Murder on the Eiffel Tower by Claude Izner

Picture Paris in 1889 and the opening of the Eiffel Tower as part of the Universal Exposition that happened there that year. That is the setting of "Murder on the Eiffel Tower" by Claude Izner. A vistor to the tower on opeing day falls ill and dies of an apparent bee sting, but others around aren't so sure. As more random people seem to be stung by killer bees, the news media of the day begin to look into what is happening and why . This is a first book from two second-hand bookstore owners from Paris who collaborated to create this emerging mystery series with the lead character Victor Legris. Victor himself is a bookseller and mingles with people who are investigating what happened to all these people and feels that the media aren't doing a very good job. Books with historical setting don't tend to be a favorite, but I enjoyed this one. The authors who are considered to be experts on the period of Paris in the late 1880's created an atmosphere that made me feel like I was strolling the various streets and could almost smell the food on the street carts. You find interesting facts along the way such as the cost to go on the Tower was 4 francs which would have been a whole weeks pay for most people of that time. So even in the era of the fair, going up the Tower would have been a luxury. The twists among characters include Kenji who is a part owner of the bookstore and also a surrogate father, and Tanya a Russian illustrator who develops as a love interest but also a suspect. The twists and turns are well written and the attention to detail of the times impeccable. The next book is "Disappearance at PereLachaise"which incorporates the artist community of Paris in this time period. I highly recommend this book. It wasn't bad for a random pick from a bookstore.