Review
Murder on the Eiffel Tower soars with its historical
treatment of Paris which readers will remember long after they finish the book. Claude Izner is the pseudonym of two sisters, Liliane Korb and
Laurence Lefevre, who sell second-hand books on the Seine's banks and boast of
expertise on 19th century Paris. Their experience and knowledge shine brightly
in this first of a series featuring amateur detective Victor Legris.
Some readers might be reminded of author Anne Perry's English Victorian
detective novels as they are drawn into Izner's portrayal of Paris and its 1889
World Exposition. Like Perry, Izner interjects small, captivating tidbits about
the period:
Fried-fish vendors and left-over food sellers were
setting up their stalls in the wind. Dishes of beetroot sat alongside
rounds of cold black pudding….The...
Beyond the Book
World Expositions
Although the first world exposition officially occurred in
1851 in London, enormous get-togethers were nothing new. Expositions
originate from markets in medieval times, where masses of people would converge
at major commercial route city centers. Lyons, Frankfurt, and Leipzig were
particularly noted for their early markets. After London's initial exposition,
Paris held expositions in 1867, 1878, 1889 (the setting for Murder on the
Eiffel Tower) and 1900. Other successful expositions occurred in various
locations such as Vienna, Amsterdam, Brussels, Barcelona,...
