After a blowout wedding in Washington, DC, Paul and Chelsea Tanner are spending their honeymoon in Paris, apparently the most popular destination in the world for newlyweds. When she was only ten, Chelsea fell in love with Paris after visiting on a summer trip with her mother. In school, Chelsea studied French and while not fluent, she can converse with anyone they meet on their trip. Paul had never been to Paris, but planned the trip to please his new bride. The one concession was a visit to Normandy where Paul, a former Naval officer and JAG attorney, could pay homage to the fallen.
That trip is planned for their fifth day in the City of Light. Paul hired a driver, Malik, who is impressed with Chelsea’s command of French. After visiting the D-Day beaches and the American Cemetery, they take Malik up on his recommendation for lunch in a bistro in the town of Bayeux. While they dine on fish and white wine, Malik finds a seat in an outdoor cafe. In the middle of his lunch, a young woman approaches Malik saying she’s lost and asking for directions. At that moment, a man on a bicycle crashes into a table and chaos ensues. During the mayhem, the young woman slips two capsules of chloral hydrate into Malik’s glass of water.
When Paul and Chelsea leave the restaurant, they find Malik’s Peugeot with a new driver, Laurent. He tells the couple that Malik’s wife had been in an accident and was rushing back to Paris. He apologizes for the switch, but the couple think nothing of this change. Halfway through the trip, however, an odorless dose of nitrous oxide renders the couple helpless. They are soon separated and taken to a small farm outside of Bayeux. Chelsea wakes up in a small, dark room. Paul is somewhere else and not being treated as nicely as Chelsea. Neither one understands why they have been kidnapped.
Chelsea had been sharing photos of their honeymoon, even the picture of an omelet they enjoyed. When those posts stop, the two families are concerned. Chelsea’s parents, Lowell and Justine Clayburn, are the first to learn their daughter is now being held for ransom. Proof of life arrives in videos that disappear after being watched. They are warned not to tell the Tanners and not to alert law enforcement either in the U.S. or France.
Knowing their cellphones may be compromised, Chelsea’s brother, Sam, purchases burners so they can communicate with the Tanners. An orthopedic surgeon, Lowell will be able to raise the $2 million, but the Tanners, when they are finally contacted, end up having to sell their family home and empty all their accounts. It’s obvious the two families were not targeted because of their wealth.
As the families wait for the couple to be released, the pieces begin to fall into place. Chelsea and Paul were not the first couple to be kidnapped, but who is behind the plot and what still has the FBI and CIA stymied?
As Grisham’s fans know, the author is skilled at ramping up the tension to keep the pages turning. Midway, new characters are introduced who will attempt a daring rescue. The ending, however, may leave some readers disappointed.
For those who always enjoyed John le Carré’s thrillers, The Paris Illusion will satisfy. For those who still enjoy a good courtroom drama, Grisham has revealed his next book will once again have lawyers battling it out in front of a judge and jury.
The Paris Illusion
John Grisham
Top Shutterstock photo by Sven Hansche
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