The Paris Architect
A Novel
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4.3 • 551 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
"A gripping page-turner...a riveting reminder of sacrifices made by history's most unlikely heroes." —Kristina McMorris, New York Times bestselling author of Sold on a Monday and The Ways We Hide
The unforgettable tale of a man who discovers that bravery can be built—one wall at a time.
From New York Times bestselling author and architectural historian Charles Belfoure comes The Paris Architect, a gripping World War II thriller where ingenuity becomes resistance, and every secret room tells a story of courage.
Paris, 1942. Lucien Bernard is ambitious and apolitical, focused on survival and professional prestige. But when he’s commissioned to design an untraceable hiding place for a Jewish client, his architectural skill is weaponized against the Nazi regime. What begins as a well-paid challenge turns into a harrowing moral reckoning, with lives hanging on each design.
With nail-biting tension and deep emotional resonance, The Paris Architect is a powerful testament to the quiet heroism of ordinary people in extraordinary times.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Unfolding with exquisite tension, this story about a destitute, cynical architect who transforms into an unlikely hero kept us on edge from start to finish. Living in Nazi-occupied Paris, Lucien Bernard does his best to keep his head down. But when an industrialist offers him an astounding sum of money to design and build a factory with a secret hiding place for a Jewish friend, Lucien swallows his reservations and accepts the job. Author Charles Belfoure masterfully depicts a shockingly violent era in shades of grey, blurring the lines between friends and enemies. We were emotionally wrecked by this tragic and suspenseful tale.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
How far would you go to help a stranger? What would you risk? Would you trade your life for another's in the name of what is right? Belfoure explores these questions and others in this debut novel set in Paris during the Nazi occupation. Lucien Bernard who, like the book's author, is an architect is offered a large sum of money to outsmart the Gestapo by devising unique hiding places for Jews, though he knows that anyone caught helping them will be tortured and killed by the Germans. Danger is everywhere: Lucien's mistress, Adele, a successful fashion designer, has an affair with a Gestapo colonel. Lucien's new assistant will betray him in a heartbeat. Offered a juicy German factory commission that involves working with a Nazi officer who admires architecture and art, Lucien's web weaves more complexly. And when he falls in love with Adele's assistant, rescues a child, and contacts some of the individuals he's saved, the stakes grow higher and Lucien's thoughts turn from money to vengeance. Seamlessly integrated architectural details add to the excitement. Belfoure's characters are well-rounded and intricate. Heart, reluctant heroism, and art blend together in this spine-chilling page-turner.
Customer Reviews
Surprising holocaust spy story
Capturing WW2 story of survival, deceit and love. Could not put the book down. Hard read at times fue to graphic writing of human cruelty by German military.
Entertaining and gut wrenching
I really enjoyed this book. I especially liked seeing growth in the main character, whom was not very likable for much of the book. I think the author did a good job of showing different people and the roles they chose or were forced to play during the German occupation in France.
A good read.
Great story! Enjoyed seeing the change in Lucien..