BOOK CLUB: The Paris Collaborator

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[Total: 3 Average: 4.3]

The Paris Collaborator by A. W. Hammond is a historical, mystery thriller set in German occupied Paris.

The action takes place in a short period of less than two weeks, from the 14th of August to the 26th August 1944.

The Americans are getting closer to Paris each day. No one wants to be seen as a collaborator, particularly with liberation imminent.


Former French school teacher, Auguste Duchene, has found a way to survive. With his ability to speak German and English, he has been finding missing children. After successfully reuniting a wealthy German family with their stolen baby, he now has unwelcome attention from the French Resistance and the Nazi hierarchy.

His vulnerability is his daughter Marienne, who he loves and would do anything for. Father and daughter are not on good terms as she has taken a German lover.

Auguste is approached by the French Resistance to locate a missing priest who was hiding a cache of weapons for them. Both the Priest and the weapons have disappeared.

At the same time, Auguste is approached by a powerful Nazi who demands that he locate a German soldier who is also missing.

the Paris collaborator


He is given 48 hours to complete both tasks and Marienne’s life is used as a threat.

For Auguste and Marienne to survive he must find the priest, the weapons, and the soldier. This is not an easy task with the Gestapo and the Resistance trailing his every move!

It is a gripping wartime story full of danger, black market trading, betrayals, and murder. So many French citizens are just doing whatever it takes to survive the occupation.

The twists and turns along the way keep you engaged and guessing at the outcome. The book is also thought-provoking about the lives of the French people during the occupation and the fate of those accused of being collaborators.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and recommend it.

Thank you to Echo publishing for the opportunity to read A W Hammond’s latest novel. I will be looking out for his next one.

Author: A.W. Hammond
ISBN: 9781760686703
Copy courtesy of Echo Publishing

A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club Members are reading The Paris Collaborator by A.W. Hammond. You can read their comments below, or add your own review.

9 thoughts on “BOOK CLUB: The Paris Collaborator

  1. Thank you Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to read The Paris Collaborator by A.W. Hammond.

    I really enjoy this book!

    It took you into the heart and danger of Paris while the Germans were trying to take it over.

    Duchene is trying to keep his daughter safe and alive while others are blackmailing him with her life.

    A great mystery with interesting characters.

    A great page turner, highly recommend!!

    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

  2. Thanks to Beauty & Lace and Echo Publisher for the review copy.
    This is a WWII book set in 1944 German occupated Paris, a location that has become more popular in books – and I just loved it! Can’t get enough of the stories set in that time. Duchene, who manages to ‘find’ missing people, is asked by the French Resistance to find a missing priest and a cache of stolen weapons. Then the Gestapo ask him to to find a missing German soldier. Both have a deadline of 48 hours, as Paris teeters on the brink of freedom from German oppression. But Duchene is compelled to work for both sides, as both blackmail him with the life of his daughter Marienne. There are quite a few twists and turns in this breathtaking novel, and pretty much all of them took me by surprise! Well plotted, well written, this book is a race against time to keep Duchene’s daughter alive. Well worth the read, heart in mouth action!

  3. I struggled to get into this book being a bit slow in the beginning but once the narrative unfolds it’s hard to put down.

    A Very well written story about WWII,
    the main character trying to save his daughter, himself and his loved ones by getting mixed up with the enemy without a choice in any of it.

    Thankyou Beauty and Lace and Echo publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

  4. A cat and mouse historical fiction war time mystery that is impossible to put down.
    Suspense, intrigue, danger and lots of action will keep you reading this book well into the night.
    Auguste Duchene a former teacher has become a sort of investigator and finds missing children. His investigative skills become known to not only the Germans who have invaded his home city of Paris but also by the French resistance. His skills put him in a difficult situation as the French resistance want him to locate a missing priest and a cache of weapons and a high ranking Nazi wants him to find a missing soldier who is under suspicion of desertion and he has 48 hours to do so. Augusta has no choice in either search as his daughter Marienne’s life is being threatened by both the Nazi and the resistance. It is an exciting adventure while Auguste is on the hunt for the missing priest and soldier. We meet interesting characters and experience a part of life during this period of history.
    There are plenty of twists, turns and surprises as the mystery of the missing men collides.
    An engaging and captivating read.

  5. I thoroughly enjoyed reading The French Collaborator by A W Hammond. A gripping wartime story following the life of a father and daughter, their strained relations and the enormous demands of the French Resistance as the father is given no choice but to work for them in finding a missing priest, weapons and a soldier. It didn’t take long for this read to become a page turner as although its not a very long book, there is a lot of action, twists and turns to make this a gripping read. Thank you to AW Hammond, Echo Publishing and Beauty & Lace Bookclub for the privilege of reading this book.

  6. The Paris Collaborator is a fast-moving, violent thriller set in Paris in August 1944. The lead character is Auguste Duchene, a former schoolteacher who has become renown for finding missing people. The setting is Paris towards the end of the Nazi occupation, it’s a city where you never know who is really on your side and you could be arrested by the Gestapo or shot by the resistance at any point.
    This time in Paris must have been horrendous to live through, any sign that you were working with the Nazis could cause you as much pain as working against them. Many people, particularly women, were forced to collaborate with the Nazis to feed their families and stay alive. Within 24 hours Auguste is forced to search for missing people by both the Nazis and the resistance, he has a very difficult path to tread if he wants to protect his daughter. This is a race against time, he only has 48 hours to find these people and in addition to this pressure the Allied forces are closing in on Paris and its clear chaos will follow.
    This novel quickly drew me in and while at times I was horrified by the violence I felt sick and nervous at the situations Duchene and his friends were in and I could not see a happy way out for all I had to keep reading. I needed to know who would survive, would the missing people be found alive? Who was really on Duchene’s side? Who could he trust? This novel shows how when people are desperate they can change entirely and will do anything to protect themselves. It shows how life can change, or end, in the blink of an eye.
    While I can’t say this is a novel I “enjoyed” its message and story will stay with me for a long time and I am so grateful I live in, relatively, peaceful times.
    Thankyou to Beauty and Lace Book Club and Echo Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

  7. The Paris Collaborator by A.W.Hammond was a highly enjoyable, face paced period fiction novel set days prior to the Allied Forces imminent arrival in Paris in World War 2. Tensions are high and emotions are strained as ordinary people try to live their lives surrounded by war. In order to survive they may be forced to complete tasks for both sides whilst in fear of being labelled a traitor and die at the hands of either side.
    Thank you A.W. Hammond, Beauty and Lace Bookclub, and Echo Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this gripping, page-turner The Paris Collaborator.

  8. Thanks to Beauty and Lace and Echo Publishing for the opportunity to read A.W. Hammond’s ‘The Paris Collaborator’
    The story is set in Paris starting on 14th August 1944 and covering less than 2 weeks., just prior to the Allied Forces arriving in Paris. The short time span added to the tension and excitement of the book.
    The story is centered around Auguste Duchene. In the first few pages he rescues a German baby, who had been kidnapped. From here he gets embroiled in a hunt for stolen guns and much more. He is under threat that his only child will be taken if he does not do what is asked. He is in an awkward situation and does not know who to believe or trust. There are many twist and turns, who is a collaborator, who supports the Resistance and the Partisans? With some seeming to be on all sides.
    It is a very well written historical novel and manages to show what life was like in Paris at that time. I could not put it down and was unsuccessfully trying to guess the outcome all through the story. A great read

  9. I loved this book, I couldn’t put it down! Easy to read and so well written – the imagery and the depth of the interesting characters – I had to find out what happened to the missing people (and it tied up all the loose ends which is very satisfying). Historical fiction that is researched so well… The things that happened in Paris during the war and German occupation, wow! I will look at Paris in a whole new way when I can visit again.

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