Murder on the Eiffel Tower: Summary and book reviews of Murder on the Eiffel Tower by Claude Izner, plus links to an excerpt from Murder on the Eiffel Tower and a biography of Claude Izner.
Murder on the Eiffel Tower A Mystery
by Claude Izner
Hardcover: Sep 2008,
304 pages.
Paperback: Sep 2009,
304 pages.
The brand-new, shiny Eiffel Tower is the pride and glory of the 1889 World Exposition. But one sunny afternoon, as visitors are crowding the viewing platforms, a woman collapses and dies on this great Paris landmark. Can a bee sting really be the cause of death? Or is there a more sinister explanation? Enter young bookseller Victor Legris. Present on the tower at the time of the incident, and appalled by the media coverage of the occurence, he is determined to find out what actually happened. In this dazzling evocation of late nineteenth-century Paris, we follow Victor as his investigation takes him all over the city and he suspects an ever-changing list of possible perpetrators. Could mysterious Kenji Mori, his surrogate father and business partner at the bookstore Legris operates, be involved in the crime? Why are beautiful Russian illustrator Tasha and her colleagues at the newly launched sensationalist newspaper Passepartout always up-to-date in their reporting? And what will Legris do when the deaths begin to multiply and he is caught in a race against time?
Murder on the Eiffel Tower is painstakingly researched, an effortless evocation of the glorious City of Light, and an exciting opening to a promising series of eight books featuring Victor Legris.
Murder on the Eiffel Tower soars with its historical treatment of Paris which readers will remember long after they finish the book. Author 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. (Reviewed by Beth Hemke Shapiro).
Publishers Weekly
The taut pacing and vivid period detail will have readers eagerly turning the pages.
Library Journal
[T[his debut of a very Gallic series will appeal to Francophiles and fans of historicals.
Kirkus Reviews
[T]he energetic curiosity of the hero dovetails nicely with readers' interest in a fascinating era. The colorful supporting cast lays a solid foundation for Victor's further exploits.
Financial Times (UK)
[A] clock-beating thriller . . . entertaining views of nineteenth-century Paris.
The Independent (UK)
Isabel Reid's seamless translation captures the novel's many period charms.
Le Monde (France)
A charming journey through the life and intellectual times of an era.
Recent Reader Reviews
Rated of 5
by Brenda Couldn't put it down! This book was everything a book of this genre should be. It was romantic, charming and suspenseful and read at a quick exciting pace! I only wish it had some beautiful sketches to illustrate the story as one of the main characters is an... Read More
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, St. Louis, Turin, and
Philadelphia.
While most of the construction is temporary and is dismantled upon the
conclusion of the event, many...
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From the Orange Prize-nominated author of The Observations comes a beautifully conjured and wickedly sharp tale of art and deception in nineteenth-century Scotland.
These are 2 of the 8 readalike suggestions for Murder on the Eiffel Tower. Members have full access to all readalikes. If you are a member, please login. To find out more about membership, click here.
Stranger than fiction, blending tragedy and farce, How to Create the Perfect Wife is an engrossing tale of the radicalism, and deep contradictions, at the heart of the Enlightenment.
Z, the novel about the life of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald is at points charming and; like another reviewer, I kept thinking of the movie, "Midnight...
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Although heavy on the scientific details, which slowed down the story for me (OK, I admit, I was one of those liberal arts majors who skipped out on...
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U.S. ebook sales up in 2012, but rate of growth is slowing(May 16 2013) In 2012, trade book sales (i.e. non academic book sales) rose 6.9%, to $15.049 billion, and e-book sales continued to grow, although the rate of growth...
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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, St. Louis, Turin, and
Philadelphia. 
While most of the construction is temporary and is dismantled upon the
conclusion of the event, many...
