The Paris Effect by K.S.R Burns

Blurb

Friendship, loss and a tantalizing trip to Paris in this highly praised #1 Amazon Best Seller! Amy and Kat had planned a secret trip to Paris. Even Amy's husband wouldn't know about it. But when Amy loses Kat to cancer, she knows the plan is gone forever. Or is it? Guided by memories of her friend and dissatisfaction with her own calorie-counting life in Phoenix, Amy sneaks off to Paris while her husband is away on a business trip. Once there, she's robbed, stalked, arrested and almost kidnapped. Worse, she finds that all her problems have come right along with her. Through her adventures, laced with luscious descriptions of food and Paris, Amy learns that often in life, love and friendship, nothing is exactly as it seems. Grab a croissant and settle in for a decidedly non-touristy trip to the City of Light.

Review

Oh,no, lady - you can't leave it there!! I want to know more - you have to write a sequel, you simply have to!

This novel isn't quite as light-hearted as the blurb and the cover suggests, and it leaves the reader asking as many questions as the author answers. Intriguing, and different, both the location (Paris - but not the romantic Paris of most chick lits) and the main character (has her fair share of emotional and psychological issues) were rather unexpected. The author builds tension nicely, whilst at the same time allowing us insights into Amy's past and the reasons she is the way she is. Though when I finished the book, I wasn't totally sure I understood Amy at all; we see everyone else through her eyes, but is her reasoning and understanding of them flawed, or has Kat, William and Margaret (and her mother) truly played her false?

This book has left me wanting to read more of Ms Burns' work.