The Sixth

In this spirited debut historical thriller, we meet the worldly, well-bred artist Florbela Sarmentos as she is moving into La Ruche, the histroical decadent residence of artists and political dissidents in 1910 Paris. Born in Lisbon and educated in London and Cherbourg, Florbela is the daughter of Portugal’s leading antimonarchist political prisoner. Florbela rushes headlong into Parisian life accompanied by her mysterious roommate and pursued by lovesick suitors. After witnessing an assassination by hit man The Pope’s Panther, Florbela becomes drawn into her father’s political affairs; her involvement with a gritty underground cabal, a painting, and a secret cipher could change the course of history. Hays’s recreation of the era’s “bohemian bedlam” involves an intriguing who’s who of famous emigrant artists and political exiles—Marc Chagall, Amedeo Modigliani, Diego Rivera, Pablo Picasso, Gertrude Stein, and Vladimir Lenin. Vignettes at salons and La Ruche provide an enjoyable glimpse into the politics, social habits, and fashions of the gaslit era. Though some of the romance aspects are lacking, the political intrigue and its energetic pace will certainly captivate readers. (BookLife)