The Missing Italian Girl: A Mystery in Paris
Pope writes deeply atmospheric historical novels starring nineteenth-century French magistrate Bernard Martin and his teacher wife, Clarie. The settings, so far, have moved through different parts of France; Pope’s first novel, Cezanne’s Quarry (2008), was set in Aix-en-Provence, and her second, The Blood of Lorraine (2011), featured the town of Nancy in Lorraine. In the latest, Pope moves through the dark side of fin de siècle Paris. A charwoman at the exclusive young women’s école in which Clarie teaches sets the plot in motion when she begs Clarie to have her husband look into the disappearance of the charwoman’s daughter. The investigation uncovers the abuse and trafficking of poor young women, anarchist plots, and murder. The musings of Clarie about the wrenching inequity between the pampered women she teaches and those she and Bernard search for in back alleys give us a window into this glamorous yet perilous time. Engrossing. --Connie Fletcher