The Essence of Malice

June 26, 2017
The demise of famous French parfumier Helios Belanger, who dies shortly after surviving a small plane crash, drives Weaver’s sparkling fourth 1930s historical featuring British socialite Amory Ames and her husband, Milo (after 2016’s A Most Novel Revenge). Though the death is ruled a heart attack, Milo’s former nanny, now employed by the Belanger family, asks Milo and Amory to investigate what she insists is murder. Shortly after arriving in Paris, the couple learn that confusion over Belanger’s will has left his son and daughter battling for company control, the formula for their groundbreaking soon-to-be-launched fragrance is missing, and Belanger’s young second wife may have a lover. Amory commissions a customized personal fragrance to insinuate herself into the family’s lives and business, while Milo creates some mystery of his own by disappearing for inquiries he won’t explain. Weaver so thoroughly assigns everyone in the victim’s orbit a motive that her plotting feels mechanical at times, but the power skirmishes between these equally clever spouses shine throughout. Agent: Ann Collette, Rees Literary Agency.

July 1, 2017
The scents of murder and betrayal fill the Paris air.Milo and Amory Ames are vacationing in Lake Como when Milo receives a note from his childhood nanny, Madame Nanette, asking them to stop and see her in Paris. Bidding adieu to their neighbor Andre Duveau, they leave for Paris, where Madame Nanette had been hired to care for the young daughter of Helios Belanger and his much younger second wife, Beryl. Belanger is a famous French parfumier whose oldest son, Anton, helps run the business and whose oldest daughter, Cecile, is a creative genius who works with her father on the perfumes. Michel, Belanger's younger son, is a playboy with no interest in the family business. Helios' recent death has been written off as a heart attack, but Madame Nanette, who was once his lover, suspects that he was murdered. Agreeing to look into the matter, the sleuthing duo (A Most Novel Revenge, 2016, etc.) gains entree to the family by asking Cecile to tailor an individual scent for Amory after they meet at a party thrown to reveal the fabulous new perfume Helios had recently created. The motives for murder are many. Helios may have had a mistress, Beryl may have had a lover, and Cecile and Anton both think they should control the company. Milo and Amory have gone through their own share of rough patches in their marriage. Although Amory loves Milo passionately, his secretive ways and playboy reputation still make it hard for Amory to trust him. Realizing that he's still hiding things from her makes her furious and determined to pursue the case on her own, a course that's gotten her in trouble in the past. Weaver, a librarian, has a deft touch with the 1930s upper-class repartee. The climactic surprise makes this the best of her mysteries to date.

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Starred review from August 1, 2017

Bright socialite Amory and her devastatingly handsome husband, Milo, are called to Paris by Milo's former nanny, who now works for the noted parfumier Belanger family. The suspiciously sudden death of their patriarch, Helios, has complicated the family business since there is confusion over the will, and the formula for a fragrance scheduled for launch is missing. Motives for murder abound and Amory, always adept at devising schemes, insinuates herself into the Belanger clan by commissioning a perfume for herself while Milo disappears to conduct inquiries of his own. The spirited bickering between Milo and Amory will amuse readers, who will also be relieved to learn that Amory is no longer so insecure in her marriage. VERDICT The fourth addition (after A Most Novel Murder) to this lively historical series is one of its best with an evocative 1930s Parisian setting and an unexpected surprise climax. [See Prepub Alert, 3/23/17.]--ACT

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2017

Bright socialite Amory and her devastatingly handsome husband, Milo, are called to Paris by Milo's former nanny, who now works for the noted parfumier Belanger family. The suspiciously sudden death of their patriarch, Helios, has complicated the family business since there is confusion over the will, and the formula for a fragrance scheduled for launch is missing. Motives for murder abound and Amory, always adept at devising schemes, insinuates herself into the Belanger clan by commissioning a perfume for herself while Milo disappears to conduct inquiries of his own. The spirited bickering between Milo and Amory will amuse readers, who will also be relieved to learn that Amory is no longer so insecure in her marriage. VERDICT The fourth addition (after A Most Novel Murder) to this lively historical series is one of its best with an evocative 1930s Parisian setting and an unexpected surprise climax. [See Prepub Alert, 3/23/17.]--ACT

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2017
The fourth in Weaver's cozy 1930s Amory Ames series finds Milo and Amory cutting short their Lake Como vacation to investigate a mysterious death in Paris (such a hard life!). Milo's former nanny calls upon the sleuthing couple to uncover whether or not her current employer (and former lover), the famous perfume magnate Helios Belanger, was murdered. Motives are plentiful (a betrayed wife with a new baby, two grown siblings fighting for control of the parfumerie, while a third worries he's about to lose his playboy lifestyle), and business rivals abound. The Ameses make a beautiful pair, stylish and clever, and Weaver infuses her story with all of the Golden Age splendor a reader could want. Who killed the passionate parfumier and why? What are all of the family members hidingand where is the secret formula for the next big perfume launch? This is an excellent entree into a delightful (librarian-penned) series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)