Death In Paris was a fantastic cozy mystery.
I really love the characters, so well written.
The mystery was great, and I really enjoyed following the clues.
The end really surprised me.
This was the first book I read by this author but it won't be the last.

Who really killed the corrupt taxman for whose death Lianna has been framed? Màiri has only 6 days to find the murderer. Can she free Lianna in time? Or must she choose between her friend's freedom and her own livelihood… if she’s still alive. A clever, engrossing story with fabulous characters and an unexpected ending.

I usually really enjoy cozy mysteries but gave up almost half way through this one. Unfortunately I wasn’t enjoying the plot and could not connect with the characters. The beginning was a little confusing and as I continued I lost interest. Maybe I was missing something as I see other reviews were very positive.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, BooksGoSocial and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Lovely little story with twists and turns that keep you reading.

Il libro nella prima metà mi è piaciuto molto, anche se facevo fatica perché ci sono molti personaggi.
Fortunatamente andando avanti nella storia i nomi importanti per la trama diminuiscono e quindi riuscivo a capire di chi stessimo parlando.
L'autrice ha deciso di scrivere il libro in prima persona dal punto di vista di Màiri e in terza dal punto di vista dei "cattivi" della storia. Scelta che sinceramente non ho apprezzato perché mi è sembrato un modo semplicistico per farci capire quali fossero le mosse degli altri, così che l'investigazione di Màiri risultasse più semplice.
La protagonista infatti smette di indagare intorno al 70% circa del libro perché sono i personaggi intorno a lei a darle informazioni di cui, in parte, erano già in possesso prima dell'inizio della storia.

Death in Paris by Kate Darroch is the first book in the Màiri Maguire Cozy Mysteries and is a fast paced, fun cozy crime novel. 


After receiving news that makes her feel she needs a change, Màiri decides to take the job she has been offered at a school in Istanbul and move from Glasgow.  As support and someone she knows in a new city, she brings her best friend Lianna.  As a stop on the trip, they will spend a week in Paris, but a wonderful trip to the big city will soon turn into something completely different.  After just a few hours in Paris, Lianna is locked up I  jail charged with murder. Màiri decides to begin her own investigations in order to help free her friend. To her aid in search of the true killer she has Major Ellis Peverel to assist her. Major Peverel has lots of good contacts and knows where you can get a proper cup of tea.

I had a hard time getting into this book and at first found the writing to be a bit lacking. But soon had the lovable characters, the luxurious tea drinking made up for it and as the plot thickened I was completely into the story and how it would go for Màiri and Lianna. This is a great example of cozy crime and now I am very eager to read more.

’Death in Paris’ had three of my favourite things - a Glasgow lass, Paris and murder so I was bound to love it and I did! I don’t read as many cozy mysteries as I used to and I loved this one, as it was a light-hearted romp but serious enough that you didn't question the events! It has a great cast of characters with Mairi and the Major being the standout ones - who couldn't love a girl from Merrylee as we are practically neighbours.

Mairi decides on a whim to take a new job in Istanbul but on the way there stops in Paris with her best friend Liana. Within 12 hours Liana has been accused of murder and it's up to Mairi to work out what has gone on! She has six days to save her friend…

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The author's love of Paris shined bright and I loved this as it really meant the location and atmosphere was on point. Mairi was a character that I fell for from the first page - strong, loyal, intelligent, loving, adventurous!

The only niggle I had was actually an editing one and that was when Mairi was compiling the times and actions of the main players I didn't know to press the arrow button to scroll across the table. I didn't even know you could do that on kindle! It made me kind of bypass those sections and it was a shame as I wanted to engage with the timings a la ‘Murder at the Vicarage’ style.

As I am a sucker for a murder mystery on a train I honestly can't wait for the next one! Also, Liana is right - I need a steam trunk in my life, preferably a vintage Louis Vuitton.

Mairi is a teacher, offered a job in Istanbul. Along with her friend Lianna, she decides to travel via Paris, for a short sight seeing trip before relocating for her new job. However, within 12 hours of arriving in Paris, Lianna is arrested for committing murder. Can Mairi prove her friend's innocence in time to catch the train to Istanbul?

I love cozy mysteries, and this was a perfectly enjoyable one. Mairi's insistence on keeping notes was fun, I often wonder why more amateur sleuths don't do this! I also enjoyed the location descriptions.

I did struggle with a couple of things however, one was the way the main character seems to remember every now and then she's from Glasgow and we get the odd Scottish word (some of which I can imagine are very odd if you don't have an inkling about Scots!), which feel very out of place. Also, the format of the text did not work well for a kindle, the pages that were supposed to be from Mairi's notebook were very irritating as they simply jumbled up and were illegible.

Overall, a solid start to a series, I'll definitely look out for the next.

I think this story and character shows a lot of promise; unfortunately, I was unable to finish it. I found the whole thing told in present-tense to be off-putting and in places, the dialogue lacked polish.

However, I did find the mystery itself to be interesting and well set-up, which I was I gave it three stars despite not having finished it.

I will not be writing a review of this book on my Instagram or blog as I don't think it's fair to review a book I did not finish. I wish the author the best of luck!

Thank you netgallary for this ARC.
What initially drew me in was the title. I have a love for all things Paris and it being a cozy mystery was a bonus. It's written in present tense but set in the 1970s. The friend pair is on vacation and over the course of a few days Mairi now is set with the task of clearing her friends name of murder. This is the first In a series and I look forward to the next book.

A big thank you goes out to NetGalley and Kate Darroch for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Death in Paris (Màiri Maguire, #1). It's an honor to be able to be selected to read this book.

This fast paced cozy mystery was a fun, entertaining read that would translate well into a film. I loved that there wasn't anything too gory in the story and that there wasn't any cursing for the sake of cursing.

At first, the novel was a bit slow, and I had a bit of trouble of wrapping my head around the characters and their relationships to each other. However, the book picked up quickly, and I was able to sort out the relationships after a couple of chapters. There were some slang words I wasn't familiar with, but it didn't detract from the story too much.

I'll definitely give the second book in this series a go because I enjoyed Death in Paris (Màiri Maguire, #1) well enough to continue reading the next book. I also liked reading about so many of the places in Paris, France that I visited when I was there many years ago. Three out of five stars is what I give Death in Paris (Màiri Maguire, #1) by Kate Darroch.

I think this is my first 'Cozy Mystery'. And it definitely was that.

A murder mystery in Paris is pretty much always a good idea. This one was pretty straight forward. The protagonist is a school teacher, and that's kind of how the mystery goes. She is very methodical- has to prove her friend innocent in 6 days, and it unfolds just by her investigation and statement of facts. It is all laid out in front of you easy peasy- though no obvious bad guy.

I can definitely understand the genre, and if that's what you're looking for, it does well. It doesn't bog you down in random super spy pretense of some other mysteries. It doesn't get too scary or horrific. So like a Hallmark movie, but with mystery. Though after it being pretty formulaic, I was intrigued by the ending.

Death in Paris by Kate Darroch.
Mairi Maguire Cozy Mysteries Book 1.
8:10 a.m. on 15th August 1970. They’ve been in Paris only 12 hours. Lianna is locked up in jail, charged with murder. Màiri is being hunted by murderous criminals. She never dreamt that travelling outside Scotland would be so dangerous. Will Màiri ever again see her comfy home in Merrylea, her loving sisters Morag and Katriona, her schoolboy nephew Niall?
I really enjoyed this book. Couldn't put it down. Had no clue who it was. 5*.

Death in Paris: Màiri Maguire Cozy Mysteries was exactly as the title indicated it would be. This quirky, fast-paced cozy mystery had me hooked the whole time (I couldn’t put it down!). I laughed out loud at a few parts and felt like I was solving the mystery alongside Màiri. I love a good whodunnit and this gave me exactly that!

A fun, fast read which really evokes the time in which it is set. Definitely meets the criteria for those looking for a cozy mystery with appealing characters and a strong sense of time and place.

This book was rough. It started with a scene and then went back in time - totally fine. But when we got back to the point in time where the opening scene occurred....we are back reading that scene again from the exact same perspective. There were also far too many named characters to keep track of. It was too much to track for a mystery. For such a short book, there were so many people I couldn't keep most of them straight. It was annoying to read some words spelled phonetically in the accent I assume the character had, and then to read other bits of dialogue entirely in another language with no translation or context to help me figure out what was being said.

I DNF'd this one. I just was not into the story or the writing style. I wanted to like it, but I just did not.

Original review posted to Goodreads,

I really enjoyed this! It was a fun read. I'm a big fan of the cozy mystery genre! Set in the 1970s we follow our MC, Màiri Maguire, who takes a surprise job offer in Istanbul. I devoured the mystery in just a few days! I highly recommend this book to murder mystery lovers of all ages! It was so fun and such an easy read for me! After a little of a slow start, it reached great cozy mystery heights! I would definitely read again! I can't wait to buy a hardcopy!

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I will not be finishing this book. I don't think it is fair for me to give a star rating, but seeing as I have to for this format, I think a 3 is appropriate. I felt zero connection to the characters or plot and in order to continue reading, I need to feel invested in some aspect of the story. I wasn't a fan of the writing style. It felt clunky and awkward. Overall, it would definitely fit the "cozy mystery" aesthetic, but I really was not vibing with this.

Such a cute, fun read!
Pacing is a little different but it didn’t bother me too much. Really enjoyed the two main characters and the mysterious twists and turns!
Would recommend if you’re into light hearted mysteries.
3.5/5