First time visiting BookBrowse? Get a free copy of our members' ezine today.

Excerpt from Murder on the Eiffel Tower by Claude Izner, plus links to reviews, author biography & more

Summary |  Excerpt |  Reviews |  Beyond the Book |  Readalikes |  Genres & Themes |  Author Bio

Murder on the Eiffel Tower by Claude Izner

Murder on the Eiffel Tower

A Mystery

by Claude Izner
  • BookBrowse Review:
  • Critics' Consensus:
  • Readers' Rating:
  • First Published:
  • Sep 2, 2008, 304 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Sep 2009, 304 pages
  • Rate this book

  • Buy This Book

About this Book

Print Excerpt


There was a moment’s silence. Marius asked him if he liked champagne. Kenji Mori replied that although the sparkling drink could never compare to sake, he would be delighted to have a glass. Impressed by the virile allure of this polite, refined Asian man, Eudoxie speedily revised her preconceptions of him. The others seemed to be expecting something from Kenji Mori. He had unwittingly upset the equilibrium of the group.

‘My friend Victor’s business associate is Japanese,’ announced Marius triumphantly.

Victor noticed Tasha’s almost imperceptible smile. Their eyes met and she saw his expression change. He finds me attractive, she thought. She would have liked to sketch his face: he has an interesting, sensual mouth . . .

Leaning towards Kenji Mori, Eudoxie asked: ‘Have you visited the Japanese Pavilion?’

‘I’m not interested in Japanese knick-knacks manufactured in bulk and intended for bazaars,’ he replied without departing from his customary affability.

‘Yet there are some beautiful pieces on display,’ said Tasha, ‘especially the prints . . .’



‘In the West, few people who are not experts understand that kind of pictorial art. For them they are nothing more than pretty, exotic images with which to decorate the Henri the Second-style drawing rooms. You clutter your homes with such a profusion of objects that in the end you don’t notice any of them.’

Tasha protested vehemently. ‘You’re wrong! Why tar everyone with the same brush? I was lucky enough to see the exhibition of Japanese prints organised by the Van Gogh brothers. The Great Wave by Hokusai made a real impression on me.’

Isidore Gouvier suddenly intervened. ‘Talking about making an impression – up here one might almost be on the bridge of a transatlantic liner,’ he remarked in a sinister tone. ‘All we need is a really good ground swell to topple this red pylon you’ve made me climb.’

They laughed.

‘Don’t criticise Monsieur Eiffel’s Tower. It’s the technical apotheosis of our century,’ declared Kenji Mori. ‘It’s amazing to think its seven thousand tonnes of iron weigh no more heavily on the ground than a ten-metre-high wall.’

‘Especially if that wall were as long as the Great Wall of China,’ retorted Tasha.

There was a silence. Victor studied the pretty redhead. Twenty-two, twenty-three years old at most. She had a self-confidence that was very provocative. He felt his heart quicken, then regain its normal rhythm.

Antonin Clusel got up, muttering: ‘I’m going to the gallery for a cigarette.’

Marius cleared his throat. ‘Children, a toast to a prosperous future for Le Passe-partout and our new literary columnist, Victor Legris.’

‘Not so fast. You can’t trap me like that. I’ll have to think about it first,’ laughed Victor.

Boss! It’s an emergency!’

Everyone turned to look at Antonin Clusel.

‘What is it?’

‘There’s a woman outside. She’s dead.’

Marius leaped up. ‘To work, children. Tasha, I want sketches, right away. Eudoxie, hurry back to the office – we’ll have to prepare a special edition. Quickly! Isidore, off you go to police headquarters and try to find out the exact cause of death. Antonin, you come with me.’

He turned to his guests. ‘Monsieur Mori, Victor, I do apologise, but news waits for nobody. Think about my proposition!’ he called before dashing outside.

From Murder on the Eiffel Tower by Claude Izner. Copyright © 2008 by the author and reprinted by permission of St. Martin’s Press

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Beyond the Book:
  World Expositions

Top Picks

  • Book Jacket
    The House of Doors
    by Tan Twan Eng
    Every July, I take on the overly ambitious goal of reading all of the novels chosen as longlist ...
  • Book Jacket: The Puzzle Box
    The Puzzle Box
    by Danielle Trussoni
    During the tumultuous last days of the Tokugawa shogunate, a 17-year-old emperor known as Meiji ...
  • Book Jacket
    Something, Not Nothing
    by Sarah Leavitt
    In 2020, after a lifetime of struggling with increasingly ill health, Sarah Leavitt's partner, ...
  • Book Jacket
    A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens
    by Raul Palma
    Raul Palma's debut novel A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens introduces Hugo Contreras, who came to the ...

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    Pony Confidential
    by Christina Lynch

    In this whimsical mystery, a grumpy pony must clear his beloved human's name from a murder accusation.

Who Said...

The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people ...

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

H I O the G

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.