Victor & Me in Paris by Janice MacDonald, An Imogene Durant Mystery

“There was something delightful in being able to place one’s self directly into a novel, even if it was a mystery dealing with grisly murders laid out with precise descriptive flair.”
― page 46

Imogene Durant “Une femme d’un certain age”, is an author with a secret passion for creating backstories for people around her. She lives in Edmonton, Alberta, has recently retired from teaching Comparative Literature at the university, and is recently divorced. Her first book, which is still selling very well, is called Fyodor & Me in Russia. Her editor, Mariel, describes her as “A female Bill Bryson with a literary twist”. Being “almost sixty, with a full life of family and duties behind her and a promising future of travel and delight ahead”, and with the encouragement of her editor, she books a working vacation in Paris for six weeks to write her next book.

“The focus of her last book had been to show that reading a book in the same place as it was set offered a resonance to the plot and characters one didn’t find when reading the same book in a distant land, or without a personal understanding of that area.” ― page 225

Instead of staying in a hotel, Imogene rents herself an apartment for her stay. Her downstairs neighbour, Toni Lamothe, is a police officer with the Parisian Sûreté. Imogene and Toni quickly bond and Imogene even joins Toni’s weekly ballet stretch class. In the course of several conversations, Imogene asks Toni about the investigation she is currently working on, and eventually, Toni confides to her that she is investigating a case that deals with human body parts turning up in ice machines in various hotels throughout Paris. Together they brainstorm several ideas over wine and various delicious-sounding foods. “What was a detective besides a professional reader of clues and signs and subtext?” Imogene also meets a handsome Frenchman and they bond over cheese and wine.

I found this story to be a beautiful tribute to Paris and its classical literature, with the mystery being secondary. I particularly enjoyed all the literary references. If a visit to Paris isn’t on your bucket list, after reading this story it soon will be. I also love the concept of reading a book in the location it is set.

“…reading the book and knowing that most of the cobbles she walked to get to her morning baguette were the same ones that Hugo would have trod to explore the places where he was setting his story had an effect on Imogene that she hoped she could translate to others in her own writing.” ― page 242

Janice MacDonald mentions several well-known authors throughout her book including the late Alistair MacLeod of Nova Scotia. “Imogene had attended a lecture once by the late author Alistair MacLeod, who told the audience that his method of writing was to think of each sentence till it was perfect in his mind and then finally write it down and begin to think of the next sentence. There must have been an audible gasp that reached the podium, because he smiled into the crowd and said, ‘Well, I’m sixty-four and I’ve only written one novel and a handful of stories. So I’m not suggesting this is the best way to work.'” page 169. I sent a photo of the page to his son Alexander (Alex) who responded with: “Hi Sue: Thanks for sending this along. It’s beautiful and a very good characterization of dad.” Based on his response, I am presuming that all the other mentions of authors were accurate.

Janice MacDonald is a Canadian author of mystery novels, textbooks, non-fiction titles, and stories for both children and adults. She is best known for writing seven novels featuring amateur sleuth Miranda “Randy” Craig. The Randy Craig Mysteries were the first detective series to be set in Edmonton, Alberta, where Janice lives and works. She is delighted to begin a new series of adventures with Imogene Durant.

Publisher: Ravenstone (an imprint of Turnstone Press) November 7, 2024
Paperback | 344 pages
ISBN: 9780888017925

Sue Slade

Sue Slade has a Bachelor of Child Study from Mount St. Vincent University in Halifax. After working with children and adults with special needs, she now has her midlife dream job of working with books. Sue manages an independent, locally owned bookstore, Dartmouth Book Exchange. Through her charismatic sharing centred around books and community, Sue has created an engaging cornerstone for authors, customers, and book lovers of all ages. Sue is an avid reader and her reviews cross over many genres.