DESCRIPTION:
When Stella met Adam, she thought she had finally found a nice, normal guy—a welcome change from her previous boyfriend and her precarious jetsetter lifestyle with him. But her secure world comes crashing down when Adam goes missing after an explosion in the city square. Unable to reach him, she panics.
As the French police investigate, it’s revealed that Adam was on their radar as a dealer of rare and stolen antiquities with a long roster of criminal clients. Reeling from this news, Stella is determined not to leave Paris until she has the full story. Was Adam a random victim or the target of the explosion? And why is someone following her through the streets of Paris?
An irresistible, fast-paced read set in some of Europe’s most inviting locales, The Paris Widow explores how sinister secrets of the past stay with us—no matter how far we travel.
Stella and Adam, seemingly the perfect couple, find their lives upended when Adam vanishes in Paris after a bombing. As Stella relentlessly searches for her husband, she soon discovers that she must confront everything she believed about Adam.
From the outside, Stella and Adam’s life appears idyllic. They’re on a luxurious vacation when they’re separated—first by a deadly bomb blast and then by Adam’s apparent disappearance. Stella’s relentless search uncovers shocking lies and secrets. Who is the man she married, and why is she now being followed?
Determined to find answers, Stella refuses to return home until she uncovers the truth about Adam’s identity, the reason behind the bombing, and the person still after her. She goes to any extreme measure necessary, willing to risk everything to find the answers she seeks, even if it means sacrificing her own life.
While this electrifyingly fast-paced book was impossible to put down, the danger aspect that permeates the pages adds to its suspense. Additionally, the blood antiquities theme evokes Raiders of the Lost Ark vibes, especially as Stella delves deeper into the truth.
The Author’s Note at the end of the book further emphasizes the seriousness of the heinous crime, solidifying the historical aspects of the story. This is my fourth book by Kimberly Belle, and she certainly didn’t disappoint. In fact, this book just might be one of my favorite books of 2024.
I grew up in Kingsport, Tennessee, a small town in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. A gorgeous area, but I couldn’t find an ounce of beauty in the place. I was too focused on planning my escape, which I made to Agnes Scott College, a liberal arts school in Atlanta for women. It was In Atlanta that I met the Dutchman, who whisked me off to the Netherlands. What was meant to be a six-month stay turned into twelve freezing but fabulous years, during which I began checking off the countries on my to-see list. All these years later, I’ve still not seen them all.
Living abroad changed me in ways I can’t count, and though I don’t have the passport to prove it, I am in my heart and soul half Dutch. I know the culture, I speak the language like a native, I love that country like my own.
Fifteen years ago, the Dutchman and I moved back to Atlanta with our two kids, but every chance I get, I hop a plane to Amsterdam so I can stick my toes in sandy Dutch soil.
And of course, wherever I go, the laptop also travels.
