I enjoyed this book, but also found the parts set in WW2 so incredibly sad. I wasn’t sure how the story would end and was kept guessing until the final reveal. I enjoyed Matthew’s previous book and will definitely look out for his next. Thank you #netgalley

Matthew Blake’s A Murder in Paris is a gripping psychological thriller that seamlessly blends suspense, intrigue, and emotional depth. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Lucy Foley, and C.L. Taylor, the novel immerses readers in a tense, fast-paced story that keeps them guessing until the final page.

The story follows an ordinary life upended when fragments of a long-buried memory resurface: a hotel room, a pillow, a lifeless body. The protagonist is compelled to return to Room 11 to uncover the truth behind a crime they cannot fully recall. As past and present collide, layers of deception, secrets, and danger unfold, revealing a plot far more sinister than initially imagined.

Blake excels at building tension and atmosphere, capturing the allure and mystery of Paris while creating a sense of psychological unease that pervades the narrative. The pacing is relentless, with carefully timed revelations and twists that keep readers on edge. Characters are vividly drawn, their motivations complex and morally ambiguous, adding emotional resonance to the suspense.

Verdict: A Murder in Paris is a masterfully plotted thriller that delivers suspense, intrigue, and unforgettable twists. Blake proves himself a formidable voice in contemporary crime fiction, offering a story that is both thrilling and deeply compelling.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – A twist-filled, edge-of-your-seat thriller that combines psychological tension with an irresistible mystery.

I loved this story about a woman who is called by police in France to say her Grandmother is sat in a hotel claiming she is a different person all together and that years ago after the war she killed someone. As she investigates the truth her Grandmother is brutally murdered, can she trust the people in her life and why was someone trying to shut her gran up. Can she trust anyone In her life and has she remembered her past all wrong. This is a great read which should not be missed!!!

This book kept me guessing as to how it would end. The story started in WW2 but ends years later with the protagonist getting older and remembering her past which wasn't as she thought or had been told. The power of held memories and planted memories comes into play and shows how we think isn't always the true version.
Great book.

A Murder in Paris is a beautifully plotted, clever novel.
Olivia has to go to Paris as her grandmother has turned up at a famous hotel claiming to have killed someone there back in 1945. The story moves between the present day and 1945, when her grandmother was at the hotel after she was released from a concentration camp. A page turning thriller that is perfectly paced and concludes with a great ending when all is revealed.

Matthew Blake delivers another clever novel, this time covering memory manipulation, the Holocaust, gaslighting and serial killers amongst other topics - it's pretty full on.
Olivia is asked to come to Paris urgently as her grandmother has turned up at a famous hotel claiming to have killed someone there back in 1945. Her grandmother suffers from dementia but she did stay there after she was released from a concentration camp and painted a famous painting about her stay which hangs in the hotel.
Olivia must try and work out what really happened and soon she realises that someone is out to stop her in no uncertain terms.
In a dual timeline we find out what happened to her grandmother in the hotel in 1945.
This is a page turning psychological thriller - it certainly has me guessing and the theme of memory and false memory is fascinating. The last few chapters turn the tables and give a very satisfying ending. Very enjoyable.

A fascinating take on a murder mystery with flashbacks and false memories at the forefront and 2 timelines (second world war and present day) to provide clues to the armchair detective.
There was pleny of detail for the war period, focusing on the French resistance in occupied Paris but for me the present day characters were a little lacklustre in comparison. That said the story pans out well and the reveals are well made.

A Murder in Paris by Matthew Blake is an atmospheric, multi-layered thriller that blends the glamour of present-day Paris with the darkness of its wartime past. Olivia Finn, a memory expert at Charing Cross Hospital, is shocked when her grandmother Josephine — a reclusive, celebrated artist — is found distressed at the Hôtel Lutetia, claiming she committed a murder there in 1945. Her story seems impossible, yet the hotel records confirm a woman did die in that very room.

As Olivia delves into the mystery, the narrative shifts seamlessly between the Nazi-occupied Paris of 1945 and the present day, weaving themes of memory, trauma, and truth into an intricate puzzle. The portrayal of Josephine’s dementia is poignant and adds emotional depth, raising questions about what is real and what is distorted by time and illness.

Rich with historical detail and a haunting sense of place, this book had me utterly absorbed. The Hôtel Lutetia and Paris itself become characters, their history seeping into every twist of the story. Blake captures both the beauty and the chilling shadows of the city, creating a compelling read that lingers long after the final page.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

I loved this read!! It had me very intrigued from the beginning!! I liked our main character Dr Finn aka Olivia. I felt really sorry for her, she seemed to have a lot going on and then she got the call about her Gran who had just confessed to a murder in Paris!!

I loved how Liv was determined to find out what her grans story was, I don’t think that she was expecting what she found on the end though!

This was really well written and kept me guessing.

Told over a dual timeline, with short, gripping chapters. This had me second guessing everything throughout with some fantastic character depth. I part guessed some of what was about to happen but this didn’t detract at all, I was left wanting a little more from Olivia. Overall a good read and will be reading more by Matthew in the future. 3.5 from me

The story:
Dr Olivia Finn is a psychotherapist and an expert in that most elusive thing – memory. But when she is summoned to Paris following a shocking confession from her grandmother, famous artist Josephine Benoit, she finds it is her own past that she must investigate.

In 1945, two women entered the Hôtel Lutetia, but only one left. Was it murder? Can a memory be trusted? And if so, what is the real truth of Josephine Benoit’s past?

My thoughts:
Last year I took part in the readalong and blog tour for Matthew Blake’s first book, “Anna O”, a twisty mystery that had me constantly second-guessing myself. So I was excited to get the chance to read his latest book “A Murder in Paris”!

In “Anna O” the plot centred around the mysteries of sleep, and this time Blake has taken memory as the focus. Again, this is a fascinating topic, and asks the questions – can we really believe our own memory? And if we lose our memories, who are we?

In the present day we meet Liv – psychotherapist and memory expert, whose life has been shaped by the tragic death of her mother, and famous psychotherapist Louis de Villefort who helped Liv recover and became her mentor and inspiration. Liv is urgently summoned to Paris by the police with the shocking news that her 96-year-old grandmother has confessed to murder. And not only that, but that she is also not the woman she has always claimed to be. At first Liv puts this down to the tragedy of dementia, but as events escalate and a further death occurs, she’s forced to question everything she thought she knew about her grandmother.

Part of the book is also set in 1945, and we gradually learn more about the events of those chaotic and dangerous days immediately after the war. I really enjoyed the duel timeline element, as it gradually exposed the truth of Josephine and her former best friend Sophie Leclerc’s past.

Once again, Blake had me guessing and double-guessing what had really happened, and the focus on memory was fascinating. The final twist at the end was very satisfying, and overall this was a great mystery thriller to keep readers guessing, and a great summer read!

When Dr Olivia Finn received a call from Paris informing her that her 96-year-old mother, celebrated but reclusive artist Joesphine Benoit, has walked into the Hôtel Lutetia and claims to have committed a murder on the premises 80 years ago. While also claiming she's not Josephine, but Sophie Leclerc, having murdered and then switched identities with her victim. Dropping everything Olivia rushes to Paris to find her mother, who she's known for some time to be suffering with dementia, adamant that her story is true. Then, before she knows what to do, her mother is murdered in an apparent home invasion.

I enjoyed Matthew Blake's previous offering, Anna O, but found A Murder in Paris difficult to get into. The idea of a murder committed in the shadow of the Nazi's was an interesting one, but the split narratives were, probably deliberately, confusing to follow and the ending, when it came, was too rushed and made for an unsatisfactory conclusion. 

Thanks to NetGalley, Harper Collins and the author for an advance copy.

I was really looking forward to this one after loving Anna O, but unfortunately, A Murder in Paris didn’t quite land the same way for me.

There’s no doubt that Matthew Blake is a strong writer, the atmosphere, the pacing, and the structure are all solid. The Parisian setting was vivid, and the premise had real potential. But I just didn’t feel as gripped or emotionally invested this time around.

While Anna O had me completely hooked, I found myself drifting during parts of this one, even skipping a few pages here and there just to keep things moving. The characters didn’t pull me in the same way, and some of the plot threads felt a little too drawn out for my taste.

That said, it’s still a well-crafted book, and I know plenty of readers will enjoy it, especially those who love a slow-burn, atmospheric mystery. This just wasn’t quite the follow-up I was hoping for.

Still curious to see what Blake writes next—he’s clearly talented, even if this one wasn’t a hit for me.

Well written book, gripping from the start and kept the same pace through out, a 2nd best seller by Matthew Blake! A guaranteed good 4 star read for the summer!
Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins Uk and HarperFiction for an early copy to enjoy.

I loved Anne O, so when I heard there was a new Matthew Blake novel, I instantly wanted to read it.

What happened to me with A Murder in Paris? I don't understand why the chapters are SO short. I understand that they're done because it engages the reader more, and the truth is that each chapter ended in a super captivating way and left you on the edge of your seat (or bed, as I was reading), but it cut the atmosphere too quickly. I felt like I could never get into the groove and focus on the mystery, on the mood of a mystery novel, because a new chapter always began. And many times, that break wasn't even necessary because it continued talking about more or less the same thing as the previous chapter. That really threw me off.

I liked the story; the fact that we can learn about the present and the past at the same time adds a lot to it, and I feel like it gave this novel a unique touch because it does it so well, and it needed to be told that way. I don't see any other way. I liked the characters and their development.

Thank you so much, HarperCollins, for the ARC I read on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for this eCopy to review.

A Murder in Paris is everything I want in a psychological thriller elegant, emotionally charged, and utterly gripping. Set against the haunting beauty of post-war and modern-day Paris, this novel explores the fragility of memory, the weight of family secrets, and the terrifying possibility that the past is never truly buried.

🧠 Plot Summary
Dr. Olivia Finn is a memory specialist at Charing Cross Hospital in London. Her quiet life is upended when she receives a call from Paris: her 96-year-old grandmother, Josephine Benoit, a once-renowned painter has turned up at the Hôtel Lutetia, claiming she committed a murder there in 1945. She insists her real name is Sophie Leclerc and that she switched identities with her victim.

Olivia rushes to Paris, only to find her grandmother confused but adamant. Hours later, Josephine is found dead in what appears to be a home invasion. As Olivia digs into her grandmother’s past, she uncovers a chilling mystery that stretches back to the final days of World War II. With the help of a controversial memory expert, Olivia must determine whether Josephine’s memories were real, manipulated, or deadly. But as more people connected to the past begin to die, Olivia realises she may be next.

🔍 What Worked

The Dual Timeline: The seamless movement between 1945 and the present day adds depth and suspense. Each revelation in the past casts new light on the present.
Olivia Finn: A compelling and intelligent character. Her emotional journey—balancing scientific scepticism with personal grief, grounds the story beautifully.
Themes of Memory and Identity: Blake masterfully explores how memory can be both a weapon and a shield. The idea that a forgotten truth could kill is chilling and brilliantly executed.
Atmosphere: Paris is more than a backdrop, it’s a character. From the faded glamour of the Lutetia to the shadowy corners of the city’s past, the setting is rich and evocative.
Twists: Just when I thought I had it figured out, Blake pulled the rug out from under me. Multiple times.

🧾 Final Thoughts
A Murder in Paris is a haunting, sophisticated thriller that lingers long after the final page. With its blend of historical intrigue, psychological depth, and emotional resonance, it’s a must-read for fans of Kate Morton, Lisa Jewell, or anyone who loves a mystery with heart and brains. I couldn’t put it down!

Having really enjoyed Anna O I was looking forward to reading this book.

The mixing between the past and the present is lovely, and the two story time lines work well together.

The side stories of memories was really interesting as well.
I thought I had it sussed but enjoyed the reveal.
Another book that would be great for by the pool.

A Murder in Paris is a tense psychological thriller contemplating the ways in which it may or may not be possible to modify/implant memories. Events kick off when Dr Olivia Finn's grandmother Josephine Benoit confesses to murdering a person and stealing their identity at the end of WW2.

The split timeline takes us back to the events of 1945 Paris. A time where people are trying to live in the world they are left with after the war and come to terms with decisions made in the name of survival. There is a great depth to the characters here as each of them tries to unpick their actions and wrestle with their conscience in the process.

Back in the present day however, Olivia needs to find out if the confession her grandmother made was true. If so, does that change the person she believed her grandmother to be.

Olivia also has experienced some life changing events and has been supported since early adolescence by Louis, a close friend of her grandmother and a renowned therapist who has recently come under fire after being accusations made by a former patient. Olivia knows he isn't guilty and could also really use his support now she is back in Paris dealing with her Grandmother's past. She even wonders if Louis knows the truth about the claim to have murdered another person.

Someone however doesn't want the truth revealed and there are some tense moments as we unravel the events of the past and present. There are moments where you can take a guess as to who might be trying to cover their tracks or what a person's real intentions might be but the big reveal at the end might have you questioning what you thought was true.

I really enjoyed that the story kept me second guessing all the time. The characters were well written and the complex relationships perfectly intertwined.

This is a fabulous story and one that spends some of its time in the past and the rest in the present day. Set in Paris, France as the war has ended and the POWs are returning, they are housed in a hotel to be interviewed, assessed and then to go on to live their lives. One of these is renowned artist Josephine Benoit.

Her granddaughter, Olivia, has returned to France. Josephine has made some shocking admissions. She killed someone. The murder took place in The Hotel Lutetia. The hotel is where the POWs from Auschwitz were brought, interviewed to see if they were genuine POWs and not collaborators.

The author has done a fabulous job mixing the past with the present. Josephine is elderly so there is some finger pointing towards her confused state being dementia. But, Josephine does have moments where she is completely lucid. Having Olivia as a psychotherapist gives her credence for what she is to discover as she delves into the mystery of her grandmother's past. Olivia is no stranger to psychotherapy either.

I really enjoyed the way the story from the present is interspersed with the historical accounts. The author has crafted a story with two timelines that work exceptionally well, and the flow between the two is seamless. Having a strong psychological thread to this story is what initially caught my attention. There are several sections of the story where the focus is on the psyche and how it can be used to help people overcome trauma.

This is one of those books that immediately grabbed me. I soon found myself getting to know the characters and found myself needing to know more. I didn't see the unveiling until the author revealed it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and how the author has brought different tragedies together and worked them so well. If you are a fan of psychological thrillers that have historical events, family drama, intrigue and mystery, then this is one I would definitely recommend.

I loved Anna O and enjoyed this book too. I murder mystery set in Paris in the present and post WW2. The flipping towards the characters got a little confusing at times due to the plot of the story, but it was easy to pick up again so not too much of an issue whilst reading. I just felt like I was left wishing for a little more.