The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley Summary

The Paris Apartment is a mystery thriller where Jess Hadley travels to Paris to stay with her half-brother Ben, only to find him missing from his luxurious apartment. As she investigates his disappearance, she uncovers dark secrets among the building's residents, including an illegal sex-trafficking operation disguised as an exclusive wine club. The novel weaves together multiple perspectives to reveal a web of blackmail, deception, and violence in a atmospheric Parisian setting.

Lucy Foley is a British author born in 1986 who studied English literature at Durham University and UCL before working as a fiction editor. She has written six novels, including New York Times bestsellers The Guest List and The Paris Apartment, as well as The Hunting Party and The Midnight Feast. Foley transitioned from historical fiction to mystery thrillers, publishing a novel per year for six consecutive years.

The Paris Apartment is perfect for readers who enjoy atmospheric mystery thrillers with multiple unreliable narrators and dark secrets. Fans of Lucy Foley's previous work The Guest List, or readers who appreciate Hitchcockian suspense set against enchanting European backdrops, will find this compelling. It appeals to those who like puzzle-box mysteries where nothing and no one is as they seem.

The Paris Apartment is worth reading for mystery thriller enthusiasts seeking an immersive, twist-filled narrative. Named one of the most anticipated books of 2022 by Goodreads and Good Housekeeping, it became a New York Times bestseller. Foley's skillful character development and atmospheric Paris setting create a suspenseful page-turner, though readers should expect dark themes including violence and sex trafficking.

Ben Daniels, a journalist investigating the building's residents, was attacked in his apartment after discovering their illegal activities. Jacques Meunier, the patriarch running the sex-trafficking operation, assaulted Ben, but was stopped by Mimi, who stabbed Jacques while infatuated with Ben. Jess eventually finds Ben nearly dead and imprisoned in the old maids' chambers at the top of the building, where he ultimately recovers.

Jess Hadley is the protagonist searching for her missing half-brother, while Ben is the journalist who uncovered dangerous secrets. The building residents include:

• Sophie and Jacques Meunier, a wealthy couple in the penthouse with dark secrets
• Mimi, a young woman infatuated with Ben
• Nick Miller, Ben's Cambridge friend
• Antoine and Dominique, an unhappy couple
• The mysterious Concierge who watches everyone closely

The Paris Apartment takes place in a historic Parisian apartment building with hidden passages, wine cellars, and secret staircases once used by servants. Foley wrote the novel during the 2020 COVID lockdown, traveling "in her imagination" to create crowded bars, metro carriages, and atmospheric Parisian streets. The Hitchcockian setting combines glamorous Parisian elegance with claustrophobic suspense and Gothic undertones.

The building's residents run an illegal sex-trafficking club masquerading as an exclusive wine merchant business.

• Sophie Meunier is being blackmailed about her past as a sex worker before marrying Jacques.
• Mimi harbored an obsessive infatuation with Ben, ultimately stabbing her father Jacques to protect him.

Each resident guards dangerous secrets while maintaining a façade of normalcy.

Both The Paris Apartment and The Guest List are New York Times bestselling mystery thrillers featuring multiple unreliable narrators and dark secrets. While The Guest List (2020) won the Goodreads Choice Award and takes place at a wedding on an Irish island, The Paris Apartment (2022) unfolds in a claustrophobic Parisian building with more sinister criminal elements. Both showcase Foley's signature atmospheric suspense and intricate plotting.

The wine cellar serves as both a literal and metaphorical space hiding the building's darkest secrets. Jess becomes trapped in the extensive cellar when the door jams—or is deliberately locked—while investigating. The wine merchant business operated by Jacques Meunier provides the perfect cover for the illegal sex-trafficking club, with the metal card bearing a firework symbol serving as exclusive entry.

The Paris Apartment explores:

• Class divisions and the exploitation hidden behind wealthy facades, examining how privilege protects dangerous people.
• Female vulnerability and agency, particularly through Jess's perspective as a woman investigating dangerous situations alone—a theme Foley deliberately emphasized.

Additional themes include secrets and surveillance, with the Concierge watching residents and everyone hiding their true nature.

Jess Hadley arrives in Paris fleeing legal trouble after defending herself against workplace sexual harassment, establishing her as resourceful and willing to take risks. Her working-class background contrasts sharply with the wealthy residents, giving her an outsider's perspective to question inconsistencies. Foley crafted Jess's voice to come "so clearly," creating a determined protagonist who refuses to abandon her brother despite mounting danger and hostility.