Bookworm in the City

The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau / Kristin Harmel
What it is: a cold case mystery
Did I like it: no mystery here: absolutely

Another shout-out to JJReads for providing me with the second reading challenge item in a row!

I was gifted this book by friend E (thank you, E!) and this made me happy because:
a) It was a birthday gift, given wayyy ahead of my birthday “because presents are best when you don’t expect them” (true!)
b) I got a book for my birthday! (You’d think that happens a lot, but most friends don’t dare to give me books because they think I’ve read them all (they underestimate the number of books being published and overestimate my ability to keep up with that))
Also, the book came with the note that it should fit the no. 23 item of the reading challenge, which it does! The story is half/half set in Europe and North America so that’s a double check for the different continents.

I’ve read books by this author before and enjoyed this one just as much as I did those. The theme was the same: occupied France during World War Two, but the storyline of the jewel thieves was an interesting take, as was the continued mystery in the “now” of 2018 in the Boston area. The only thing I took with a pinch of salt was the incredible coincidence that some of the almost-hundred year old key players were still alive and living in the same area, but I was willing to ignore that part and stay with the rest of the story because the premise was too intriguing.
So, to that story. As the title suggests, it’s about Colette, who is a teenage girl living in Paris when the city falls into German hands. She lives with her younger sister and parents, and her English mother tells the girls stories of their English ancestors, most notoriously: Robin Hood. She also teaches Colette (the younger sister is still too young) everything about stealing and her most important lesson is to only steal from the rich to fund justice as this basically is the family motto. Her father hates every aspect of the thievery and ignores it happening, but Colette and her mother steal jewels from the necks and wrists of Nazis and collaborators to fund a local Resistance chapter. Then one night it all goes wrong, and her mother ends up arrested and her sister is murdered.
None of this is a spoiler because it’s on the back of the book. It’s also not a spoiler to say that Colette survives the war because the book starts with a chapter that features her as an elderly lady living in Boston. For seventy-six years she has been consumed by the mystery of her younger sister’s murder for which she has always felt responsible. This murder mystery is not just a cold case, but an icy one. But then a museum exhibit displays the bracelet that her sister had on her when she went missing. It’s the first clue in seven decades and Colette jumps on it.
The story goes back and forth between the two times and places and as the mystery is slowly revealed, so is Colette’s personal history. It’s nicely done and it was one of those books that was difficult to put down; I read this fast and then regretted reading it so fast. In my world, that makes something a very good read.

If you read and liked other titles by this author, I’m sure you’ll like this as well. If you’d like to discover a new author who writes compelling stories set during World War Two, this book can go on your reading list!