Mystery Review

Witness at the Bridge
by Gini Anding
ISBN-10: 0595366465
Review by Heather Froeschl

Return to Paris where mystery seems to surround Amy Page, a middle aged American enjoying an extended stay on the Ile Saint-Louis. In the middle of the night the phone brings the news to Amy and her lover, Inspector Jean-Michel Jolivet, that a man has been found, murdered. The victim is someone whom Amy knows from back in the states, and someone whom she just had lunch with in Paris. She seems to have been the last person to see him alive, save for his murderer.
The plot thickens, as Amy's story is unraveled. She had accompanied the man on a shopping spree that would rival one of Paris Hilton's. Jewels, expensive perfumes, and high-end lingerie were acquired, lunch consumed and then a hasty departure on Amy's account, due to an oncoming storm. Every detail is meticulously reported to Jean-Michel's office in hopes of discovering any clues to the man's death. The focus is shifted then, as Amy's flat is broken into, she is nearly raped, and she shoots the perpetrators in self-defense. What could one event have to do with the other? What could any of this have to do with a new designer drug that is showing up on both sides of the pond?

Even more plot twists develop as Jean-Michel and Amy try to sort things through, including their romantic relationship. Things have progressed and emotions run strong and deep. So why won't Amy consent to moving in with him? That in itself is a mystery that both parties contemplate throughout the book.

Gini Anding's writing is a delicious mix of mystery, romance and traditional whodunit. Woven into the tale are background details of history and tidbits of interest about Ile Saint-Louis. Readers will feel as though they have visited in person. While it is enjoyable to read this second Amy Page/Jean-Michel Jolivet tale, it is by no means a prerequisite to have read the first. The novels stand on their own as works of fiction, but readers are lucky to have both books available.