Hugo Marston, security officer at the U.S. Embassy in Paris and avid book collector, can't help but be suspicious when his friend Paul Rogers dies at the American Library one day after offering to sell Hugo a signed copy of In Cold Blood. Although the police chalk it up to natural causes (after all, Paul did have a bad heart, and video surveillance proves no one entered the locked room where his body was found), Hugo just can't let it go.
It's August, when most of Paris is en vacances, so since his embassy duties are lax, Hugo starts to poke around in Paul's personal life and into the lives of the other library employees. When a second person dies unexpectedly, Hugo is sure that a murderer is on the loose. Can he convince the police to help him catch a killer?
With a charming Parisian background, filled with omelets and frites, and a wide cast of intriguing characters--including an elderly, world-famous actress, Hugo's ex-CIA roommate and a transgender cop--The Paris Librarian is a quick, entertaining mystery. As the sixth entry in the Hugo Marston series, the first chapter contains considerable expository dialogue, which drags a bit, but Mark Pryor (The Blood Promise) finds his stride as Rogers's body is found, and the rest of the novel is delightful. Sure to appeal to mystery lovers, book collectors and Francophiles alike, The Paris Librarian is an welcome addition to an enjoyable series. --Jessica Howard, blogger at Quirky Bookworm