Dollycas's Thoughts

Genevieve Martin returns to Paris after her uncle passes away to take over his locksmith shop. There is so much bureaucratic red tape for her to be able to work as a locksmith in Paris so she is unsure how long she will actually be able to stay, but she hopes things work out. Her aunt is in a nursing home with Alzheimer's and her cousin has no desire to take over her father's business. Before Genevieve has time to sleep off the jet lag she has customers at her door. The neighbors are friendly for the most part and take her under their wing. She tries to settle in but then she starts to discover secrets about her mother that could change her entire life. What a story!!!

The story travels between Genevieve's life now, and when she visited Paris in 1997, and her mother Angela's life in the early 80's. It does get a little confusing at times because so many people intersect over all three time periods but the chapters are clearly labeled which helps. These are rich characters and some things they go through are heartbreaking. They both have escaped to Paris, Angela questioning her life and her marriage, Genevieve after her mother dies and now as her divorce is close to final. It was so nice to see Paris through their eyes. The descriptions were vivid and easy to envision. How different things looked from Genevieve the child to Genevieve the adult. Love for Paris shines brightly.

The story itself was all about family, the journey, the good times and the bad, unlocking memories and secrets. This story has much more depth than I originally expected. I found myself absolutely and totally escaping into this book. I have enjoyed Juliet Blackwell's mysteries so I knew I would enjoy the story but I was truly blown away. I hated to reach the last page. I have never been to Paris but after reading this book I hope to travel there someday.

Thank you Ms. Blackwell for taking me on this amazing journey.
10 STARS

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Pleasantly surprised generally not the type of book I would read. Very well done. Plot is in present day and 1983 couldn't put the book down. Characters were very interesting. Paris was the star of the show though.

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Genevieve is going through a divorce after her husband was caught cheating on her. About the same time, her uncle dies leaving her his locksmith shop in Paris. She uses this opportunity to return to Paris and maybe take over his business. She has previously been to Paris to visit her uncle, aunt, and cousin shortly after her mother's death when she was 14.

This mainly told in Genevieve's POV present tense. There are also flashbacks to her mother's visit in 1983 and her visit in 1997. Pasquale (her aunt) also has a chapter dedicated to her POV. Overall this worked to tell the story; each chapter's POV is clearly marked.

I enjoyed reading about Paris and the neighborhoods with the close-knit community. I liked reading a little history of WWII and the Algerian War. I thought it was cool how JB tied the Basques into the story too (with the Embassy bombing). (Boise, ID has a large Basque population).

I would have liked more on locksmithing; it was fascinating reading about the old locks. I did have a hard time connecting with Genevieve and her mother Angela. There is no romance in this one. Angela's secret is easily guessed.

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