The Reluctant Matador

Hugo Marston #5

by Mark Pryor

A nineteen-year-old aspiring model has disappeared in Paris. Her father, Bart Denum, turns to his old friend Hugo Marston for help. Marston, the security chief at the American Embassy, makes some inquiries and quickly realizes something is amiss: Bart’s daughter was not a model, but rather a dancer at a seedy strip club. And she headed to Barcelona with some guy she met at the club.

With his friend and former CIA agent, Tom Green, Marston heads for Barcelona. The two sleuths identify the man last seen with the girl, break into his house, and encounter a shocking scene: Bart Denum, standing over the dead and battered body of their mysterious stranger. Though Bart protests his innocence, under the damning circumstances, Spanish authorities arrest him for murder.

The two American investigators are faced with their biggest challenge ever: find the real killer, prove Bart’s innocence, and locate his missing daughter—without getting killed along the way.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, France, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Spain

308 pages, Paperback

First published June 2, 2015

About the author

Mark Pryor is a former newspaper reporter from England. He moved to the US in 1995 and subsequently spent 16 years working as a prosecutor with the Travis County District Attorney's Office, in Austin, Texas. He is now a partner at the law firm of Cofer & Connelly, in Austin.

His upcoming book DIE AROUND SUNDOWN is the first in a new series of historical mysteries set in Paris during WW2. It will be published August 16, 2022, by St. Martin's/Minotaur.

Mark is also the author of the Hugo Marston mystery series, set in Paris, London, and Barcelona. The first in the series, THE BOOKSELLER, was a Library Journal Debut of the Month, and called "unputdownable" by Oprah.com, and the series has been featured in the New York Times. Mark also wrote the psychological thrillers, HOLLOW MAN, and its sequel, DOMINIC. As a prosecutor, he has appeared on CBS News's 48 Hours and Discovery Channel's Discovery ID: Cold Blood.

Of his books, reviewers said:

"[G]ood character development, increasing levels of action and suspense, a complex and deranged antagonist, and--once again--appealing Paris settings. The Hugo Marston series now belongs on every espionage fan's watch list."
--Booklist

"Haunting imagery in Père La Chaise cemetery sets the stage for Pryor's chilling sophomore entry, and the City of Light becomes a backdrop for Marston's adventures. The clever antagonist leads him on a merry chase that will keep the reader entertained throughout."
--RT Book Reviews

"Two young lovers make the fatal mistake of sneaking into Paris's Père Lachaise Cemetery the same night as a bone-stealing psychopath in Pryor's propulsive second novel starring affable former FBI profiler Hugo Marston.... The engaging characters sweep readers into a suspenseful chase from Pigalle to the Pyrenées."
--Publishers Weekly

The third Hugo Marston novel, THE BLOOD PROMISE, was released in January 2014. It may be his best yet...

"Mark Pryor is one of the smartest new writers on the block. His new novel is a doozy."
--Philip Kerr, author of A Man Without Breath, a Bernie Gunther novel

"Pryor seems to have hit his stride in this series, as he adroitly juxtaposes the light banter between Marston and Green with some scenes of intense emotion.... And, all the while, the suspense ramps up. Top-notch mystery in a skillfully delineated Parisian setting."
--Booklist

Mark is also the author of the true crime book, AS SHE LAY SLEEPING, which is the account of a "cold" murder case he prosecuted. Published in January 2013, Publisher's Weekly gave it a starred review and called it "compelling" and "riveting."

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some parts of this book I enjoyed, but I disliked enough of the content that I think I am perhaps done with Hugo Marston. In this episode the two buddies Hugo and Tom invade Barcelona but somehow manage to get along with the police, implausible as it all seems. Briefly, the daughter of a best friend has gone missing and Hugo gets enough from leads to point to her possible destination as Barcelona. The investigation starts off with a bang when the two men break into apartment where a very bloody corpse is found, missing its kidneys. There will be more blood and bodies and seduction scenes as well as help from Claudia who comes over to help and spend time with Hugo.

Loan from friend - Thank You!

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

First book I've read in this series. Was attracted to it since the majority of the novel takes place in Barcelona. I'm afraid it has too much of a bias towards the main character, an American who's great at solving serial crimes. Had hoped it would be more like the Donna Leon series with a local Venice Inspector. The way Hugo Marsten, the American FBI agent, was allowed to take charge during much of the investigation in a foreign country seemed a bit too far-fetched to me. And the aggravating friend Tom was more than a bit annoying. And ALL the women in the story were attracted to this guy?!? Really? It was readable, had the good tying up of loose ends at the end, but overall, not my fave.

[Trishia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Most other Hugo Marston fans disappointed with this installment still gave 3 stars. But ... my theory is that editors start taking for granted that we'll buy/read these books instead of directing the author to become better and better. So I'm going to complain:)
It's hard to know where to start because this book is simply so "off" from the Hugo I've become a fan of. I thought he was working through repressed grief over his wife, yearning to be with Claudia more, to have more of commitment from her, and next thing, he's in bed with a naked woman who is a murder suspect. All under the guise of seeing if her arm was cut? If he were just going through the motions -- that would have been one thing. We're told he was getting excited:) I was getting disgusted.
Many lamented that they didn't find the story interesting because it's not Paris. I'm a Francophile but I've been to Barcelona and I have to say I don't think it was given its due. More like a superficial representation to suit the story and a very negative one at that. Barcelona is more than small streets and paella.
For the Barcelona Police Chief to keep turning to Hugo and ask, "What do we do next?" -- that was just unbelievable.
Hugo deciphers a text message and we're told they're going to "ping" the phone to locate the missing person. Did I fall asleep or was this never mentioned again?
I could go on, repeating what others said (the pendulum-swinging characterization of Tom) but I'll stop. I am STILL a fan of Hugo and Mark Pryor. I don't mean to be mean:) But I think someone must have been pushing the author to meet a quota or something. This book was simply disappointing on multiple levels.

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I certainly found this an interesting read. I hadn't found the earlier books in the series but it stands okay for a new reader though of course we have to learn who the characters are and what they are doing in Paris.

We actually seem to encounter more Americans than French people, primarily a head of security at the Embassy, and after poking around looking for a nineteen-year-old American girl who has vanished, we head off to Barcelona on a slim thread of evidence. Here the two main people we follow are still Americans and they run up against some rather more determined Spanish policing and some rather more serious crimes.

Read for an unusual crime story that takes a while getting going but then piles on the action and uneasiness. I'll be looking out for more in the series as the settings make a good change from the norm of police procedurals or thrillers.

[Shalyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have loved all of the Hugo Marston series. This installment takes a somewhat familiar story line and plays with it a bit to make it more interesting. An American girl in Paris trying to make a name for herself as a model gets caught up in the shadier side of the business as a "dancer" and ultimately gets kidnapped by "bad guys." Figuring out who the bad guys are, though, is the mystery this time, and the author keeps the reader guessing. The reason I'm giving this particular installment only 4 stars instead of 5, though, is because my favorite character (Tom Green who in my head is always played by Phillip Seymor Hoffman) seemed cartoonish in this story. For my disappointment in Tom's character development: -1 star.

[Judy Nappa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A suspense-filled and dark plot has Hugo and Tom in Barcelona, Spain, looking for the daughter of one of Hugo's good friends. Bartoli Garcia, brother of Capitaine Raul Garcia of the Paris police force, plays a major part in the crime solving, along with other characters introduced in past novels. Hugo's cases keep getting better and better. Mark Pryor's writing style puts you right in the middle of the story and doesn't let you go.

[Rusty Dalferes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another OK book in the series that whelms, but doesn't over- or underwhelm. A mild recommendation for fans of mysteries, especially ones set in European locales, but I don't think any experienced mystery reader will see this series as anything especially noteworthy.

The fifth novel in the series finds the title character, the Chief of Security at the US embassy in Paris, walking to an American-style breakfast restaurant to meet a family friend named Amy, the daughter of his dead first wife's best friend. Both Hugo's wife and Amy's mother died in the same car accident years earlier, and Hugo had befriended Amy's father and acted as a pseudo-uncle for her formative years. On the way to the restaurant, Hugo joins a crowd of people near the banks of the Seine, discovering a body floating in the water. Hugo avoids getting sucked directly into the investigation of that death, but when Amy doesn't show up for the breakfast appointment, Hugo begins his own investigation into her whereabouts. His inquiries lead him to learn that Amy, a prospective model in Paris, had become involved in some seedier pursuits, and might have gone -- or been taken -- to Spain. In Barcelona, Hugo and his CIA friend, Tom, conveniently meet up with the brother of their friend Raul, who was a cop in Paris who was killed in a previous novel. Raul's brother, also a high-ranking cop in the Barcelona police, assists Hugo and Tom in the investigation, and occasionally chides them for their less-than-legal methods. Hugo and Tom are joined by a female police officer with eyes for Hugo, and Claudia, Hugo's on-again, off-again love interest from Paris who agreed to come to Barcelona to help them with media relations about Amy's disappearance. The investigation leads them to import-export and tourism businesses, sex workers, possible organ traffickers, and antiques dealers, all of whom could have been viable suspects until the final few pages.

As with the other novels in this series, I don't have many complaints about the overall plot, as investigative milestones are reached somewhat regularly and the conclusion was acceptable (if not particularly hard to see coming), but I continue to have problems with both the pacing and the inclusion of aspects of the investigation that should be completely foreign to experienced law enforcement officers or intelligence operatives. The narrative continues in the vein of the previous books by seeming to care more about describing the food and culture of the city they're in, rather than describing the efforts to find the missing girl or solve the murders they encounter. It seems like every time there's a tiny step forward in the investigation, the entire cast of characters takes a long break to have a meal which is described in far more minute detail than any of the investigative steps, which makes the pacing of the book very problematic. The author's own words sum this up: "'I'm just frustrated,' Hugo said. 'Not much progress, not any at all really, and all the news we get seems to be bad. Amy's out there on her own ... and we were just sitting there eating croissants and drinking coffee.'"

Hugo (a former FBI agent and active embassy security officer) and Tom (a former FBI agent and an active intelligence operative with ties to the CIA) do SO MANY THINGS that real-world cops/spies shouldn't ever do -- they're in Barcelona for about a minute before they break into a place by smashing a window, not wearing gloves, and get caught on a surveillance camera; Hugo has a less-than-merely-professional relationship with one of the prime suspects, despite the fact that his would-be girlfriend is in the same city with him; Tom can't hold his liquor, talks about the case in public where anyone can hear, has no interpersonal skills with the locals (which would make life as a spy difficult), and is so impulsive that it's a wonder he's not arrested every time he goes on assignment. Neither one speaks Spanish (or Catalan, as they speak in Barcelona, which seems to escape the author's notice), and neither seems to know the first thing about local laws or emergency procedures (not even the number to dial for fire/police services). It's frustrating to read a book featuring characters who the author bills as being at the tops of their fields, who make such amateurish mistakes.

I was also disappointed with the edit. There were lots of punctuation, spelling, and syntax errors that could have been cured by a grammarian once-over before printing. I continue to have problems with some of the author's writing tendencies, most notably the constant use of "try and" instead of "try to" (like "try and find the missing girl"), which (a) is just wrong and annoying, (b) is an Americanism that *might* be acceptable to sneak into an American's dialogue, but (c) is not something anyone from Europe would say if English is their second or third language, so using it ALL THE TIME has the effect of making every character's voice sound the same despite their vastly different cultures and speech patterns.

All of these add up to a book that was OK, but not great. Another "fine" entry in this series, so a mild recommendation for mystery lovers. Perhaps a bigger recommendation for people looking for restaurants in Paris or Barcelona.

Thanks to Seventh Street Books (and my Queen of the Book Fairies) for providing me a copy of this book.

[Denise Covey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished Mark Pryor's latest Hugo Marston thriller. This time Hugo and his friend, CIA agent Tom leave Paris for Barcelona in search of the teenage daughter of a good friend, Bart. It is at times a bloody, gory tale. Hugo and Tom are more than a match for the Barcelona police. Happily they work together to solve the mystery. Thrilling!

[Nicholas George · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of those mystery-thrillers that is well-written, with well-developed characters, a serviceable plot, and a colorful setting--but it just didn't pull me in. Perhaps the main characters were a bit too predictable and generic, or that I never felt enough tension. I probably won't be dipping into the others in this series.

[Andie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The fifth novel in the Hugo Marton detective series, this book takes place in Barcelona instead of Paris and is not nearly as good as the earlier books in this series.

A nineteen-year-old aspiring model has disappeared in Paris. Her father, Bart Denum, turns to his old friend Hugo Marston for help. Marston makes some inquiries and quickly realizes something is amiss: Bart’s daughter was not a model. Instead she was a stripper in a seedy club. She’s headed to Barcelona with some guy she met at the club supposedly for modeling opportunities. Marston, however, fears she’s in the hand of a sex trafficking ring.

With his friend, former CIA agent Tom Green they identify the man last seen with the girl, break into his house, and encounter a shocking scene: Bart Denum, standing over the dead and battered body of their mysterious stranger. Though Bart protests his innocence, Spanish authorities arrest him for murder. The two American investigators are faced with their biggest challenge ever: find the real killer, prove Bart’s innocence, and locate his missing daughter—without getting killed along the way.

The whole plot of this novel is far-fetched. Marston and Green are extremely obvious and violate almost every rule of police investigation. Yet the Spanish authorities never seem to stop their antics. I’m not ready to abandon this series yet, but any more book like this one and I won’t waste my time.

[Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hugo Marston begins his day by helping to fish a young woman's body out of the Seine. Oh, maaan....weren't Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron just doing a 1951 pas de deux on those very banks?!

But the story moves to Barcelona as Hugo and his kinda-still-CIA operative pal, Tom, try to track down the missing daughter of a former FBI colleague and close friend.

This is a well woven tale of deception, murder, fear, good police work, and, because none of us wanted to lose Raul, his brother - another superb policeman. So good cop characters are the icing on the cake.

We all know that in missing girl cases, time is of the essence, so Hugo is truly under the gun. It also helps that the daughter of a spy would have a few tricks of her own, giving Hugo & Co. hope.

My only criticism of this book was that Hugo knew the villain had a skill, and the fact that he didn't act on it as a precaution would have saved them all a lot of trouble. But then, we wouldn't have had the big dramatic finish, so....comme si, comme ca.

I like this series. Hugo is a truly good guy. Sometimes it gets in his way, but our cowboy booted hero is a stand up fellow, and in this day and age, he gives us hope that the good guys will win.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I keep reading this series when I need something escapist. I do not expect a believable plot and I am prepared for the annoying flaws in the characters. Unlike some readers, what I like most about the series is the setting. Tom is not a very likeable or interesting character, and it is sad to see him fall off the wagon. Hugo can be charming, but can act in strange ways, especially when it comes to women. In this volume, I don't know why Grace Silva, the female detective in Barcelona, is even mentioned, since the only role she seems to play is to provide another female who is interested in Hugo. I wonder what Claudia is doing while she waits for Hugo to solve the case -- what happened to the dinner they planned to have together? Did I miss something? Early on in the book Hugo spends some time reflecting on his wife Ellie who was tragically killed in an auto accident. Earlier novels mentioned a wife in Texas after Ellie, but the second wife is not mentioned in this book. Todd Finch disappears from the story without explanation.

[Christine Shapiro · Rating 2 out of 5]

SPOILERS!
Just OK. Two stars is probably pretty generous.
The Hugo-Tom relationship is getting tired. Tom is coming off as such a shallow character and it would be nice if there were more development beyond him being the recovering alcoholic lustful bad boy.
And what’s with every woman wanting to get their paws on Hugo in this book? As though that’s their main objective, no matter what else is going on in their life. Lots of very sexist viewpoints throughout. The most interesting female character, for sure, was the villain, but there wasn’t even enough attention paid to her until the end.
Big hole in the plot, too. Once Hugo gets the intriguing text message from the kidnapping victim, there is talk of tracing it. And ….what happened? The chase proceeds and there is nothing further about it?! Seems like very poor editing.
I have the 4th book in this series, but will wait until all I care about is a fast read. Either my reading standards are improving or Mark Pryor’s writing went downhill as he wrote this series.

[Bill Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read all four previous Hugo Marston novels. This, the fifth, is just as compelling as the others. Like those, some suspension of belief is required. Hugo, the head of security at the U.S. Embassy in Paris, kites down to Barcelona to find the daughter of one his closest friends. After a couple dumb decisions on his part, Hugo is still allowed to participate in the investigation by the police. Okay, I guess. It's a mystery. But this girl he's searching for is almost like a daughter to him. Wait. Where was she in the first four books? Mark Pryor has a tendency to add and delete characters as he needs them, which is better than having them around forever when they have nothing to do with the current mystery. But I find it unconvincing that a character never before making an appearance is suddenly the most important person in his life. It was a good story, nonetheless, and Barcelona sounds wonderful.

[Marybeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read Pryor’s first book featuring Hugo Marston, The Bookseller, and really enjoyed it. Hugo, head of security at the US embassy in Paris, is travel-worn and world-weary. His friend Tom Greene is an ex-CIA agent gone rogue. Pryor brought the booksellers’ shadowed community that lines the Seine to life.

Now I’ve jumped to this fifth title in the line-up and Hugo and Tom have morphed into the Hardy Boys in Paris. The title is even one you might find in that tween series.

All subtlety is gone. On a Sunday morning Hugo helps drag a dead woman from the Seine, bails a hungover Tom from jail, and discovers a good friend’s teenage daughter has gone missing...all before breakfast...at Breakfast in America, no less. It’s France and Paris that have gone missing (and later, Spain). Everyone, including all the French people speaking English, sounds as if they’re in Pittsburgh (pull that dead woman from the Allegheny).

I’m reluctant to read another Hugo Marston title.

[Maryann · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love Paris (and in this case also Spain) and you love a good puzzle, Hugo Marston's adventures are tailor made for you!Don't let the title deceive you here. The book has nothing to do with the bull ring and everything to do with a kidnapping and human trafficking. Everyone he meets in the course of his quest to locate a friend's missing daughter has a secret or two, some guilty and others just a distraction. His search takes him to Barcelona...and the waters get muddier as he separates truth from misdirection and tries to avoid getting killed.

Whether you've just now met Mr. Marston or are a fan of his earlier adventures, you will enjoy the story, the scenery and a cast of well written characters. Definitely a good read.

[Brian Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This title includes what I generally like about the other 5 Hugo Marston novels that I’ve read. They take place in interesting places, Hugo is an honest, likable guy, loose ends are usually tied up at the end, decent plots. I find it getting harder to just go along with the story because some of the investigative work is sloppy and clues seem to arrive by dumb luck. As socially skilled as Hugo is, he sometimes acts foolishly with collaborators. Hugo’s old friend, Tom, is childishly reckless and appears so often that he detracts from this story. The father of the lost child at the center of this story is quickly sidelined with some good writing. I wanted a simple diversion of a story, but looking back, I wonder if I wasted time that I could have applied to better pursuits.

[Viccy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hugo Marston is head of security for the American Embassy in Paris. He is scheduled to have lunch with the daughter of friend, but Amy doesn't show up. When her father, Bart, called Hugo to check on her because she has not been answering her phone, Hugo knows something is up. Amy had moved to Paris to try and break into the modelling world, but Hugo discovers she was actually pole dancing at a strip club and has taken off for Barcelona with a stranger. He travels to Barcelona and uncovers a massive human smuggling ring, led by a woman who is a psychopath. Hugo, his friend, Tom, and the Barcelona police all begin investigating and the bodies start falling. Hugo just hopes none of them will be Amy. For the armchair detective, this is a good series, highlighting beautiful cities in Europe.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has the central core of the search for the daughter of a close friend that we met in the previous book. Bart Denum, is the husband of the woman who was driving the car where both she and Hugo’s wife, Ellie, was killed. Hugo reflects upon his relationship and feelings for Ellie throughout the book. His daughter, Amy has come to Paris to model, ends up working in a strip club, and after standing Hugo up for a breakfast date disappears.

Hugo goes to Barcelona with Tom to figure out where Amy is (that is where they figure out she has gone). There are more deaths and Hugo investigates the HELL out of this one. Claudia also comes to Barcelona since there a story for her to cover.

The killer is a tricky one to discover for awhile. Ultimately, Hugo finds Amy and figures out that the deaths were because the killer was doing human trafficking. he finds Amy and one of the co-conspirators in a shipping crate just before the ship is going to leave for Libya. The killer almost gets away, but end up dying when her escape plane crashes.

[Dail Sams · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the daughter of a close friend, a young girl whom Hugh thinks of as the daughter he never had, goes missing in Paris, Hugh and Tom head to Barcelona to search for her. They meet Chief Inspector Garcia, Raul's brother, and together begin their investigation into an organization which provides tours and other services for tourists to the city. They soon become entangled in two gruesome murders, a suicide, organ theft, and possible gang activity, while trying to find Amy and her connection to this seamy underbelly of one of Europe's most visited cities.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE RELUCTANT MATADOR: A HUGO MARSTON NOVEL by Mark Pryor is #5 in this series.
19 year old aspiring model, Amy Dreiss, has disappeared in Paris. Her father, Bart Denum, pleads with his old friend, Hugo Marston, for help.
The ‘case’ leads Hugo and former CIA agent, Tom Green, to Barcelona.
Lots of tension, detailed characters, a good sense of place with both French and Spanish flair, lots of cooperation between the American Embassy in Paris and police in both Spain and France make this title a good addition to the series and an interesting police procedural.
****

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is one of my favorites- the characters, the writing, the intricate mystery to solve. Hugo is searching for his friend’s daughter that went missing in Paris. The search brings Hugo, Tom, and Claudia to Barcelona where they meet up with Raul’s brother who is head of the Barcelona police. The trouble begins when Hugo and Tom break into an apartment and find the father of the missing girl standing over a man who was dead. Thus begins the many twists and turns with suspicious characters cropping up in the investigation.

[Susan Bauman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the best

I have really enjoyed the previous books in this series but found myself reading this just to get it done. The pace seemed uneven, and the plot rather absurd yet obvious. One of the things I’ve appreciated about the previous books is the way Pryor weaves in little details about Paris. Moving the setting to Barcelona presents interesting opportunities but they aren’t explored to any degree. Why bother? (Oh, according to his end notes, there was a family vacation to Barcelona. Is this book extensive evidence for a business expense claim in case of a tax audit?)

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

We leave Paris behind so Hugo can hunt down the missing Amy.

Old town Barcelona is nicely described. This is one city I have actually been to 40 years ago.

The plot is nicely complex, with characters that are interesting and believable.

Tom is more under control in this story, and is working to help track Amy, but Hugo does all of the heavy lifting.

I appreciate that he does not make a huge lapse of judgement during the investigation.

I borrowed a copy from the public library and am looking forward to reading more in this seris.

[viemag · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 5th installment of Mark Pryor's Hugo Marston series. It was different then previous books in the series in that it takes place in Barcelona. All the usual characters are there, Hugo, Tom, Claudia, and Emma. However, one was missing and I was disappointed to find that this character was killed in book 3, Blood Promise. It was an interesting book and held my interest, I would say it is a good beach read.

[Lorin Cary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hugo Marston heads to Barcelona is this one. The daughter of a close friend has disappeared in Paris and Hugo and his buddy Tom head off. It’s a wild chase and once again Hugo applies the skills he acquired as an FBI profiler. There are several murders, a close encounter with a femme fatale, a reunion with the woman he's falling in love with. And some delicious descriptions of Barcelona. As is always the case with Mark Pryor’s novels, there’s good tension and plotting.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Hugo Marston series is a new favorite. This book takes the reader to Barcelona, where Marston is helping a friend find his missing daughter. He receives a signal that she is still alive, but his search leads to others who have been murdered. With the help of the Barcelona Police and his friend CIA freelancer Tom Green, he finds there is more to the girl's disappearance than meets the eye. Trying to avoid spoilers here. A quick read and I've found the series to be enjoyable.

[Mary Nuttelman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this entry in the series as much as the previous ones. The descriptions of place were very good, but I got tired of Hugo's friend Tom's bad behavior and Hugo's excuse of it. I also thought Tom's use of four-letter words overdone. The story really picked up for me towards the last third of the book, when Tom was left out of the picture. I will continue reading this series because I love Pryor's descriptions of Paris and other locations, as well as the good mysteries.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy this series but this installment let me down. Sloppily written, sloppily edited and sloppy plot line all compared to make this feel like it was riding on the laurels of the previous books. I will read the next one and hope that this was an aberration.

The basic premise held promise and there were some highlights, enough to keep me reading through some eye- rolling.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3 due to sentimentality left over from the previous books.

[M. Sprouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

The storyline for me was that Hugo is back! The previous book, "The Button Man, despite it's great title, was a major disappointment for me. This one had more of the chemistry from the characters and better writing by the author, and a crummy title. "The Reluctant Matador had an intriguing mystery, a few thrills and the secondary characters were interesting enough to pull it together. Overall worth the read, and good enough to have me looking forward to #6.