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Francis Bacon #5
Afternoons in Paris
During the glory days of the Roaring Twenties, budding artist Francis Bacon heads to Paris to paint, love, and spy.
Francis Bacon was having a ball in Berlin—until his uncle Lastings disappeared, leaving Francis alone, broke, and wanted by the German police as well as the burgeoning Nazi party for a political murder he didn’t commit. Luckily, for a young painter still learning his craft, there’s no better place to find refuge than the cafés of Paris. In the City of Lights, Francis can perfect his French, complete his education, and—if he’s lucky—escape with his life.
Strolling along the boulevard one lovely evening, he hears gunshots and sees a Russian émigré cut down by an assassin. Francis dashes into the night and flees to the countryside, but it’s too late—the brilliant young painter is in trouble again. And when Uncle Lastings reappears, Francis will find himself back in the thick of a deadly game of international espionage.
Inspired by the decadent youth of real-life legendary painter Francis Bacon, Afternoons in Paris is the latest installment in one of the most unique espionage series to come along in years. Featuring escapades in Berlin, Paris, and London, this trilogy is steeped in the shadowy atmosphere of John Horne Burns’s bestselling The Gallery , one of the first novels to showcase unflinching depictions of gay life during wartime.
Afternoons in Paris is the 5th book in the Francis Bacon Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
Francis Bacon was having a ball in Berlin—until his uncle Lastings disappeared, leaving Francis alone, broke, and wanted by the German police as well as the burgeoning Nazi party for a political murder he didn’t commit. Luckily, for a young painter still learning his craft, there’s no better place to find refuge than the cafés of Paris. In the City of Lights, Francis can perfect his French, complete his education, and—if he’s lucky—escape with his life.
Strolling along the boulevard one lovely evening, he hears gunshots and sees a Russian émigré cut down by an assassin. Francis dashes into the night and flees to the countryside, but it’s too late—the brilliant young painter is in trouble again. And when Uncle Lastings reappears, Francis will find himself back in the thick of a deadly game of international espionage.
Inspired by the decadent youth of real-life legendary painter Francis Bacon, Afternoons in Paris is the latest installment in one of the most unique espionage series to come along in years. Featuring escapades in Berlin, Paris, and London, this trilogy is steeped in the shadowy atmosphere of John Horne Burns’s bestselling The Gallery , one of the first novels to showcase unflinching depictions of gay life during wartime.
Afternoons in Paris is the 5th book in the Francis Bacon Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
234 pages, Paperback
Published January 10, 2017
About the author
Janice Law
93 books30 followersJanice Law (b. 1941) is an acclaimed author of mystery fiction. The Watergate scandal inspired her to write her first novel, The Big Payoff (1977), which introduced Anna Peters, a street-smart young woman who blackmails her boss, a corrupt oil executive. The novel was a success, winning an Edgar nomination, and Law went on to write eight more in the series, including Death Under Par (1980) and Cross-Check (1997).
After Death Under Par, Law set aside the character for several years to write historical mysteries The Countess (1989) and All the King’s Ladies (1986). After concluding the Peters series, she wrote three stand-alone suspense novels: The Night Bus (2000), The Lost Diaries of Iris Weed (2002), and Voices (2003). Since then, Law has focused on writing short stories, many of which appear in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. Fires of London (2012) is her most recent novel. She lives and writes in Connecticut.
After Death Under Par, Law set aside the character for several years to write historical mysteries The Countess (1989) and All the King’s Ladies (1986). After concluding the Peters series, she wrote three stand-alone suspense novels: The Night Bus (2000), The Lost Diaries of Iris Weed (2002), and Voices (2003). Since then, Law has focused on writing short stories, many of which appear in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. Fires of London (2012) is her most recent novel. She lives and writes in Connecticut.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 28, 2017
I’ve been a fan of Janice Law’s series imagining the painter Francis Bacon as an amateur sleuth. This is the young Francis, long before he became established as a painter of graphic and often disturbing art. This Francis lives by his wits and by attaching himself as a young lover to well-heeled older men.
In Afternoons in Paris, it’s the late 1920s and Francis has fled to Paris after getting into trouble in Berlin, mostly because of his con man Uncle Lastings and members of the fledgling Nazi party. Now Francis is living in a tiny room, working as an artist’s assistant and learning as much as he can about painting technique and style and the Parisian art scene.
Francis has a bad habit of stumbling into murders and it happens again in this book, when an evening walk with a Russian acquaintance turns into an assassination of another Russian. Francis flees for his life and must lie low when it seems that a whole group of Russians is after him.
When Francis takes a job on the tech crew of an avant-garde theater troupe, the Russian element pops up again, in the form of Inessa, a young actress new to the troupe, and her thuggish “brother” and supposed protector, Alexi. Francis finds that Uncle Lastings has also taken refuge in Paris, under a new identity, where he is still on the fiddle, this time as a purveyor of fake antiques.
Though he ought to know better, Francis can’t resist trying to find out more about the various Russians he’s encountered, and about his Uncle Lastings’s new business. Next thing you know, Francis is up to his neck in trouble with a whole lot of Russians.
The good thing about this series is that you can read the books in any order. Still, I would recommend the first, Fires of London, not because it’s the first, but because it’s the most vivid and gripping. This particular entry in the series is less propulsive, takes awhile to find its feet, and when it does the plot is kind of confusing. It’s worth reading if the subject interests you, but it’s not the strongest book in the series. Note that although there are fairly frequent references to Francis’s sex life, there are no descriptions of sex acts.
3.5 stars
In Afternoons in Paris, it’s the late 1920s and Francis has fled to Paris after getting into trouble in Berlin, mostly because of his con man Uncle Lastings and members of the fledgling Nazi party. Now Francis is living in a tiny room, working as an artist’s assistant and learning as much as he can about painting technique and style and the Parisian art scene.
Francis has a bad habit of stumbling into murders and it happens again in this book, when an evening walk with a Russian acquaintance turns into an assassination of another Russian. Francis flees for his life and must lie low when it seems that a whole group of Russians is after him.
When Francis takes a job on the tech crew of an avant-garde theater troupe, the Russian element pops up again, in the form of Inessa, a young actress new to the troupe, and her thuggish “brother” and supposed protector, Alexi. Francis finds that Uncle Lastings has also taken refuge in Paris, under a new identity, where he is still on the fiddle, this time as a purveyor of fake antiques.
Though he ought to know better, Francis can’t resist trying to find out more about the various Russians he’s encountered, and about his Uncle Lastings’s new business. Next thing you know, Francis is up to his neck in trouble with a whole lot of Russians.
The good thing about this series is that you can read the books in any order. Still, I would recommend the first, Fires of London, not because it’s the first, but because it’s the most vivid and gripping. This particular entry in the series is less propulsive, takes awhile to find its feet, and when it does the plot is kind of confusing. It’s worth reading if the subject interests you, but it’s not the strongest book in the series. Note that although there are fairly frequent references to Francis’s sex life, there are no descriptions of sex acts.
3.5 stars
April 21, 2017
A lively addition to the Francis Bacon series of mysteries. Young Mr. Bacon is in prewar Paris, his naughty, villainous uncle again in the picture, and the boy is up to his usual tricks as a clever, but sometimes hapless, adventurer in a strange city. The plot is tight, the cast of characters in this mystery close-knit but still hard to guess, and very much dangerous. It's a lively read and a risky romp through a Paris filled with rough emigres and dark motives. It helps if you read others in the series but this story stands on its own. Highly recommend.
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May 8, 2018I apologize again. I did not realize this is a series. I will be more careful when I request books in the future.
August 23, 2017
Listened to the Audiobook version (a $1.00 purchase from the Springfield, MA library).
This was the first Francis Bacon book that I've experienced; was not overly impressed with the story, but not sure that reading the 1st 4 books in this series would have made a difference. "Afternoons in Paris" gave enough background information to bring the reader current, on the relationships between the characters. It was a frolicking adventure with our young gentleman protagonist / narrator, Francis; I enjoyed hearing about his artistic endeavors, and the places he visited in the city of Paris. However, I did not feel a strong connection with the character of Francis, nor with any other characters in the story.
Not a big factor in my review, but one worth mentioning: the book title. Since the action takes place over a period of time (weeks, months?), and over the course of mornings, afternoons, and evenings, I find the title of the book to be somewhat perplexing.
Giving this a 3 star rating; it was an interesting book to listen to, while on long drives, but I will not be going out of my way to read or listen to any other Francis Bacon stories.
This was the first Francis Bacon book that I've experienced; was not overly impressed with the story, but not sure that reading the 1st 4 books in this series would have made a difference. "Afternoons in Paris" gave enough background information to bring the reader current, on the relationships between the characters. It was a frolicking adventure with our young gentleman protagonist / narrator, Francis; I enjoyed hearing about his artistic endeavors, and the places he visited in the city of Paris. However, I did not feel a strong connection with the character of Francis, nor with any other characters in the story.
Not a big factor in my review, but one worth mentioning: the book title. Since the action takes place over a period of time (weeks, months?), and over the course of mornings, afternoons, and evenings, I find the title of the book to be somewhat perplexing.
Giving this a 3 star rating; it was an interesting book to listen to, while on long drives, but I will not be going out of my way to read or listen to any other Francis Bacon stories.
October 31, 2017
Well I struggled through a not to mysterious mystery! LOL Oh well, Paris was nice
September 16, 2020
The germ of a very good idea. Sadly the prose is turgid. and wordy. There was no way that I could identify with the characters. They just didn't matter, one way or the other.
June 24, 2019
A real disappointment -- flat storytelling and an uninteresting tale.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews