An art lover's guide to Paris and murder

Freeman's superbly plotted seventh Victorian cozy (after A Newlywed's Guide to Fortune and Murder) finds Frances Hazelton and her husband, George, tracking down a killer in the City of Light. The action kicks off when George's aunt Julia requests that he and Frances come to Paris from England to investigate the suspicious death of her former lover and fellow artist, Paul Ducasse. After they arrive during the 1900 Paris World's Fair, Frances learns that George has kept several secrets for his aunt, including the existence of Julia and Paul's illegitimate daughter, Lissette. When Julia dies in an apparent accident at the fair, George inherits her estate. Overwhelmed, he and Frances head to Julia's farm outside the city, where they meet Lissette and launch an investigation into Paul's death. As the couple digs, they uncover tensions between Julia and Paul and two artists they shared a studio with in Montmartre. Paul's icy wife, Gabrielle, also comes under suspicion. Freeman keeps the pace brisk and the suspects plentiful, giving even seasoned armchair sleuths a run for their money. Historical mystery fans are in for a treat. Agent: Melissa Edwards, Stonesong. (July)

In Freeman's seventh Countess of Harleigh mystery (following A Newlywed's Guide to Fortune and Murder), Frances Wynn, once the Countess of Harleigh and now married to George Hazelton, has several reasons to visit Paris in 1900. She would like to see the World Exposition. She also knows that George has received a letter from France, and she doesn't think it relates to his work for the Home Office. It turns out that George's Aunt Julia is in Paris and would like to consult him about a suspicious death. Paul Ducasse, an artist who was once Julia's lover, recently drowned in the Seine, but Julia believes he was murdered. When Frances and George arrive in Paris, however, Julia is reluctant to share information. She brushes off her troubles and accompanies the Hazeltons to the World Exposition. That day, a footbridge collapses, and the trio is caught in the chaos. In the aftermath, Frances and George think that the collapse killed Julia, but then the police reveal that someone took advantage of the tragedy to stab her to death. Frances and George link Ducasse's murder to Julia's and interview some of Ducasse's artist friends. However, it's their trip to Julia's farm in Chartres that reveals what might be the greatest clue. VERDICT Art, murder, and the Parisian atmosphere combine in a delightful, detailed mystery for Francophile fans of Rhys Bowen or Betty Webb.--Lesa Holstine

A request for help from a relative sends Frances, the former Countess of Harleigh, and her second husband, George Hazleton, to Paris, where they encounter a series of mysteries. Since she hasn't yet had a honeymoon, Frances thinks a trip to the 1900 World Exposition in Paris would be perfect. Plus George has received a letter from his aunt Julia, who lives in Paris, requesting some help. George is hesitant to involve Frances because Julia's been lying to the family about her life for years. Julia wants George to look into the death of the famous artist Paul Ducasse, which she's convinced was murder. At a show of his work, Frances and George see a portrait of Julia that leaves them wondering about her relationship to the painter. At dinner with the couple, Julia is happy to talk about her home and perfumery in Chartres and the studio she shares with several other artists but insists they wait till the following day to discuss business. She's clearly hiding many secrets, so when she dies in a footbridge collapse at the exposition and later turns out to have been stabbed, the sleuthing duo have much to discover, beginning with the fact that Julia had a child by Ducasse. After an interview with the police, they travel to Chartres, where Julia's daughter, Lissette, and her companion, Christine Granger, express both suspicions of them and an eagerness to join in the hunt for Julia's killer. The four of them return together to Paris, where much more will be revealed. A charming period background adds verisimilitude to a mystery awash in red herrings. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.