In this glittering tale of forgotten treasures and long-held secrets, international bestseller Karen Swan explores one woman’s journey to discovering the truth behind an abandoned apartment and a family whose mysteries may be better left undiscovered.When high-powered fine art agent Flora Sykes is called in to assess objets d’art in a Paris apartment that has been abandoned since WWII, she is … since WWII, she is skeptical at first—until she discovers that the treasure trove of paintings is myriad…and priceless. The powerful Vermeil family to whom they belong is eager to learn more and asks Flora to trace the history of each painting.
Despite a shocking announcement that has left her own family reeling, Flora finds herself thrown into the glamorous world of the Vermeils. But she soon realizes there is more to this project than first appears. As she researches the provenance of their prize Renoir, she uncovers a scandal surrounding the painting—and a secret that goes to the very heart of the family. The fallout will place Flora in the eye of a storm that carries her from London to Vienna to the glittering coast of Provence.
Xavier Vermeil, the brusque scion of the family, is determined to separate Flora from his family’s affairs in spite of their powerful attraction to one another. Just what are the secrets he is desperately trying to hide? And what price is Flora willing to pay to uncover the devastating truth…?
“The Paris Secret had me from the moment I started reading. Filled with a smart and sympathetic protagonist, a touch of romance, a smidgen of history, plenty of intrigue and suspense galore.”—Diane Chamberlain, internationally bestselling author of The Midwife’s Confession
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Flora Sykes is an agent in the Fine Art world, working for places like Christie’s and Sotheby’s auction houses. In Paris she’s asked to assess the artworks in a long-forgotten Paris apartment, artworks that have gathered dust since WWII.
It doesn’t take her long to discover that these works are linked to the Nazi who collected them from Jews under duress. But that’s not the whole story, and in this page-turning novel the secrets of the family who owned the paintings are gradually revealed.
To keep you flipping the pages, there is an intense romance with an unsuitable man, family skeletons-in-the-closet, a valuable Renoir, and a glimpse into the luxury world of high-end art collection. I thoroughly enjoyed this cleanly-written book which I picked up second-hand at a car boot sale. Worth paying good money for though!
You’d never think of an art historian and appraiser as a detective, but that is what Flora turned into after her firm was hired to evaluate the contents of an abandoned apartment. The will’s codicil said that the apartment should remain a secret until after Magda Vermeil’s death, but urban explorers discovered the apartment and notified the lawyers who notified the family. Flora’s task is to identify, catalogue, and establish provenance on the art so it can be sold. The book has multiple subplots, including Flora’s brother being on trial and the outrageous behavior of Xavier and Natashe Vermeil, Magda’s grandchildren. Set in Paris and the Cote de Azure, the decor, clothing, automobiles, and lifestyles are pretty outrageous. But so is the underlying tale of a Nazi collaborator. This book was fascinating and had just the amount of dramatic tension.
I enjoy reading about art and history so this book had great elements for me. The story was interesting and the plot had many twists that kept me interested.
Excellent!
Loved this book! A must read!
Some escapist pleasures of: Paris, the world of multi-million dollar art sales and auctions, the young and trendy and well-dressed. But the plot stretched my belief and the “romance” was of the weak-kneed with no conversation variety…
It was written so realistically I thought historical characters were real people
Not worth reading. It is easy to skim because there is not much depth to this book.
Family secrets, an apartment locked for over 70 years, art treasures abound, why? As the answers are revealed the reasons reveal heartbreaking decisons that change the course of life for generations!
Wonderful
I won this book from Goodreads giveaways. I was not required to give a favorable review. This is a wonderful book based on a historical apartment in Paris I love how the story has so much history in it and also about the amount of background was given on how the art that was stolen from families is being tracked to find out where it actually is. The whole story just kept intrigue from the minute I opened the book I until I finished it. And the end of the story really surprised me. I was thinking such bad thoughts about a dead character to find out what he really did. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a bit of historical fact in their fiction.
The story is interesting but the writing leaves one wondering if there was a proof writer missing in this endeavor. The writer overused simple adjectives as if she has a stunted fund of vocabulary and has not even heard of a thesaurus.
This is the fourth fictional book I have read, inspired by the abandoned Paris apartment filled with decades old art and secrets. It was incredibly satisfying throughout, and had an outstanding ending. If you like art, family secrets, and you enjoyed any of the other books written about the fascinating and famous abandoned Paris apartment, I highly recommend The Paris Secret.
The Paris Secret is well written and I have a new favorite author. Historical mystery, romance,suspense and a very fast paced story. This book exposes the tragedies of World War II and its effects on people for generations. I look forward to reading more books by this author.
This book was an unusual look at the effects of WWII on the present. Fiction, but based on the fact that so much art was lost and stolen during the war. The characters were engaging, rich people in 2016, living a charmed life, but the book also reflects back to WWII.