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The Woman in the Fifth by Douglas Kennedy in paperback at 9.80 euros.
A romantic mistake at the small American college where Harry Ricks used to teach has lost him his job, his marriage and his relationship with his only child. When the ensuing scandal threatens to completely destroy him, he flees to Paris.
He arrives in the French capital in the bleak midwinter and finds himself in a grubby room in a grubby quarter, with a job as a nightwatchman for a sinister operation. Just when he thinks that he has hit rock bottom, he meets Margit – an elegant, cultivated Hungarian émigré, widowed, and, like Harry, alone.
Though Harry is soon smitten, Margit maintains a distance. She will only consent to see him at her apartment in the fifth arrondissement and is guarded about her work, her past and her life. While Margit remains reticent, Harry’s concerns shift as he begins to feel that a dark force is at work in his life. When a man is found dead and the police look to Harry, he finds himself waking up in a nightmare from which there is no sudden escape.
This is an intelligent romantic thriller for people who are put off by the label thriller; a compelling read with a satisfying ending.
