THE PARIS DECEPTION
by Bryn Turnbull
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Harlequin
5/30/23
Historical Fiction
Paperback, 464 pages
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“Turnbull effectively combines fascinating background on winemaking and art restoration and forgery with plenty of wartime suspense and some appealing dollops of romance.... a page-turning delight for anyone who loves tales of women in the resistance, especially Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale.”
—Booklist
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A breathtaking novel about art theft and forgery in Nazi-occupied Paris, and two brave women who risk their lives rescuing looted masterpieces from Nazi destruction.
Sophie Dix fled Stuttgart with her brother as the Nazi regime gained power in Germany. Now, with her brother gone and her adopted home city of Paris conquered by the Reich, Sophie reluctantly accepts a position restoring damaged art at the Jeu de Paume museum under the supervision of the ERR—a German art commission using the museum as a repository for art looted from Jewish families.
Fabienne Brandt was a rising star in the Parisian bohemian arts movement until the Nazis put a stop to so-called “degenerate” modern art. Still mourning the loss of her firebrand husband, she’s resolved to muddle her way through the occupation in whatever way she can—until her estranged sister-in-law, Sophie, arrives at her door with a stolen painting in hand.
Soon the two women embark upon a plan to save Paris’s “degenerates,” working beneath the noses of Germany’s top art connoisseurs to replace the paintings in the Jeu de Paume with skillful forgeries—but how long can Sophie and Fabienne sustain their masterful illusion?
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Dear Reader,
I dreamed up the idea for The Paris Deception with my brother, who challenged me to write something he would like better than his favorite movie, The Thomas Crown Affair. We sat up for hours late one night at our family cottage, talking through the broad strokes of the book: an art heist set in Nazi-occupied Europe focused on the real-life crimes of the ERR, and the wartime heroism of museum curator and operative for the French Resistance Rose Valland, the notion of “degeneracy” in art, and the talents of a Dutch forger named Han van Meegeren. It’s easy, in the early stages of book development, to gloss over the specifics in order to figure out the next plot point: And then they forge a work of art! And then they break into the museum!
This book tested my powers of imagination once I realized that the method of forgery I’d hoped to use (which you’ll learn about in this book club guide) was not going to work… and when I got to Paris and recognized how difficult it would be to break into a museum behind the high gates of the Jardin des Tuileries. But that, to me, is one of the best parts of the process: knitting together historical elements, imagination, derring-do, and pure audacity to create what I hope is a heart-pumping plot. Thanks so much for reading this book, and for choosing it for your book club
Cheers, cherie!
Bryn Turnbull
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THE PARIS DECEPTION
Book Club Recipe and Menu
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It’s somewhat difficult to provide a recipe for a book set in World War II Paris because, due to stringent rationing imposed by the Germans, the average Parisian didn’t get enough to eat. The countryside, however, was another matter, and it was considered a real stroke of luck when Parisians had country cousins they could visit – and perhaps dig a vegetable or two out of the family garden. It’s for that reason I decided to journey to Chateau Dolus, Fabienne’s family home, and although the chateau itself might be somewhat woebegone, its kitchens – and, of course, its wine cellar – is second to none.
In The Paris Deception, Fabienne happens upon her parents, Annette and Maurice, sharing a quiet moment in the kitchen, and to me those moments are the ones that make a meal: spending time with loved ones, and sharing those culinary duties – chopping and kneading, table-setting and doing the dishes. We remember the stand-out menus, of course, but it’s those moments with friends and family that truly make a dinner – any dinner – special.
Being a Champagne house, it felt only natural to have a recipe for chicken with Champagne on the menu. This recipe is all about indulgence: crispy chicken skin, creamy mushroom sauce, and that all-important je ne sais quoi that a splash of sparkling wine brings to the party.
You can serve this dish as is, but I like to have it over wilted greens: spinach tossed in a splash of lemon. Serve, naturellement, with sparkling or a dry white wine.
-Bryn Turnbull
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You might also serve:
A French 75 cocktail: Named after the 75-millimeter field gun used by French troops during the First World War, naturally this drink packs a punch. Given its Champagne connection, it’s a perfect fit for The Paris Deception.
Jambon-beurre: This classic French sandwich fuelled me on my research trip to Paris when I was writing The Paris Deception – so much so that I made it one of Sophie’s favorite lunches in the Jardin des Tuileries. This is one of the simplest recipes out there, so it really is all about quality ingredients: amazing ham, delicious butter, and crisp baguettes. I like to add gruyere cheese to mine (and occasionally a swipe of Dijon). Make these bite-sized for your book club!
Charcuterie: Upon Fabienne’s less than ceremonious reunion with her parents and Sebastien at Chateau Dolus, she’s treated to charcuterie on the terrace and although their charcuterie board is rather meager – a baguette and cheese – it still helped to thaw a chilly welcome home. Charcuterie is a staple of French hospitality, and you can go in pretty much any direction with it, but the standards trio involves a baguette, cheese, and cured meat.
Chocolat chaud: Given the merciless rationing imposed upon the French by the occupying Germans in World War II, food in The Paris Deception is often experienced more as a memory than as actual sustenance. When Sophie and Fabienne go to Les Deux Magots – a remarkable café that still operates in St. Germain de Pres – Fabienne dreams of the café’s famous chocolat chaud. Parisian chocolat chaud is nothing like a North American hot chocolate: it’s thicker, darker, creamier, and altogether more indulgent.
Bryn Turnbull
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