The French Paradox, Ellen Crosby
The French Paradox, Ellen Crosby
List: $19.95 | Sale: $13.97
Club: $9.97

The French Paradox

Author: Ellen Crosby

Narrator: Christine Marshall

Unabridged: 8 hr 3 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/22/2021


Synopsis

Lucie Montgomery’s discovery of her grandfather’s Parisian romance unlocks a series of shocking secrets in the gripping new Wine Country mystery.In 1949, during her junior year abroad in Paris, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis bought several inexpensive paintings of Marie-Antoinette by a little-known 18th century female artist. She also had a romantic relationship with Virginia vineyard owner Lucie Montgomery’s French grandfather—until recently, a well-kept secret.Seventy years later, Cricket Delacroix, Lucie’s neighbor and Jackie’s schoolfriend, is donating the now priceless paintings to a Washington, DC museum. And Lucie’s grandfather is flying to Virginia for Cricket’s ninetieth birthday party, hosted by her daughter Harriet. A washed-up journalist, Harriet is rewriting a manuscript Jackie left behind about Marie-Antoinette and her portraitist. She’s also adding tell-all details about Jackie, sure to make the book a bestseller.Then, on the eve of the party, a world-famous landscape designer who also knew Jackie is found dead in Lucie’s vineyard. Did someone make good on the death threats he’d received because of his controversial book on climate change? Or was his murder tied to Jackie, the paintings, and Lucie’s beloved grandfather?

About Ellen Crosby

Ellen Crosby is the author of the Virginia Wine Country Mystery series and the Sophie Medina Mystery series, as well as the stand-alone novel Moscow Nights. She is a former freelance reporter for the Washington Post and was the Moscow correspondent for ABC Radio News and an economist at the US Senate.

About Christine Marshall

Christine Marshall is an actress, director, and designer living in Portland, Maine. She teaches for the Maine State Ballet and produces plays with her theater company, Mad Horse. In addition to audiobooks, she records the online version of the New Yorker.


Reviews

Goodreads review by James on January 13, 2021

The French Paradox is the 11th book in the Wine Country Mysteries written by Ellen Crosby and will be published in April, 2021. I was thrilled to receive an early copy through NetGalley, as it is one of my favorite series. The author combines a love of wine, complex investigations, a beautiful Virgi......more

Goodreads review by Deanne on April 04, 2021

This is the eleventh book in the Wine Country Mystery series and my first read of one of the books. Not a problem you can read them in any order and separately. This cozy mystery takes place in a Northern Virginia vineyard owned by Lucie Montgomery's family. Lucie finds journals written by her grandmo......more

Goodreads review by Literary on December 20, 2020

This is the 11th in the wildly popular Wine Country mystery series. It can be read as a stand-alone but so many series’ raves have convinced me to devour the whole set. In this latest, you’ll find Jackie Kennedy, a secret affair, Paris, fine wine, 18th century art, and murder — an irresistible mix,......more

Goodreads review by Nancy on April 04, 2021

I’m used to the Wine Country series having a more factual history to go along with the murder mystery and wine parings. With this outing, I was put off with the history premise based on a made-up affair between Jacqueline Bouvier and Lucie Montgomery’s grandfather, taking place in 1949 France, when......more

Goodreads review by Jean on March 31, 2021

When a lightbulb needs changing, Lucie Montgomery finds her grandmother’s journals as she searches for a replacement. They reveal her grandfather Luc’s relationship with Jackie Onassis beginning in 1949 when she studied in Paris for a year. Together they explored museums and he accompanied her as sh......more


Quotes

“Intriguing…Well-researched historical details bolster the complex plot. This tale of ambition, artistic integrity, privacy, and wine should win Crosby new fans.” Publishers Weekly

“Imagined revelations about Jacqueline Kennedy’s early life provide a brilliant background for a tale of treachery and deceit…The lifestyles of the rich and famous dovetail neatly with art history in Crosby’s newest character-driven mystery.” Kirkus Reviews