100 books like The Paris Widow

Secrets always intrigue me. Shana Merchant has secrets, and she’s spent years running from them. Shana’s past writhes around her like a poisonous vine. She can’t break free from it, and if she’s not careful, it will suffocate everything around her.

The first book in this series establishes Shana as a smart, once-successful big-city cop, but this isn’t a simple redemption story. I found Shana’s path over the course of this series insightful as she tries to overcome PTSD after being held by a serial killer—not just any serial killer. The connection between the two blew me away and it threads through the series.

Fantastic characters, immersive settings, and tight plots drew me into this series, and I’m waiting for more.

I’m a sucker for a great character, and when a book features a gold-toothed, ex-punk rocker, tattooed, chain-smoking, gay nun, I’m all in. 

Sister Holiday shows you can be both gay and devout at the same time and turn into a reluctant investigator when those she cares about are threatened. The author is a poet, and her prose pulled me in from page one. Sister Holiday is someone I’d like to sit down and talk punk rock bands with and maybe sneak a little sacramental wine.

Complicated characters, a twisted plot, and long-hidden secrets combine for a great read. I’m not surprised by the award nominations this book has racked up, and I can’t wait to see what happens next—and neither will you.

Bet Rivers is a woman who has something to prove. I love a story where a character has the deck stacked against them. That’s where I found Bet. She’s following in her father’s footsteps as sheriff in a small town, and not everyone thinks she’s up to the task.

Small-town politics, secrets, and drama make for a story I can dive into. Atmospheric, tense, and propulsive. I enjoyed watching Bet get stronger as the book unfolds. Probably stronger than she thought she could be. I hope this series continues for a long time.

I like to learn something as I get lost in a story. This book explores a phenomenon of “Heirs Property” that’s prevalent in many rural communities.

An older generation dies without a will, and the family home is at risk. Deena Woods is an attorney who, after suffering a huge triple trauma, returns home to rural Georgia. I loved the characters and family dynamics, and I loved watching Deena become more resilient. There might be a slight supernatural edge to the story too, which I found fascinating.

Cultural exploration, traditions, and a multi-dimensional main character ticks off all the boxes.

I love this book because it is raw. For those who dismiss erotic writing, because they think there are only a finite number of ways to write about sex and sexuality, I recommend this book. The raw and transformative way it writes about the attraction, longing, and pain of sex is joyous and agonising to read.

I love it because I don’t actually like either of the main characters, and liking the characters can often rescue a book from otherwise poor writing. I loved this book despite disliking the main characters. 

I’m already revealing a pattern, aren’t I? I adore books that plunge their protagonist into a new life abroad. When Stella’s estranged mother dies, Stella receives an unusual inheritance: a one-way ticket to Paris.

Alone in a foreign city, Stella falls back into her cautious, frugal ways. I can relate! However, an impulsive purchase propels her on a path to new discoveries—of Paris and herself. Stella plunges into the culinary scene. She lives as a “tumbleweed” at the famous Shakespear and Company Bookshop.

What a dream! I loved traveling along with her. 

As I finished each chapter of this book, I couldn’t wait to read the next one. Finkel’s book is a suspenseful and psychological dive into the world of a gentleman art thief.

The disappearance in this book? Billions of dollars in stolen art. The thief? Stéphane Breitwieser is a self-proclaimed art collector living in his mother's attic with his girlfriend and their treasure trove of stolen art. What compels him to steal? How does he get away with it? How does he eventually get caught? These are the questions that kept me reading! 

The chief attraction of Fred Vargas’s novels is her cast of characters, led by Chief Inspector Adamsberg, a most unconventional leader of any criminal investigation outfit. Small and disheveled, good with animals and children, dreamy and often seemingly idle, Adamsberg is not only extremely bright but has confidently surrounded himself with remarkable colleagues. Hard-drinking Adrien Danglard, a single father of five with a huge store of ready information, and Violette Retancourt, a woman of prodigious strength and courage, are among his entertaining subordinates, along with Snowball, the division’s cat that proves equally remarkable in one memorable outing. 

Ballgowns, swords, and secrets abound in One for All, a fresh retelling of The Three Musketeers. As the daughter of one of the original Musketeers, the main character Tania is an expert sword fighter who also struggles will the chronic illness, POTS.

There is so much action, intrigue, and mystery in this book while adding fresh and needed representation to the genre. Even though this isn’t strictly a historical event, a lot of us associate The Three Musketeers with the time of Louis XIV, and it’s fantastic to see that time period in a new light from a fresh perspective.

“On the morning of its first birthday, a baby was found floating in a cello case in the English Channel.” From the opening line this is a story you will fall in love with!  Sofie, the orphaned baby in the cello case, is rescued from a shipwreck by an elderly gentleman called Charles who decides to raise her himself. He does an excellent job and I adore Sofie’s bravery, her love of knowledge, and her passion for adventure. Certain that her mother is still alive, Sofie and Charles set off for Paris to look for her, believing that you “never ignore a possible.” This is a fabulous book about pursuing your dreams and the power of hope. Plus the writing is just gorgeous!