April on Paris Street

Anna Dowdall

Guernica Editions (MiroLand), Fall 2021

320 pages

Trade Paperback

ISBN13: 9781771836234

ISBN10: 1771836237

English

$25.00 Canada, $21.95 US, £12.95 UK

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The basic damsel-in-distress gig sounds perfect to private investigator Ashley Smeeton, who's got her own personal and professional struggles in Montreal. Against the backdrop of the winter Carnaval, the job first takes her to Paris where she's drawn into an unsettling world of mirages and masks, not to mention the murderous Bortnik brothers. When she returns to Montreal, a city rife with its own unreasonable facsimiles, the case incomprehensibly picks up again. Convinced she's being played, Ashley embarks on an even more dangerous journey into duplicity. In a world of masks behind masks, it's hard to say where the truth lies.

The woman who stood in the open doorway, against a receding vista of luxurious rooms, took Ashley's breath away. Mirabel Saint Cyr was a fair blonde with blue-grey eyes. She had a well-proportioned figure, seemed tall but wasn't really. It was how the various elements were assembled that made the difference. Her naturally ash blonde hair was in a thick chopped wavy style, like a grown-out fifties Italian boy cut. It suited the shape of her head perfectly, and framed features whose purity verged on the angelic. These included a pair of remarkable eyes that changed colour and moved like restless water under the impulse of thoughts and emotions. When she took in the presence of Ashley, the effect was of light striking sombre water, sideways. On top of everything else, the woman looked far younger than thirty.

April on Paris Street was a true pleasure to read. Ashley is a hugely attractive protagonist…and I particularly enjoyed the witty interplay between the three women who dominate the unusual plot. But the real star of this novel is the city of Paris. Anna Dowdall is masterful at using all the senses to put you right on the streets of the City of Lights. Look for an unexpected twist at the end of this tale.

Melodie Campbell, Arthur Ellis and Derringer prize-winning author of The Goddaughter series

Smart, funny, and so skillfully written. Compelling and eccentric characters navigate a web of deceit and betrayal in this twisting, tantalizing tale infused with the flavours of Paris and Montreal.

Ann Lambert, author of The Dogs of Winter

Beautiful, evocative writing transports the reader from the streets of Montreal to Paris and back to Quebec in a thriller that twists and turns and ponders how easily we can be duped, used and betrayed. But even so, beneath it all, the writer leaves us with hope that there is goodness, too.

Carol Matas, internationally acclaimed author

This clever and inviting novel by Anna Dowdall, third in the Ashley Smeeton series, is brimming with mystery and intrigue. With its vivid characters, evocative setting, and numerous twists and turns, April on Paris Street is a captivating read from start to finish. A great book to curl up with on a cold winter’s eve!

Sharon Hart-Green, author of Come Back for Me: A Novel (University of Toronto Press)

Reviews

April on Paris Street by Anna Dowdall
Ottawa Review of Books - March 1, 2022
A review of April on Paris Street by Anna Dowdall
Compulsive Reader - December 4, 2021
Convoluted Concoction
Montreal Review of Books - October 15, 2021

Books by Anna Dowdall

About Guernica

On Monday, April 26th, 1937, the bells of Santa Maria tolled, warning of the inhumane aerial raid that would reduce the Spanish city of Guernica into ruins. Men, women, children and animals were destroyed under the weight of the fiery nationalist bombs...

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