The Paris Enigma

Too many characters with too many foreign names (and I am French with a degree in Russian studies) and the main murder doesn't happen until about halfway through the book. It also doesn't do Paris or the Eiffel Tower any favors in description.

Esta novela fue muy interesante, la lei cuando estuve de vacaciones en San Juan del Sur , Nicaragua. No pude descansar hasta que la termine

What a wonderful, fascinating book! This is one of those books that can be enjoyed as a piece of genre writing or as a more philosophical investigation of an anxious historical period of transition. The main character is a young man, sent by his famous detective mentor to the Paris World's Fair in 1889 to attend the meeting of the 12 Detectives. The 12 Detectives are the World's Greatest Detectives, embodying every detective stereotype (e.g. an all-action American Pinkerton with his silent, but all-noticing Sioux assistant, a British detective who reminded me strongly of Sherlock Holmes). They are all about solving perfect crimes, such as their prized locked-door murders, using scientific methods. Meanwhile, the World's Fair, and the Eiffel Tower in particular, are celebrating a brave new world where science and reason dominate. Ultimately, the success of the 12 Detectives' scientific methods is dependent on the criminal. Without rationality behind the crime, the motives of a killer are opaque and untraceable, meaning that the unglamorous, disdained "crimes of passion" are more intractable than the classic "plotted" murders. What is the new human condition at the dawn of the 20th century, and are the methods of the 12 Detectives appropriate to solving its crimes? And more fundamentally: what does enigma provide that rationality cannot? This book is well-written, quickly paced, full of delightful detective anecdotes told by colorful characters. He packs all of this into less than 250 pages with short chapters (2-5 pages). Yet, if you are looking for a classic whodunit, you might be disappointed. I was pretty sure I knew who the murderer was and I was right. The solution wasn't an astonishing Agatha Christie-type reveal. But if you enjoyed Caleb Carr or In the Name of the Rose then you should enjoy this memorable story.

La novela recibió el Premio Iberoamericano Planeta-Casa América y se lo merece. De Santis es buen escritor que da vida a Los Doce Detectives y a París igualmente. Es un placer conocer al Sigmundo Salvatrio y espero que aparezca en una novela en el futuro.

I debated whether to give this book a 3 or a 4, but in the end I liked it well enough so I went with the 4. Had I the option, I guess it would have gotten a 3.5. Part of the problem was that the book description doesn't really describe the book, so my expectations weren't met. The only similarity to The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America, a book I loved, was the World's Fair. The Paris Engima lacked the rich detail and history. The description promised a "series" of grisly murders, of which there were only two, and only one "grisly". Etc. I liked the writing, and the main character, and when the story was being told the book was quite good and compelling. The problem was that there were numerous case vignettes put forth by the "Twelve Detectives" which had no bearing on the story and actually detracted from it. If the book had just told the one story, it would have been a really good novella, but a lot of what was there felt like filler, or the author wanting to put all his murder mystery ideas into one place. Glad I read it, but I wouldn't rush out to read more of the same.

In 1889 Paris hosts the World's Fair. There twelve of the greatest detectives from around the globe meet for the first time. Make that eleven as the twelfth Sigmundo Salvatrio is representing his employer Renaldo Craig who is ill and unable to attend besides being tied up with two murders back home. Two of the investigators Louis Darbon and Polish immigrant Viktor Arkazy claim to be the Detective of Paris. However, their heated rivalry for the honor of top Paris sleuth ends when Darbon falls from the Eiffel Tower just before the gala begins. Arkazy agrees to train Argentine Sigmundo Salvatrio on detecting although his student is Craig's assistant. They work on solving Darbon's homicide, as the Polish expatriate fears more of the international alliance of Twelve Detectives will be targeted by an unknown adversary especially when a preserved corpse is burned. Told by the intelligent yet lacking confidence Sigmundo Salvatrio, THE PARIS ENIGMA is a superb historical mystery that uses late nineteenth century Paris (starting with the still not quite finished Eiffel Tower) as the backdrop to an entertaining whodunit. The story line is driven by The Twelve Detectives, whose competition for top gun turns nasty as superegos explode. Fans will enjoy the dysfunctional exploits of the world's greatest detectives struggling to solve THE PARIS ENIGMA with each wanting to be the one acclaimed as the best. Harriet Klausner