The Most Mysterious Bookshop in Paris - Book 1 ( book 10 - Hugo Marsten)

 

The Most Mysterious Bookshop in Paris is the first book in a new series by Mark Pryor, but the 10th outing featuring former FBI agent Hugo Marston. Released 26th March 2026 by Kensington, it's 272 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

It's less of a procedural thriller and definitely doesn't have a cozy vibe (despite the Paris bookshop and a former "spook" turning in his badge and gun for the virtuous life of a bookseller). Hugo's not even unpacked and open for business before his former boss/handler calls on him to investigate and liase with an important wealthy American executive in an odd situation with his employer, an French chocolatier with international influence. 

There's a lot of side distraction, between off-and-on blackmail and hidden secrets in the lives of the characters who work for the chocolate manufacturer as well as the physical location (a large chateau which has had a storied past as a convent and an orphanage in the past amongst other iterations). 

For readers coming into this new series without prior familiarity with the characters in the earlier books, the interrelationships can be somewhat confusing, although with some patience, things do resolve themselves (mostly). It's a large cast of characters with murky motivations.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 9 hours 22 minutes and is read by Todd McLaren. He does manage to distinguish the large cast of characters with a -wide- range of accents and ages/genders. Some of his interpretations are, honestly, quirky, but his competence with shifting accents at speed in dialogue is unquestionably skilled. Sound and production quality are very high throughout the read. 

Three stars. Denouement and resolution are ... surprising and odd. It's not about a bookshop or about Paris, not really.  

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.