The Paris Apartment

 

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley (2022) 360 pages

Jess has left London in a hurry after a bad incident with a boss who had harassed her one time too many. She's concerned that the police will be looking for her and she asks her brother, Ben, if she can stay with him in Paris for a bit. Ben agrees, but he isn't there when Jess arrives. All she has is a voice mail message from him, telling her that he'll let her in when she rings the buzzer. 

Jess wonders how Ben could even afford to stay in this massive building on his salary as a restaurant reviewer. The apartment building has 6 floors, one apartment on each floor. It's an old building with secret passages and "a cave" in the basement with a huge amount of wine. There's also a shack on the property that houses a scary old woman who serves as a concierge. 

Jess picks the lock to get into Ben's apartment. There are no towels in the apartment, and there is large section of lighter-colored wood and a strong smell of bleach on the floor near the door, quite troubling. Jess has no money and nowhere else to go, so she stays. She finds some clues that indicate Ben was investigating something big, trying to get a scoop on a story that could advance his career. Everyone in the building seems to be avoiding Jess or trying to get her to leave. Everyone has their secrets in this compelling and suspenseful story.