The Paris Apartment Thriller Book
By Lucy Foley – March 2022 – Moderated by Marielle Suárez
Very excited to introduce our book pick for March.
The Paris Apartment Thriller Book. Tells the story of Jess.
Jess needs a fresh start. She’s broke and alone, and she’s just left her job under less than ideal circumstances. Her half-brother Ben didn’t sound thrilled when she asked if she could crash with him for a bit, but he didn’t say no, and surely everything will look better from Paris. Only when she shows up – to find a very nice apartment, could Ben really have afforded this? – he’s not there.
The longer Ben stays missing, the more Jess starts to dig into her brother’s situation, and the more questions she has. Ben’s neighbors are an eclectic bunch, and not particularly friendly. Jess may have come to Paris to escape her past, but it’s starting to look like it’s Ben’s future that’s in question.
The socialite – The nice guy – The alcoholic – The girl on the verge – The concierge
Everyone’s a neighbor. Everyone’s a suspect. And everyone knows something they’re not telling.
Book Summary
The novel is told in short, alternating chapters, each from a different character’s perspective. The narrative continually shifts, using cliffhangers to build suspense and keep the reader guessing about the central mystery: the disappearance of journalist Ben Daniels.
The Mystery and the Residents
The story begins with Ben on the verge of a major exposé in his Paris apartment building when he mysteriously vanishes. His half-sister, Jess Hadley, arrives to visit and finds all his belongings in place but no sign of him. Out of her element, Jess begins to question the residents of the exclusive apartment building, who are all evasive and have their own secrets to protect.
The residents include Sophie Meunier, a woman tormented by an anonymous extortionist and pressured by her husband, Jacques; Mimi, a young woman who feels emotionally immature and wants a sense of belonging; Antoine, an alcoholic; and the reclusive concierge, who watches everyone with suspicion. Jess’s search leads her into the building’s hidden servant staircases, a journey that mirrors her descent into the building’s dark secrets.
Unraveling the Secrets
Jess’s investigation reveals a series of interconnected secrets. She develops an alliance with Theo, an editor who worked with Ben. They use a mysterious metal card from Ben’s wallet to uncover a secret club owned by Jacques, which is a front for sex trafficking. Meanwhile, Jess learns that many of the residents, including Sophie, Mimi, and Sophie’s stepsons Antoine and Nick, are secretly a dysfunctional family.
The chapters narrated by the residents expose their individual connections to Ben. Mimi was obsessed with him, Sophie had an affair with him, and Nick, an old friend, had a past sexual encounter with him. It is also revealed that Mimi is the concierge’s granddaughter, whom Sophie adopted, and that Antoine is Sophie’s extortionist, using her past as a trafficked woman against her.
The Climax and the Aftermath
The truth comes to a head when Jess finds the injured concierge and a dying Ben in the building’s attic. Sophie confesses to everything: Mimi had discovered Ben’s exposé on the sex trafficking ring and told Nick, who in turn told Jacques. Jacques confronted Ben, but Mimi intervened and accidentally killed Jacques. Sophie and the concierge hid Jacques’s body in the courtyard garden and moved Ben to the attic to tend to his injuries.
After recovering in the hospital, Ben publishes a revised version of his story that exposes the trafficking ring without implicating Mimi or Sophie. Jess convinces Sophie to sell her valuables and give the money to the victims. The novel concludes with the traffickers’ records and photos being anonymously published online, Antoine’s suicide, and Jess moving on with her life. The residents of the apartment building are left to piece together the fragments of their lives, and the mystery of Ben’s disappearance is finally laid bare.
About the author
Lucy Foley studied English Literature at Durham and UCL universities. She then worked for several years as a fiction editor in the publishing industry – during which time she also wrote The Book of Lost and Found, which was a bestselling debut of 2015.
Lucy now writes full-time, she have written:
- The Book of Lost and Found(2015)
- The Invitation(2016)
- Last Letter From Istanbul(2018)
- The Hunting Party(2018)
- The Guest List(2020)
- The Paris Apartment(2022)
Guide to read this month
The Paris Apartment Reading guide
Character Analysis
Jess Hadley
Jess Hadley is the novel’s protagonist and narrator, whose self-awareness and integrity guide the story. Having endured a difficult childhood that included her mother’s death and her separation from her half-brother, Ben, she has grown into a confident and capable woman. Despite her fractured past, Jess is fiercely independent and relies on her street smarts and intuition to navigate life’s challenges. She is the ultimate hero of the novel, willing to risk her life to save her brother and help strangers. Jess’s open-mindedness and bravery allow her to see beyond the surface and help others, embodying a spirit of altruism without owing anyone anything.
Ben Daniels
Ben Daniels is Jess’s half-brother, and his sudden disappearance serves as the novel’s inciting incident. As a journalist, Ben is ambitious and seeks fame, which clouds his altruistic motives for investigating the sex trafficking ring. His relationships with the Meunier family—Sophie, Nick, and Mimi—are also complicated by his ambition; he seems to have used them for information while also developing genuine feelings for them. The strained relationship between Ben and Jess is central to the novel. Their shared St. Christopher pendant symbolizes their individual journeys to find themselves. The novel’s conclusion offers them the opportunity to heal their past and rebuild their relationship.
Nick Meunier
Nick Meunier is a secondary character who connects Ben to the novel’s central conflict. He is drawn to Ben due to a past attraction, but this also makes him anxious about Ben’s presence. Despite his emotional struggles, Nick is kind and generous, offering Ben his family’s resources. His character is defined by a sense of loyalty and a constant disappointment in those he trusts. Nick is lonely and ashamed of his dependence on his father’s wealth, which makes him yearn for independence. While he appears to be a possible antagonist at times, his intentions are ultimately good.
Sophie Meunier
Sophie Meunier’s glamorous exterior hides a deeply troubled past. She was once a victim of her husband Jacques’s sex trafficking ring, and she married him to escape a life of poverty. This choice leaves her trapped in a life of pretense, where she must maintain a facade of youth and happiness. She struggles to form genuine relationships with her family members, but she holds a deep affection for her adopted daughter, Mimi. Sophie is depicted as a cold and pragmatic character, but her actions, such as keeping Ben alive and exposing Jacques, reveal a humane core. Her freedom is only achieved with Jacques’s death, leaving her to face a new life.
Mimi Meunier
Mimi is Sophie’s adopted daughter, whose emotional instability and obsessive passions are central to the plot. She is portrayed as being emotionally immature and struggling with her identity, largely due to her father’s controlling and infantilizing behavior. Her infatuation with Ben is a manifestation of her emotional instability, but it is this same passion that ultimately leads her to kill Jacques. In this act, she finds redemption, as she frees her family and the trafficked women from Jacques’s control.
The Concierge
The concierge embodies the classic mystery trope of a character who is not what she seems. She appears shady and is often overlooked due to her class status, but she secretly knows all the building’s secrets. It is revealed that she is Mimi’s biological grandmother, who took the job to secretly watch over her granddaughter. The concierge is a seemingly powerless figure who is in fact a powerful force in the narrative. Her courage and steadfastness are rewarded, and she ultimately gets a happy ending.
Book Club discussion questions: (SPOILER ALERT)
1. What do you think of narrating the book from all points of view?
2. Do you think the welcoming Jess received, so rude, has something to due with the culture or they were looking up for themselves?
3. Why do you think The concierge ignored her?
4. Do you consider Jess’s actions normal or too nosy?
5. Do you think Ben’s body is hidden somewhere in the building?
6. Do you think that the topic of the RIOTS has something to do with what is happening or is it a filler?
7. Was anyone expected that the tenants were family? What was your reaction?
8. What do you think the family hides?
9. Which plot twist surprised you the most?
10. Did anyone guess the ending? At what time?
11. What was left unexplained?
12. The book scared you at some point? Was it a book that had you hooked to the end?
13. What do you think of Jess’s proposal to Sophie to free them, would you have let them go?
14. What scene marked you that you are still thinking about it?
General Impressions
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How did the narrative’s shifting perspectives and continuous cliffhangers affect your reading experience? Did you feel they effectively built suspense, or were they more frustrating than helpful?
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The novel is filled with secrets and lies. Do you think the characters’ intentions for keeping their secrets were justified?
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What was your initial impression of the main characters—Jess, Ben, Sophie, and the concierge? Did your feelings about them change as the story unfolded?
Personal Reflection and Connection
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Jess learns to trust her instincts after ignoring a gut feeling as a child. Can you recall a time when your intuition guided you through a challenging situation? How has that experience influenced your decision-making?
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The novel explores the tension between appearance and reality. Have you ever encountered a situation where something or someone wasn’t what they initially seemed? How did this discovery impact you?
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The residents of the apartment building live in close proximity but maintain secrets. How do you balance your need for privacy with the desire for a sense of community in your own life?
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Several characters feel trapped by their circumstances, even those that others might see as privileges. Have you ever felt confined by parts of your life that seem fortunate from the outside? How did you navigate that feeling?
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What sacrifices have you made to protect or support someone you care about? What guided your decision?
Societal and Cultural Context
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The novel portrays wealth as a veneer that hides corruption and immorality. How does this critique of wealth reflect contemporary concerns about economic inequality and privilege?
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Jacques’s trafficking operation exploits undocumented women with limited options. How does the novel address issues of immigration, exploitation, and vulnerability in modern society?
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Throughout the story, characters with less power, like Jess, face greater challenges in being heard and believed by authorities. How does this pattern reflect real-world power dynamics in justice systems?
Literary Analysis
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How does the apartment building’s architecture—with its hidden staircases, attic, and basement—function as a metaphor for the characters’ psychological states and the social hierarchies within the building?
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Compare the sense of family loyalty in the two main family units: Jess and Ben versus the Meuniers. What does the contrast between them suggest about the nature of family bonds?
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What is the significance of Ben’s cat, which witnesses key events? What might it represent about observation and knowledge?
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The title, The Paris Apartment, suggests the setting is a central character. How does the contrast between the glamorous setting and the dark events within the building create meaning in the novel?
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How does the use of multiple first-person perspectives affect your understanding of the characters and their motivations? Which narrative voice did you find most trustworthy?
Creative Engagement
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If you were to write a sequel, which character’s story would you most want to follow, and what new challenges might they face?
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If you were to write a private journal entry from Ben’s perspective, what would he reveal about his true feelings toward the other characters that wasn’t explicitly stated in the novel?
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The Halloween party scenes reveal much about the characters’ inner lives. What Halloween costume would best represent one of the novel’s major themes?
You can buy this book here: The Paris Apartment
TRIVIA QUESTIONS:
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What’s the name of Sophie’s dog?
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What’s the code number to enter the building?
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The medal in Ben’s neck, which Saint is it?
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What is the name of the officer the go talk to about Ben’s disappearance?
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What is the nickname Ben’s mother had for him?
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Name the dorm where Ben was found
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With what Jacques attacked Ben?
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What does “La petite morte” means?
Reminders of HIM
