I loved “Anna O” and was excited to read this novel.
I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t as brilliant as the previous book.

The two story lines and the war time for French Jews was an interesting part, because I had no idea how it was in France back then.
The plot was surprising, and the concept of false memories and recovered memories was fascinating.

One thing I didn’t like about the book is that the main character could have been a successful strong woman, not a single mother. Her child added absolutely zero value to the story (in my opinion), and I think it’d have been better without him in it.

A very interesting premise for a book and the blurb had me hooked. Unfortunately for me the book didn't live up to it. It seemed very repetitive at times and the constant jumping from time period to time period had really started to get on my nerves by half way through the book. Olivia the main character is written as a very strong intelligent woman. However she seems very reliant on the opinions of the men in her life. All her internal conversations seem to revolve around what Tom and Louis and Kyle and Edward did to or with her. Not my favourite Matthew Blake book but I'm sure others will feel differently.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars rounded up. A murder mystery thriller that spans time from the horrors of WW2 concentration camps and The Resistance to modern day Paris. The little reveals from multiple characters, jumping back and forward from 1945 to the present give just up just enough secrets to keep the mystery alive to the end if the book. The only little detraction from the full five stars is the very final rounding up. Which seems like a hurried TV plot resolution with the villain of the piece. Thank you to Harper Collins, Harper Fiction and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

I loved Anna O by Matthew Blake and if you did, I think you will love this too. It's part historical /ww2, part murder mystery, very engaging and the characters are a wonderful mix of ones you love to hate and ones you just love. The story is told from the pov of a psychotherapist Liv, who specializes in memory and recovered memories, and it is told in a dual timeline between the end of Occupied Paris in 1945 and the present Day. I found it a compelling and emotional read and highly recommend it.

I mean, Matthew's previous book Anna O was a revelation and he immediately became an author to watch, and so I was thrilled to receive this copy of his new one. He sure knows how to open a book with a bang. He hooks you in instantly and it doesn't let up for one minute.

It is a thriller, yes, but whist it's mainly set in the modern day it had a very strong historical novel feeling about it. There's also a bit of romance, there's crime and a detective, adventure - it's got a bit of everything.

Like I say, it's mostly set in the present day in Olivia's point-of-view. But we do get the odd flashback from 1945 from her grandmother Sophie's point-of-view. And we also get a couple of viewpoints from mysterious men, one of them who appears to be quite the troublemaker (understatement of the century).

I didn't realise it had such a connection to WW2. I admit, I requested an early copy of this book because of who the author was, assuming it was another traditional (but fabulous) thriller - which I read much of and love. But this has such a consciousness about it, such emotion, such heart an soul that adds an extra layer to the generic thriller.

It may be 400 pages but I read I in a day as I was so invested in the characters. They are all very well written. They're not always nice characters, and at times you are unsure who you can and should trust, but they do wonders for Olivia's storyline, as well as their own.

I've have loved a bit more set in the 1940s because I was obsessed with those scenes - perhaps a short story or novella is needed? Because I would read these scenes for ever.

I don't know what Matthew's background is, but this is the second book that revolves around someone with a memory issues - only this time it's down to dementia, and he's depicted it in such a sensitive way but without hiding the difficult elements of the illness.

Another cracker of a book and I cannot wait for what comes next - Matthew Blake will definitely be a go-to author going forward.

Moving between 1945 France and present day London an elderly women confesses to a war time murder and claims a different identity. It appears a case of dementia - or is it a case of manipulated memory? Set against the reality of the Holocaust, a gripping novel.
My thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for this arc in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

This is a story set in two different times as it crosses between Olivia and her grandmother. It is set in Paris and begins with a call to Olivia to say her grandmother has confessed to murder and is at a Paris hotel. Olivia embarks on a journey in more than one way, she follows the trail of her grandmother's crime that links back to 1945 and the mysteries and secrets that have been hidden for many years. This is an enthralling, entertaining tale and is engrossing and captivating.

If you enjoyed Anna O, you’ll love this. Whilst the subject matter is quite different, it has the same vibe and keeps the reader gripped as the mystery unfolds. In this novel we follow Olivia, a therapist specialising in memory and recalling lost memories from trauma.
It is set between modern day and Paris during WW2 and does a thorough job of painting the scene of both. Really evocative and informative too.
I’ll look forward to seeing what the author introduces us to in his next novel!

This is the story of Olivia and her grandmother. Olivia is a psychologist, living in London with her 6 year old son, who specialises in memory retrieval and her grandmother a famous French artist who lives in Paris. One day Olivia receives a call from the French police stating that her grandmother has been found in the foyer of a large and very posh hotel, (The Hotel Lutetia) staying that she committed a murder there back in 1945 and that she really has another identity. Olivia get straight on the train and heads to France, knowing that her grandmother has the start of dementia and she needs to be there to help.

The story then follows the events that occur after Olivia reaches France and her Grandmother, as Olivia then delves into the past and tries to unravel what is the truth and what are the lies, who her grandmother really is and what she has really done in the past.

The story delves deeply into the occupation of France during World War 2 and the fact that French citizens were sent to Auschwitz and there is some description of what happened to them there. but most of it is set in and around Paris and in the hotel where French concentration camp victims were brought to on their return to France.

The story is brilliant, fast paced and I was eager to read on and find out what Olivia's grandmother had done in her past. The characters were all really well written and likeable from the outset. I liked the fact that some of the story is based on true events that happened at the end of WW2 and these were integrated into the story beautifully. I had no idea what the outcome would be and how the story would end and so the ending was a bit of a surprise.

I read Anna O by this author in January and gave that 4 stars, so if you haven't yet discovered this author I highly recommend that you have a look.

A brilliant read. I really enjoyed it. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC.

I loved Matthew’s last book and was excited to read another. This was something I maybe wouldn’t have picked up off the shelf but I’m glad I got to read it. The story spans three timelines, modern day, a few years ago and at the end of World War Two. Olivia Finn is a memory expert working in London and parenting her small son. She receives a call one night from the police at one of Paris’s most fanous hotels saying that a lady is claiming to be her grandmother and has just confessed to a murder. Her Parisian grandmother is one of France’s most well known painters, her most popular work is hung in the hotel in which she now sits claiming to have stolen a woman’s identity and committed murder. Olivia travels to France, only for others to die in the present day. Olivia is in a race to find if her grandmother really has recovered memories (Olivia’s specialty) or suffering from dementia.

One thing that really stayed with me was the comment that everyone we access a memory we change it, we filter it and that memory is never a constant and reliable. I enjoyed the different time periods and the insight into post war Paris, some of which I had no idea. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

This just didn't quite live up to my hopes after reading the authors first book, Anna O, which I loved.
The setting for the story was great. I could imagine myself there,but for me, something was missing,some characters felt underdeveloped, and it dragged in places.
If just didn't hit the mark for me,I hope others enjoy more.
Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for the Arc.

I loved this from the start. Part historical fiction, part psychological thriller and part whodunnit

Matthew Blake spins a yarn as well as any spider spinning a web. Th characters all feel so real that you have an affinity for each of them that is then found to be undeserved. Without rewriting the blurb simply put, Olivia is called to Paris as her grandmother who is displaying symptoms of dementia, has confessed to a murder in 1945. On arriving in Paris things escalate very quickly and Olivia finds herself in danger and trying to decide who she trusts.

The book gathers pace throughout to a wonderful finish.

Split timelines are plot devices that lay traps for the author eager to offer readers different perspectives and the importance that may attach to the passage of time. Introduced clumsily, or simply to be different, they can confuse the reader and diminish the impact of the unfolding narrative. However, used skilfully they can reward the reader with a clearer understanding of events and their later consequences. Happily, Matthew Blake’s ‘Murder in Paris is an example of the use of the multiple timelines to good effect.
The novel subtly evokes the confused and confusing times as the Second World War was drawing to a close, and the difficulty faced by France and the French in coming to terms with what had happened in occupied France. The teasing out of the connections between individuals and actions is well done and the plot hangs together well. Language and descriptive narrative are effective in capturing the ‘then and now’ and readers will want to keep turning the page to see how the individual stories are brought to a conclusion.
Readers will enjoy the way the mystery at the heart of the plot is exposed, particularly if they are interested in this period of recent history. The only minor niggle from this reader relates to the rather abrupt way the denouement is presented. However, this did nothing to lessen this reader’s enjoyment of the book.

Thank you to the publisher and thank you to NetGalley for the chance to review this e-ARC. Full review will be available soon

Marketed as an "addictive thriller", nothing about this was addictive or thrilling, unfortunately. The mystery was mildly interesting though, hence the 2 stars.

This book had very repetitive language and I just did not enjoy the writing style for various reasons. Firstly, the main character Olivia was very much giving men writing women in the way she was describing her attraction towards various men in the story. There were also multiple POVs that completely detracted from the mystery and suspense that the story should've had. Also, the language used in the book seemed scornful of 'woke culture' (the term 'woke culture' was used multiple times).

Essentially, I probably wasn't the right audience for this book :(

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperFiction for providing a copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.

Accomplished..
As the past fragmentally returns to her, an elderly lady confesses to a murder. Are these memories in any way or form reliable? Moving seamlessly past and present day, a mystery develops. Another accomplished novel from this author, a wholly different concept yet once again dealing with issues of the mind and of memories. Cleverly plotted and executed and with a well drawn and memorable cast of characters populating a unique plot. A haunting tale.

Hotel Lutetia, Paris, 1945. A body is discovered in Room 11. The body of a young holocaust survivor.
In present day, Josephine, an elderly woman arrives at Lutetia and confesses to the murder. But is she confused by dementia?
Olivia arrives in Paris to piece everything together and bury her own ghosts. An expert in memory, she must uncover the truth about her family’s wartime past.
Told in dual time, this is a fast paced novel. Blake writes solid, believable characters and wastes no time in drawing us into the story. Gripping, twisty and addictive.

'A Murder in Paris' by Matthew Blake is a great return after the amazing 'Anna O'.

This is another psychological thriller and again deals with memories and psychology - but don't expect the same as 'Anna O' as it is a completely new idea and concept.

Olivia is a psychotherapist and single mum. The only family she has is her Grandmother who lives in France. She gets a call one day to say that her Grandmother, who suffers from dementia has confesses to a terrible crime and is not who she says she is.

Olivia has to go to France and unravel the consequences of this confession while also dealing with her own demons.

This story flips from current day to France when it was coming out of the second world war and the horrors that the survivors of the Nazi camps experienced.

This is such a compulsive and addictive story and the flipping in history really adds to this edge of your seat read.

A great follow up to his debut; Matthew Blake has created another thriller that you will not be able to put down.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley in allowing me to read in return for a review.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for this ARC!

I think I've challenged myself again with the different POVs and timelines in this book, but I do not regret it. It was really an interesting story and I was hooked from page one. We have Olivia, called Liv, and her grandmother, who obviously is not who she claimed to be.

But is her grandmother only sick and confused, or is there more behind it? Find out and get the book once it gets published! 4,5 stars from me.