June 26, 2017
Pryor’s entertaining seventh Hugo Marston novel finds the cultured head of security at the American embassy in Paris and former FBI profiler attending the funeral of actress Isabel Severin, a key player in 2016’s The Paris Librarian. After the service, Hugo is approached by bestselling American romance author Helen Hancock, who informs him that she suspects she’s being stalked. He’s not inclined to take her claim seriously—until Helen finds a spy cam in her hotel room. When hotel employee Andrew Baxter is stabbed to death in a stairwell in the hotel, the case takes an ominous turn, especially after Hugo discovers that it was Andrew who planted the camera in Helen’s room. The mystery deepens when one of Helen’s writing students is murdered and Hugo is attacked outside his own apartment. A fascinating cast, an intriguing subplot that delves into Hugo’s past, and a gorgeous Parisian setting add to the story’s appeal. Agent: Ann Collette, Rees Literary Agency.