The summary on the back of Kimberly Belle’s newest thriller, “The Paris Widow,” was enough to get me excited to read it. We learn that Stella and Adam, seemingly the perfect couple, are sightseeing in Europe when, after eating at a small Parisian cafe, Adam runs back to get a pair of forgotten sunglasses, and there is an explosion. Adam is missing, and Stella’s life is turned upside down.

It seems, or at least Stella is being told, that Adam was a dealer in stolen, looted antiquities, and he had been under investigation for almost a decade—long before they met—for those crimes. There is even speculation that the bomb was aimed at Adam. And while Stella and Adam lived very modestly and had saved for months for their trip, Stella discovers that Adam had huge sums of money she knew nothing about.

But we find that Stella had secrets of her own. Because of the prologue, Belle shares that secret, so while Adam might be in the dark about Stella’s past, we are not. After the explosion, Stella is determined not to leave Paris until she finds out what caused the explosion, how Adam was involved, and if he’s alive. She’s also determined to get to the bottom of his possible crimes and misdemeanors. And while everyone is telling her to leave Paris and go home to Atlanta, and that she is in danger by asking questions about powerful criminals and dealers in stolen art, Stella is determined and—dare I say—stubborn. She won’t leave until she finds out what happened to Adam.

There is much to be said for this novel and the writing that includes believable first person narrative and enough action to keep us reading page after page. There are many characters to remember, but not so many as to confuse us (and none whose names start with the same letter—a pet peeve of mine.) There are flashbacks from Adam’s point of view that provide additional context and make Adam an entirely sympathetic character in spite of Stella’s doubts about him. There are no huge twists at the end, but that’s fine because the novel is quite satisfying without such surprises, and the ending is perfect.

I also was interested to read in the author’s note that much of what is written in the novel about the looting of national treasures is based on real events, including the theft of Oscar Wilde’s gold ring, which ring is featured prominently in the story. Belle writes, “Too many people pretending to be legit brokers for anonymous donors, too many precious antiquities sneaked over international borders only to land in respected galleries and museums.” And one of the characters is based on a real man, dubbed the “Indiana Jones” of the illegal art trade, and learning about the real individual is also quite informative.

Action, thrills, a trip through Europe, danger, and romance—Belle has included it all in this well done thriller.

This review was first posted on Bookreporter.com.