A GRAND EXPOSITION.

 A GRAND EXPOSITION by KIM IDYNNE.

978-1735079806

 Paris, 1889:

 On the brink of economic recession   and another civil war, France has   managed to create stability by   hosting the Exposition Universelle:  a showcase of industrialized countries and their colonial possessions. After a successful opening, Paris begins to thrive—but the newfound prosperity is threatened by the arrival of an English woman with a mysterious illness. 

When the woman vanishes without a trace from her hotel room, and the hotel’s manager and doctor deny her very existence, her daughter enlists the help of a London reporter. As they scour the city for traces of the missing woman, they find a key witness in Katharine Eliot. They seek her help, unaware that Katharine is already taking pains to protect herself and her family from a murderous elitist, and that she has close ties to the people involved in the woman's disappearance. As the city goes to extremes to prevent a mass exodus of the fair, Katharine must decide whether to risk everything to achieve justice for a stranger—and how far she will go to stop a killer. ... Synopsis

An hour before dawn, Katherine woke and bolted upright in bed. ... First Sentence, Queens; New York: March 9, 1889

The room was much more spacious than her own, and decorated in richer tones. The wallpaper was elegantly embellished with images of dark-tinted roses; plum-colored velvet curtains adorned the windows at the far side of the room, matching the spread on the queen-sized bed. On the far side of the room was a high-backed sofa with white plush cushions, and a mantel holding a single item; an exquisite ormolu clock. ... Memorable Moment, Page 103

MY THOUGHTS ... Inspired by a small article in a volume of the Readers Digest which described the disappearance of an English woman during the 1889 Exposition Universelle, Kim Idynne's story began as an exploration as to how such a disappearance could have been staged and, more importantly, just what impulses could have driven someone to such a crime in the first place.

My goodness! Beginning March 1889, chapters that alternate between events that see the reader in both New York and Delhi and twists and turns aplenty, A Grand Exposition certainly maintains suspense. The slight downside to this for me being that the story didn't flow quite as well as it might have otherwise done. 

I always think the writing of characters must be difficult; the art of painting a picture of them, of having them appear authentic to the time and place in which the novel is set, of laying down the foundations as to the their personality whilst at the same time allowing the reader to build up a picture in their own mind cannot be the easiest of tasks. That the author managed this so well is to her credit.

Just one of many well thought out characters in the novel, in particular I adored Diana who every night took precautions to ensure the safety of herself and her family, not least of which was the placing of beds (resting in bowls of shallow water to drown any ants) in the middle of the room in order that no animals could hide behind them. 

SUMMED UP IN A SENTENCE ... A psychological thriller in the tradition of Hitchcock, exotic locations, a feisty heroine and dastardly villains combined to make this an enjoyable read.

My thanks to the author, Kim Idynne, for providing me with a copy of her novel. I'm only sorry that certain events conspired against my reviewing it before I did.