than a few painful memories might be following her around the city of lights.