Thursday, January 9, 2025
Review - The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau
AUTHOR: Kristin Harmel
RATING: ★★★
RELEASE DATE: June 17th, 2025
Summary (from Goodreads): Colette Marceau has been stealing jewels for nearly as long as she can remember, following the centuries-old code of honor instilled in her by her mother, take only from the cruel and unkind, and give to those in need. Never was their family tradition more important than seven decades earlier, during the Second World War, when Annabel and Colette worked side by side in Paris to fund the French Resistance.
But one night in 1942, it all went wrong. Annabel was arrested by the Germans, and Colette’s four-year-old sister, Liliane, disappeared in the chaos of the raid, along with an exquisite diamond bracelet sewn into the hem of her nightgown for safekeeping. Soon after, Annabel was executed, and Liliane’s body was found floating in the Seine—but the bracelet was nowhere to be found.
Seventy years later, Colette—who has “redistributed” $30 million in jewels over the decades to fund many worthy organizations—has done her best to put her tragic past behind her, but her life begins to unravel when the long-missing bracelet suddenly turns up in a museum exhibit in Boston. If Colette can discover where it has been all this time—and who owns it now—she may finally learn the truth about what happened to her sister. But she isn’t the only one for whom the bracelet holds answers, and when someone from her childhood lays claim to the diamonds, she’s forced to confront the ghosts of her past as never before. Against all odds, there may still be a chance to bring a murderer to justice—but first, Colette will have to summon the courage to open her own battered heart.
REVIEW: I’ll admit right from the start that I struggled with this one. I normally love Kristin Harmel’s books, but this story was very hard to get into. It wasn’t Kristin’s writing because her writing style is incredible, as always. I believe what bothered me the most was the heroine supposedly descended from Robin Hood’s ancestral line, and she and her family members before her carried on the tradition of stealing from people who they believed deserved it. Now, I’m all for karma and horrible people getting what they deserve, but to spend your whole life as a thief and trying to justify it because you were told Robin Hood was your distant relative just seems odd to me. Also, the story lagged through the first 3/4 of the book, but then everything just magically fell into place in the last couple of chapters, making it feel far-fetched and rushed. Sadly, I didn't feel a connection with any of the characters in this book and that was very disheartening.
(DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this title from NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.)
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The premise doesn't really work for me, but I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it more.
ReplyDeleteI was very surprised. I usually love her books. Thank you for visiting, Lark!
DeleteDang! The plot summary makes the book sound so intriguing, but from what you're saying, I would have a hard time with that premise too. Plus, I didn't love the one Harmel book I've read. I'll skip this one. Thanks for the heads-up!
ReplyDeleteI usually love Kristin Harmel, but this one really fell flat for me, and I was so disappointed. I hope her next one is better. Have a good day, Susan!
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