Okay, I know it's got lots of murders in it, but it's also about the ghost of Marie Antoinette killing people and an American girl on a trip to Paris with her mean girl friends who is key to solving the crimes.
Colette is glad to escape to Paris on a school trip - her parents have split up and she, her mother and her younger brother have moved into a tiny flat. There's no way she can let her friends Pilar and Hannah know - the two of them wouldn't understand what it's like to have little money. As her trip to Paris progresses, she finds herself attracted to the cute tour guide and reassessing her friendships, as well as, you know, seeing the ghost of Marie Antoinette. As you do.
This is definitely the kind of book you should read if you're looking for something frivolous but with a decent plot and a variety of characters. I liked Colette, and watching her grow and mature through the book was good. Her schoolmates and friends all played vital roles, and the setting felt just like something from a teen rom com, apart from the whole ghost murdering people thing.
That aspect of it was well executed though (excuse the unintentional pun). I liked the slow build, and the parts in between chapters where yet another murder was carried out. It was interesting to see the pieces falling into place (another unintended pun) and the key scenes at the end were exhilarating.
If I had to find fault with the book, I would say that Colette's realisations were a little too perfect, particularly when it came to her family. The lessons were learned just a bit quickly and everything was tied up very neatly.
Still, that's a small thing in the bigger context. This isn't a book to sit down and pore over and find hidden meaning in. It's designed to thrill and be a fun reading experience. In other words, it's a pure pleasure read.
How I got this book: From the room of unwanted books at work.
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