In a city that flouts all the rules, journalist Charlie James has come to Paris to break news and, even more importantly, to break with her past.

'A superb evocation of pre-War Paris… a mystery I couldn't put down.' - Kerry Greenwood
'In the tradition of Agatha Christie, Kirsty Manning's latest offering takes readers on a suspenseful ride, filled with twists
and turns.' - Lisa Ireland
'A stylish, sensual mystery that hums with intrigue and passion…Readers will love Charlie James: glamorous, fearless
and taking on the world, glass of champagne in hand.' - Jane Cockram
Gare du Nord's roof spanned as far as the eye could see, and the air was thick with hissing and clacking as trains pulled
in and out of platforms. Porters in neat caps struggled to push trolleys loaded with luggage; families huddled in tearful
reunions or farewells. Men with booming voices ambled along each platform, carrying trays of newspaper cones filled with
warm chestnuts, while a young woman with a white chef's hat, a hot plate and nimble hands produced paper-thin crepes
drizzled with lemon and sugar at breakneck speed.
1938 Paris. The last sigh of summer before the war.
As Australian journalist Charlotte (Charlie) James alights at the Gare du Nord, ready to start her role as correspondent for
The Times, Paris is in turmoil as talk of war becomes increasingly strident.
Charlie is chasing her first big scoop, needing to prove to her boss that she can do this job as well, if not better than, her
male counterparts. And the best way to forge the necessary contacts quickly is to make the well-connected British expats
Lord and Lady Ashworth her business. Lady Eleanor knows everyone who counts and at her annual sumptuously
extravagant party, a circus ball, Charlie will meet them all.