The Paris Apartment

This was my first book by Lucy Foley. Wha?! How did that happen? I know of her work, of course, but for some reason she slipped by me over the years. The Paris Apartment was an excellent introduction to this author. This was a tightly woven suspense read that utilizes multiple narrators well and I loved that they were voiced by a gaggle of talented audiobook narrators. 

The story features a bunch of characters with secrets to hide, an old apartment building 'locked room' setting (with its own secrets) and short chapters which help to keep the story moving. The story jumps between the six inhabitants of the apartment building who each narrate part of the book, giving readers snippets of their motivations, obsessions and secrets keeping readers on edge.

But the city of Paris plays a surprisingly minor role (C'est dommage). Despite the French accents of some characters, this building could have easily been in New York City or Toronto because not much of the world outside of the apartment building is included for the reader. Good attention was given to the characters, who each felt distinct making them easy to keep them straight.

Without giving anything away, just know that with this fast-paced and twisty read with a healthy dollop of chilling atmosphere, Foley has created a delightfully eerie read that will appeal to psychological thriller fans. With good tension, great narrators, and a twist or two, this is a great pick for fans of Heather Gudenkauf, Mary Kubica and Shari Lapena.

My Rating: 4 stars

Author: Lucy Foley

Genre: Suspense

Type and Source: eAudiobook from public library

Publisher: HarperAudio

First Published in Print: February 22, 2022

Narrators: Clare Corbett, Daphne Kouma, Julia Winwood, 

Sope Dirisu, Sofia Zervudachi, Charlie Anson

Run Time: 11 hours

Book Description from GoodReads: From the New York Times best-selling author of The Guest List comes a new locked room mystery, set in a Paris apartment building in which every resident has something to hide....

Jess needs a fresh start. She’s broke and alone, and she’s just left her job under less than ideal circumstances. Her half-brother Ben didn’t sound thrilled when she asked if she could crash with him for a bit, but he didn’t say no, and surely everything will look better from Paris. Only when she shows up – to find a very nice apartment, could Ben really have afforded this? – he’s not there.

The longer Ben stays missing, the more Jess starts to dig into her brother’s situation, and the more questions she has. Ben’s neighbors are an eclectic bunch, and not particularly friendly. Jess may have come to Paris to escape her past, but it’s starting to look like it’s Ben’s future that’s in question.

The socialite – The nice guy – The alcoholic – The girl on the verge – The concierge

Everyone's a neighbor. Everyone's a suspect. And everyone knows something they’re not telling.