In Paris in 1924, Hector is part of the Lost Generation. He spends time writing in bars or meeting Ernest Hemingway and others there or at salons at Gertrude Stein's place. A string of murders of literary magazine editors occurs. Stein has decided to have the mystery writers gathering at her salons discover who is committing the murders especially since one murder occurred at one of her salons. Who did it? Who finds the murderer?

I enjoyed this book. It started slow for me since it is part of a series and was not the first story so I had to do a little catch up. It picked up a lot as the story started going with the murders and the Nada movement getting involved. I liked how Hector started following clues and how he checked with Hemingway on his (Hector's) love life. That was a bit messy. Hector's train of thought was interesting to follow as he was putting the clues together as to who was guilty. He looked at everyone. The police followed his line of thinking as well as Simon, the detective, who consulted with him.

I liked the mixture of real people with fictional ones. I liked Hector and Brinke. Molly was a little aloof. Hemingway and Stein gave flavor to the story as Hector and Brinke were very involved with them. As the story concluded, I did not figure out who did all the murders until most of it was explained to me. With the last scene of the book, I wonder what happened with Hector. Did he fulfill his promises?

These books never disappoint. Not only was this book delightful, it was also a quick enough read that it allowed me to finish the long weekend having read more books than my 11 year old. 

If you ask her, she'll say my lack of enforced bedtime allowed me to win. That might be true. I still won. 

Dates read 1/19/2020-1/20/2020

Are you planning to wear a flapper costume this Halloween in Australia? Appropriate shoes and stockings will make your costume look better. Here are some tips for choosing the right shoes and stockings for your costume.

Flapper shoes

Shoes are very important when dressing like a flapper. While you can pair a plain pair of black heeled pumps with your costume and be accurate to the decade, you’ll look more smashing if you put on a pair of Mary Jane. You can also wear T-strap heels with your costume. Dainty T-strap shoes in silver, gold or black were common for evening wear. You can also choose black shoes with crystals on the buckles and gold heels.

A basic pair of pumps can be jazzed up a little with paint. You can also buy a new pair online. Other shoe styles that you can pair with your flapper costume in Australia include multi-strap heel shoes. Do not wear ultra-thin heels. Also, avoid shoes that have an open toe. You need to be comfortable throughout the night so you should break in flapper shoes well before the event.

Stockings

When wearing your costume, you should remember that stockings are also very important. Back in the 20s, women didn’t go out in bare legs. However, the stockings gave an impression of bare legs. Most women wore black stockings for the day and nude stockings for the evenings. When pastel colour dresses became common, stockings were made to match the dresses.

When wearing stockings with your flapper costume in Australia, remember that stockings were worn thigh high and held in position with garters. They could also be rolled down with the help of an elastic band called the garter roll. Stockings had light seams down the reinforced heels. Any modern pair of pastel, nude or tights will work since the 20s stockings are hard to find nowadays.