Fame and Infamy: Adventures of an American Maid in Paris - Paperback

by Iva Polansky (Author)

Paris. 1870s. A city that eats the innocent alive.

Sharpshooter Nelly McKay came from Montana with her prize revolver, her dreams, and no idea what Paris would cost her.

When her mistress is murdered and Nelly kills one of the men responsible, she becomes a witness the police don't trust - and a loose end a killer needs to silence. She disappears into the city's shadows, changing names, surviving on nerve and instinct.

But Paris refuses to leave her alone. One by one, powerful people take notice of the sharp-eyed American girl - and in this city, being noticed can get you in trouble. Victor Hugo, Sarah Bernhardt, the German Secret Service - they all want her. The American Community in Paris wants her gone.

And love, when it finds her, arrives in the most inconvenient form imaginable.

Between the glittering salons of the elite and the gritty streets of the Latin Quarter, Nelly must navigate a ruthless city that strips away her naïveté one illusion at a time - including the belief that love comes without a price.

She just has to decide what she's worth.

Fame and Infamy is a rich blend of mystery, romance, and historical facts. Paris-still reeling from the twin calamities of a lost war and the 1871 Commune-provides the backdrop for a vivid clash of French and American cultures. Readers of The Mad Women's Ball, The Paris Express, and fans of Victorian fiction will find the same attention to historical detail and an immersive experience.

Fame and Infamy has it all: intrigue, atmosphere, love, and most of all, delightful characters. Be prepared to become completely beguiled." -John Campbell, author of Walk in Paradise Garden