Waiting for Monsieur Bellivier

Early in Röstlund’s charming debut, a stranger approaches journalist Helena Folasadu in a Paris café and asks if she’s waiting for Monsieur Bellivier. Impulsively, she says yes, even though she isn’t, and the response leads to a lucrative but mysterious job offer that arouses her investigative instincts. Meanwhile, Mancebo, a middle-aged Paris grocery store owner, allows an enchanting neighbor—who suspects her husband of having an affair—to talk him into moonlighting as a private investigator, and in the course of his new career, he discovers shocking truths about people in his own life. Helena and Mancebo eventually cross paths and find themselves at opposite ends of an enigma that will cause them to reevaluate their relationships, question their priorities, and pursue new possibilities. Fans of Alexander McCall Smith, as well as readers who enjoy quirky characters and richly drawn settings, should find plenty to appreciate in this novel about secret lives and second chances. [em]Agent: Catherine Mork, Norstedts Agency (Sweden). (Jan.) [/em]