Nagourney takes her readers on a deep plunge into the dark underside of the Parisian and French high art milieu, casting unwelcome light on the low lives who play an outsized role in that milieu. Her fast-paced page turner, populated by multiple and ever-changing personalities, keeps us guessing not so much “who-dunnit” but “are they really going to get away with it?” -- Tom Peebles,
TomsBooksWelcome to A Forgery in ParisWhen her school pal is mugged on the Paris metro, recently-returned translator Alex
Thornhill becomes certain that powerful magazine publisher Jacques Mornnais is behind the
attack. Alex adopts a false identity and joins Mornnais' company in his secluded villa,
discovering an entire operation of stolen paintings and international art cons. She begins a
tenuous relationship with disgruntled FBI agent Eugene Spector, who is working his own
investigation of the forgers.
Alex helps Eugene get closer to the forgery kingpin until she finds herself in the crosshairs of Mornnais’ underling.About the French Deception SeriesPulsing with an exquisite, authentic eye for the richly textured world it inhabits, A Forgery in
Paris is the first book in the series
French Deception. The series combines compelling
characters, surprising plot twists, and continental intrigue as the story moves from Paris and
its outskirts to the cities of Lyon, Marseille, and Toulouse.
Beneath the tales of art capers gone wrong lies a deeper theme: Deception—how we deceive
others and ourselves. In this series, deception becomes a trap from which no one escapes,
driving the story toward its stunning conclusion in Montenegro.
About the Author
French Deception is the debut series of Marseille-based attorney Janice Nagourney, founder of consulting group and Parisian speaker's bureau Thought Leaders International. She has booked speakers for hundreds of events in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the United States. Janice graduated from Cornell University and NYU Law School, and completed pre-doctoral studies in international law at the University of Paris law school.
EXCERPT
PROLOGUE
...
The woman in bed with my husband pulled the sheets up to her chin and sat there, frozen. My breath returned. I pulled my cell phone out of my coat pocket and took a few pictures.
I looked at the woman. “You have five minutes to get out of my house before I throw you out.” Then to Peter, “You had better leave as well.”
Anyway, that was my seagull’s wing-flap moment. It was time to change, to do something completely different. I had spent my childhood in France, and I wanted to return to that country. Immediately.
Of course I started in Paris—doesn’t everyone?—and then I went to our château at Trubenne. Château is a grand word for what those old stones looked like on my first visit. Only a few rooms were heated, the plumbing was rudimentary, but of course, it didn’t matter because of Charlotte.
Random events took me to Lyon, Marseilles, and Toulouse. And then it all came to a head in Montenegro.
Looking back on everything that has happened, I realize that the random events were are all inextricably connected, and things had to take place as they did.
I’ve written my story in the third person, as it’s not just about me. In fact, my story does not begin with me; it begins with a forgery. Sometimes I’ve had to use my imagination to fill in certain blanks, but as I know how things turned out, I’m pretty sure that I’m not too far off the mark.
A lone seagull stands on the rocks. I savor the present moment as it spreads its wings and floats upward, high over the brilliant blue sea.
Alexia Chase Thornhill
Malmousque, Marseilles
