LA BELLE ÉPOQUE & THE TERRIBLE YEAR

A late-19th-century conciergetries to unmask a murderer before authorities arrest an innocent person in Chamberlin’s mystery.

One morning in 1895, Madame Nathalie Toussaint, in her ground-floor concierge room in Paris, hears a scream and a crash. It’s young housemaid Jeanne-Marie, who just discovered the remains of a murder victim, Monsieur d’Ermenville, at a “fashionable apartment building” in Paris. Police initially suspect both Madame Toussaint and Jeanne-Marie, although it’s clear that the victim, a wealthy male tenant, was not especially well liked. However, authorities seem more certain that the killer is Madame Toussaint’s own late-night “visitor,” who’s not a tenant and has gone missing. She’s convinced he’s innocent, so she sets out on her own investigation while evading police who think she’ll lead them right to their target. This murder stirs up memories from 25 years ago, when Madame Toussaint was one of many Parisians who suffered during the 1870-71 Prussian siege. Digging into what happened on the night in question unearths secrets that gradually bring Madame Toussaint closer to the culprit. Chamberlin skillfully blends a murder mystery with a vivid portrayal of real-world history as the story fluidly alternates between 1895 and the early 1870s. Scenes set in the past are particularly harrowing as Parisians struggle to survive in ruined cities and several characters are revealed to have surprising connections. Madame Toussaint is as sympathetic as she is impressive; she meets her husband-to-be during the Siege of Paris, and her engaging intuition makes her much more than an amateur sleuth. Her subtle interrogations, as the tale oscillates between the past and present, beget a swift pace that rarely lets up. Meanwhile, the real-life events that unfold throughout, from the Dreyfus Affair to the establishment of the 1871 Paris Commune, further enliven an exemplary tale.

A historically rich and sublime work of crime fiction.