The brand-new Eiffel Tower is the glory of the 1889 Universal Exposition. But one sunny afternoon a woman collapses and dies on the second floor of this great Paris landmark. Can a bee-sting really be the cause of death? Or is there a more sinister explanation? Enter young bookseller, Victor Legris. Present on the Tower at the time of the incident, he is determined to find out what really happened. In this dazzling evocation of late-nineteenth century Paris, we follow Victor as his investigation takes him all over Paris—but what will he do when the deaths begin to multiply and he is caught in a race against time? Best-selling series in French, with sales of over 300,000 copies First of six Parisian murder mysteries Hero is a bookseller and amateur sleuth Colourful evocation of late nineteenth-century Paris Winner of the prestigious 2003 Michel Lebrun French Thriller Prize The Author(s) Claude Izner is the pseudonym of two sisters, both booksellers on the banks of the Seine, who are experts on nineteenth-century Paris. Reviews ‘A charming wander through the life and intellectual times of an era' Le Monde 'Evokes the electric atmosphere of Paris...in 1889' Le Nouvel Observateur