Oh, to be in Paris now that spring is here. Well, the spring of 1936
might not be the best spring to visit, although things were, relatively
speaking, normal as to what they would be when the Nazis seized control
in a few years. Peril in Paris takes place when the dangers of what is
to come is trying to be averted by those who work undercover, behind the
scenes of the beauty and thrill of a Paris spring. Peril in Paris is a
title that covers so much in the story. While the Royal Spyness (Lady
Georgie) mysteries have a pleasant and often humorous leaning, there is
always something going on underneath that delight that involves murder
and mayhem. Paris and this story could be interchangeable metaphors for
one another. It’s rather like taking the good with the bad, but under
Rhys Bowen’s deft hand, it’s always spellbinding.
Lady Georgie
finds herself in Paris in March 1936. Three months pregnant, her morning
sickness has finally subsided, and her dashing husband Darcy has asked
her to accompany him to Paris. For Darcy it will be work, and certain to
be spy work, but for Georgie, she will visit with her best friend
Belinda. Belinda is working as an intern under Coco Chanel, furthering
her designing skills and enjoying life in Paris. Since Darcy will be
working, Georgie is staying with Belinda so they can better catch up
with one another. However, Belinda is swamped with work for Coco’s new
fall collection preview taking place in a few days. Georgie, who already
knows Coco, becomes involved in the show, too, as Coco designs an
elegant maternity dress for Georgie and insists Georgie model it in the
show. Georgie is worried about the modeling part because she can barely
walk in the tight-legged skirt, and the memories of falling on the
runway in a previous modeling stint she did for Coco still haunt the
expectant mother.
As it turns out, modeling the maternity dress
isn't the only thing Georgie has to worry about at Coco Chanel’s show.
Darcy needs her help. There is a German delegation, known Nazis and
their wives, in Paris for a few days, and that delegation includes
Hermann Goring’s wife and her friend, Greta Goldberg, who has a Jewish
husband. That woman is trying hard not to be noticed, but she and her
husband are secretly part of the effort to undermine Nazi Germany. Frau
Goldberg has some documents and microfilm to pass to Darcy, but she is
being constantly watched, which makes it hard for Darcy to obtain the
documents. The German women are going to attend the fashion show, and
Darcy must ask Georgie to take the hand-off of materials in a plan he
devises. The dress and the hand-off are causing this newly pregnant
Georgie quite a lot of stress, and there’s an unexpected presence that
makes it all just a little harder. Georgie’s narcissistic mother,
Claire, is with the German women and eager to buy some Chanel garments
to take back to Germany where she is now living with her rich
industrialist German fiancé. As if that weren’t enough, Wallace Simpson
shows up. With Georgie’s cousin David now King, Wallace is flouting her
new status as the woman who will become Queen. Of course, she won’t, and
nobody realizes that more than Georgie’s mother, who has never missed a
chance to put Wallace in her place.
When the murder of an
American woman occurs at Coco’s show, Georgie quickly realizes that the
German woman she was to receive the documents from was the actual
target. Georgie is in a bad position of being in the wrong place at the
wrong time, and the French detective is looking very closely at her as a
suspect. There’s so much at stake now-Darcy’s opportunity to gain
information that could be used against the Nazis, the German woman
having a target on her back, and Georgie needing to prove she was not
involved in the American woman’s death. The resolution to the murder is
not an obvious one, and the hate behind it is steeped in a twisted
deception.
I’m pleased with the way Rhys Bowen has brought the
Lady Georgie series to the current events involving France and Germany
and the UK, the years leading up to WWII. It had to be addressed because
of the time frame, and this story was a perfect fit, as Georgie already
had a connection to Coco Chanel, and Coco Chanel was accommodating to
the German clientele who were Nazis. It was an excellent place to show
the beginnings of German encroachment into French life. I’m not a fan of
Coco Chanel. I think she was strictly an opportunist who cared only
about herself and her business surviving, and her fraternization with
the Nazis was deplorable. But again, to introduce the stirrings of a
world that was rapidly moving towards war needs a stage that touches
upon the disbelief that an iconic city like Paris will change. Chanel’s
showing of her fall line in spring represents the expectation that life
will continue as usual, with the Nazis mostly an annoyance.
The
challenge the author faced of keeping the charm of this series alive
while an unprecedented dark cloud hovered was a hard one, but Rhys Bowen
was able to do just that. Lady Georgie is Lady Georgie, and her
personality and less serious problems are going to be there, even amidst
the world changing. I was still able to enjoy the essence of Georgie
and Darcy, their relationship and their smaller world. Daily life does
go on in a vacuum of sorts, but, of course, at this time in history, all
the characters’ lives are facing major shifts when daily life shares in
common all too many hardships. I heartily applaud Rhys Bowen for the
transitions she has successfully started for the coming war. Peril in
Paris is a book that is going to appeal to a wide range of readers, and
although there are some nuances between characters that might be missed,
I think this book can be read as a fascinating stand-alone. Well done,
Rhys Bowen.
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