An improbably melodramatic follow-up to The Yellow Eyes of Crocodiles (2006), this French best-seller continues the saga of Josephine Cortes and the lives of those around her as she pursues her quest for self-discovery. Josephine has moved into a large Paris apartment with her younger daughter, while her older daughter studies fashion in London. There's a lot going on here: Josephine's mother employs a psychic to curse her stepfather's new wife. Her intermittent boyfriend grows distant. She thinks she sees her dead husband on the Metro. A neighborhood serial killer fails to kill her in a late-night attack. Her flirtation with her brother-in-law deepens. She adopts an apparently stray dog. Her new neighbors are a mix of standoffish and interfering. Familiar characters from the first novel appear in virtual cameos, and new ones populate Josephine's new milieu. Less compulsively readable than the first novel but enjoyable in itself. For fans of women's stories involving midlife crises, melodrama, and murder.--Moroni, Alene Copyright 2016 Booklist

Mystery, magic, and murder abound in Pancol's (The Yellow Eyes of Crocodiles) tantalizing novel set in modern day Paris. Swept along by her forbidden love for her sister's husband and a string of killings, Joséphine Cortès becomes entangled in a fast-paced, dangerous dance of fate and consequence as she attempts to start a new life after being left by her husband. As the Cortès women-Joséphine; her daughters, Zoé and Hortense; and her sister, Iris-embark on their own paths of self-discovery, they are forced to confront some of the most unsavory truths about love, loss, and triumph. But when tragedy strikes and a succession of violent crimes are committed on Joséphine's doorstep, she has no idea whether she can trust those around her, or save her family. Everyone has something to hide and no one is above suspicion in this slow, calculated game of secrets. Fans of tightly organized suspense will consume each word with bated breath while figuring out who will be caught holding the bloody knife, and who will be left alive to tell the tale. Combining witty prose and breezy wisdom, Pancol's sensational novel is a shape-shifting mystery that will please fans of whodunits and family dramas. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.