Title: The Paris Secret
Author: Karen Swan
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 1447280695
No. of Pages: 480
Price: 399 INR

About the Book

Somewhere along the cobbled streets of Paris, an apartment lies thick with dust and secrets: full of priceless artworks hidden away for decades. 

High-flying fine art agent Flora from London, more comfortable with the tension of a million-pound auction than a cosy candlelit dinner for two, is called in to assess these suddenly discovered treasures. As an expert in her field, she must trace the history of each painting and discover who has concealed them for so long. 

Thrown in amongst the glamorous Vermeil family as they move between Paris and Antibes, Flora begins to discover that things aren't all that they seem, while back at home her own family is recoiling from a seismic shock. The terse and brooding Xavier Vermeil seems intent on forcing Flora out of his family's affairs - but just what is he hiding?

Review

The book opens up in Paris where two men try to break-in an old abandoned building and discover something which leaves them awestruck. The scene further shifts to fine art agent Flora Sykes, where she lives wither family that includes her father an ace Auctioneer, her mother and her elder brother. Flora is then called to investigate the abandoned Paris apartment which apparently is full of artworks from the Nazi period. The Renoirs, the Faucheux and many more artworks that the world lost track about. She then meets the owners of this abandoned property, a very big name in the social circle all over Paris “The Vermeil’s”. As she discovers some secrets associated with the paintings from the time of World War II, during her course of discovering and uncovering the secrets with each passing day she somehow crosses her paths with Xavier and Natasha Vermeil. With very less time to reconnect with the paintings history and pressure from her boss Angus, to take the painting in the highly awaited Art Auction.

Flora in the middle of her own family problems hiding the secret of her brother’s trail and being delved into finding out the history of the Vermeil’s and their association with the painting’s shuffling between 4 cities and getting to know roots of the work that she loves doing. Being attracted to the people she should not be and getting herself involved into the ‘Paris Secret’ and being  trying to heal from the betrayal from her friend. Not knowing if she is making her future or destroying it.

This book is a must read for every person who loves Mystery with hints of romance in it. The book has everything one can ask for, social life of young high class kid’s and the bond that they share with their family, the romance and mystery happening in the most beautiful city in the world ‘PARIS’.

Karen Swan has done a stellar job in writing this book that has so much about art and her research is fantastic. This book actually made me know art even more. The book has giving me a chance to know art history and I guess I am in love with artwork from the times of WWII now. I wouldn’t have made any effort to have knowledge of the artwork if I hadn’t read this book. I am glad that I got a chance to review this book and fall in love art just the way Flora does.

Thank You to the publisher for the review copy. All views expressed here are my own.

About the Author

Karen Swan began her career in fashion journalism before giving it all up to raise her three children and a puppy and to pursue her ambition of becoming a writer. She lives in the forest in Sussex, writing her books in a treehouse overlooking the Downs. Her books include Christmas at Tiffany's, Summer at Tiffany's, the Perfect Present, Christmas in the Snow and Christmas on Primrose Hill.

Cover Reveal: A Column of Fire by Ken Follett

About the book:

Opening in Christmas 1558, A Column of Fire will take readers back to Kingsbridge once more.

Jeremy Trevathan, Publisher of Macmillan Adult Books said: ‘Publication of a new Ken Follett novel is always a major event, but a new Ken Follett Kingsbridge novel, set in the fictional town that readers first encountered in The Pillars of the Earth, is hugely exciting. We’re all delighted at Pan Macmillan to be helping to bring this wonderful novel to readers in 2017.’

Ken Follett announced the title while on a research trip to Seville, Spain:

‘It is a spy story set in the sixteenth century, during the reign of Elizabeth I of England. There were many assassination plots against the Queen, so the people around her set up an espionage system to foil those sixteenth century terrorists. This was the beginning of the British secret service that eventually gave us James Bond.’

As in Ken Follett’s other bestselling novels, readers follow a cast of characters across their lives, allowing insight through their eyes into the most fascinating and tumultuous historical events of the period: in A Column of Fire, we follow the story of young Ned Willard. When Elizabeth Tudor becomes queen, all of Europe turns against England. The shrewd, determined young monarch sets up the country’s first secret service, to give her early warning of assassination plots, rebellions and invasion plans. Ned finds himself on the opposite side from the girl he longs to marry, Margery Fitzgerald.

Over a turbulent half-century, the love between Ned and Margery seems doomed, as extremism sparks violence from Edinburgh to Geneva. Elizabeth clings precariously to her throne and her principles, protected by a small, dedicated group of resourceful spies and courageous secret agents.

About the Author:

Ken Follett’s first Kingsbridge novel, the masterful epic The Pillars of the Earth, enchanted millions of readers with its compelling drama of war, passion and family conflict set around the building of a cathedral. The sequel, World Without End, was a number one bestseller in the UK, US and Europe, taking readers back to medieval Kingsbridge two centuries later, as the men, women and children of the city once again grappled with the devastating sweep of historical change. 

Ken Follett was twenty-seven when he wrote Eye of the Needle, an award-winning thriller that became an international bestseller. Recently, he has written the bestselling Century trilogy, which comprises of Fall of Giants, Winter of the World and Edge of Eternity.

Ken Follett’s 30 novels have sold over 160 million copies to date, published in 30 languages, and the latest novel Edge of Eternity (published in September 2014) went to No. 1 in the UK hardback chart.

Cover Reveal: Skyfire by Aroon Raman

About the Book:

May 2012. India is hit by a series of freak weather disturbances and startling epidemics that threaten to bring the country to its knees.

At the same time, children are disappearing from the slums in the capital and nobody seems to care. Stumbling upon these strange and seemingly unrelated incidents, journalist Chandrasekhar, historian Meenakshi Pirzada and intelligence operative Syed Ali Hassan start upon a trail that leads them into the drawing rooms of Delhi’s glittering high society before reaching a terrifying climax in Bhutan, where they come face-to-face with a force of unspeakable power and evil.

Bestselling author Aroon Raman’s third novel, Skyfire, is a heart-stopping thriller that will chill you to the bone.

Book Trailer:

About the Author:

Aroon Raman is a Bengaluru-based serial entrepreneur and author. He ran his family companies for many years, winning critical acclaim for developing scientific talent at the grassroots. After successfully divesting both ventures, he now divides his time between consulting for corporates, non-profits, writing and travel. He is the author of the national bestsellers The Shadow Throne (2012) and The Treasure of Kafur (2013). He regularly contributes columns to Outlook magazine and other publications. He can be reached at www.aroonraman.com