Title: Paris After The Storm
Author: William Ian Grubman
Publisher: Dupapier Press
ASIN: B0HJSND11K
Pages: 352
Genre: Historical Fiction
Reviewer: Alyssa Avina

Read Book Review

Whenever a historical fiction story comes across my desk, I’m immediately intrigued and eager to see what’s inside. I was not disappointed by what I found when I began reading Paris After The Storm by author William Ian Grubman. Opening this historical fiction mystery in Paris, 1947, we meet a gifted artist and the Louvre’s youngest Director of Restorations, Émile Rothstein. He survived the Nazi occupation along with his Jewish family and risked it all to help save priceless works of art from the Nazis. Paris is trying to rebuild what they were before the occupation and in the Louvre specifically, there are thousands of recovered works of art waiting to be reunited with families that had them stolen from them.

Now that Émile is back in Paris with his wife and young son, he is doing everything he can to restore the damaged masterpieces but also bring back a sense of normalcy to his life and begin to experience life like he had before the Nazis took over. But then, Renoir disappears, and that is only where the mystery truly begins.

This sequel only deepens the story that was told in the original novel, The Storm Over Paris by Grubman. It also builds on the world he already created and furthers the story along in new and exciting ways that interweaves the main mystery with an incredible cast of characters at the forefront. Getting to know Émile and his family, including his brother Jacob, the accountant, and his son Porter, that he carries throughout the Louvre while trying to solve the mystery of the Renoir whilst Jacob plays a pivotal role in unlocking the heart of the mystery before them, makes for a beautifully told and intriguing tale.

There is something in the air in this story that lets the reader feel the grief hanging above these characters while still feeling the relief that the worst that has happened is now behind them. Even so, this thriller begs a lot of questions of what is right and wrong and who has the right to which artworks in Post-War Paris. Once the most romantic city in the world, Paris is now in a state of recovery that you can feel throughout this story in ways that are both unexpected and truly heart-wrenching. The looted art is at the heart of this story as well and who has the legal and moral rights to what was once taken is a serious question which needs answering.

This is an expertly written, historically-accurate and incredibly immersive story that is heartfelt and beautiful in all the right ways while still being a thrilling mystery that needs unraveling. Those who appreciate art and historical fiction, particularly Post-War novels will immensely enjoy this read. Run, don’t walk, and go pick up your copy of Paris After The Storm by William Ian Grubman today.