A blast of truth?

‘The Paris Widow’ – Kimberly Belle

When Stella met Adam, she thought she had finally found a nice, normal guy—a welcome change from her previous boyfriend and her precarious jetsetter lifestyle with him. But her secure world comes crashing down when Adam goes missing after an explosion in the city square. Unable to reach him, she panics.

As the French police investigate, it’s revealed that Adam was on their radar as a dealer of rare and stolen antiquities with a long roster of criminal clients. Reeling from this news, Stella is determined not to leave Paris until she has the full story. Was Adam a random victim or the target of the explosion? And why is someone following her through the streets of Paris?

An irresistible, fast-paced read set in some of Europe’s most inviting locales, The Paris Widow explores how sinister secrets of the past stay with us—no matter how far we travel.

This is a fast-paced, literally explosive novel that takes readers around Europe after Stella’s husband, Adam, is supposedly killed in a terrorist attack in Paris. The disorientation following the explosion was really intense and this dragged me in to the narrative, keen to find out what happened to Adam and what Stella, the Paris Widow, would do next.

However, the explosion is merely the beginning as it soon becomes clear that Adam has been involved in dealings that immerse him in the criminal underworld. He is a wanted man and Stella fears for her life. Suddenly realising she can trust no one, Stella searches Adam’s belongings for clues: surely these accusations are untrue? And how do they link to Stella’s own past?

I enjoyed the mystery and action of the story, particularly as the writer moves to flashbacks several days earlier. These scenes are from Adam’s perspective and really inform on present day events. They add clues to Stella’s own investigations and it is like she is headed down a rabbit hole where answers just raise further questions. Her distrust of those around her is always proven correct and I liked how she was able to think logically, even amidst her grief over her husband.

There is plenty of suspense in this story and I think this is intensified by the foreign locations. Despite Paris being well-known, Stella is operating undercover mostly, desperately trying to keep the attention from her whilst delving into Adam’s secret life. I loved how the story takes readers beyond Paris as well: Luxembourg, Venice, Malta, to name but a few. It adds to the lavish, exoticness of Adam’s past and the corruption that he is accused of.

This was an entertaining action read and I enjoyed it immensely. I could not foresee how the story would conclude and liked seeing Stella on her quest for truth. Highly engaging.

With thanks to HQ and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.