The Perfume Thief: A Novel

(Paperback, International edition)

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A stylish, sexy page-turner set in Paris on the eve of World War II, where Clementine, a queer American ex-pat and notorious thief, is drawn out of retirement and into one last scam when the Nazis invade. "A hint of Moulin Rouge, a whiff of Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale, a little spritz of Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief... The Perfume Thief is a pulse-pounding thriller and a sensuous experience you'll want to savor."-Oprah Daily " A superb novel ... This is historical fiction at its finest, vivid and beautifully rendered." -Emily St. John Mandel, author of The Sea of Tranquility Clementine is a seventy-two year-old reformed con artist with a penchant for impeccably tailored suits. Her life of crime has led her from the uber-wealthy perfume junkies of belle epoque Manhattan, to the scented butterflies of Costa Rica, to the spice markets of Marrakech, and finally the bordellos of Paris, where she settles down in 1930 and opens a shop bottling her favorite extracts for the ladies of the cabarets. Now it's 1941 and Clem's favorite haunt, Madame Boulette's, is crawling with Nazis, while Clem's people--the outsiders, the artists, and the hustlers who used to call it home--are disappearing. Clem's first instinct is to go to ground--it's a frigid Paris winter and she's too old to put up a fight. But when the cabaret's prize songbird, Zoe St. Angel, recruits Clem to steal the recipe book of a now-missing famous Parisian perfumer, she can't say no. Her mark is Oskar Voss, a Francophile Nazi bureaucrat, who wants the book and Clem's expertise to himself. Hoping to buy the time and trust she needs to pull off her scheme, Clem settles on a novel strategy- Telling Voss the truth about the life and loves she came to Paris to escape. Complete with romance, espionage, champagne towers, and haute couture, this full-tilt sensory experience is a dazzling portrait of the underground resistance of twentieth-century Paris and a passionate love letter to the power of beauty and community in the face of insidious hate.

Reviews

A LOS ANGELES TIMES TOP 10 BEST BOOK OF THE SUMMER Named a Top 10 Historical Fiction Novel by CrimeReads

"Did someone say 'queer espionage' Clementine is one of the best protagonists of the summer... Other authors have had clever takes on World War II spy novels, but none has created a voice like Clems, at once a true artist and a woman spinning a tale to save her life."Los Angeles Times

"A hint of Moulin Rouge,a whiff of Kristin Hannahs The Nightingale, a little spritz of HitchcocksTo Catcha Thief... The Perfume Thief is a pulse-pounding thriller and a sensuous experience youll want to savor."Oprah Daily

"The Perfume Thief is Schafferts best novel yet... at once a lush, sometimes chilling work of WWII-era historical fiction and also a fanciful queer romp about outcasts and thieves, lepidopterists and lesbian perfume... Intoxicating"emily m. danforth, author of The Miseducation of Cameron Post and Plain Bad Heroines

Fortheperfumeto work,thewearer hasto believe what I tellthem. And you, too, will believeevery word fromtheunforgettable Clementine,theperfumer andthiefwho shares her breathtaking story with dazzling notes thatseduce over time. Likethevery best fragrances, this book lingers on all of your senses, continuing to enchant, long afterthefinal page. A truly remarkable tale.Steven Rowley, author of The Guncle and Lily and the Octopus

"Oh, how I adored this book! In The Perfume Thief, Timothy Schaffert treats us to a wartime Paris with a sharply delicious difference. Asthehabitus ofthecitys late night demimonde perform an uneasy tango withtheNazi occupiers, we learn that resistance can take many forms, but its never easy. This novel is beguiling, sumptuous, and gripping. Andthewriting is so gorgeous, it will slay you."Alex George, author of The Paris Hours

An exceptional novel told in an extraordinary voice, thats also a hell of a yarn. The Perfume Thief is about finding beauty atthemost difficult times--inthewalls of your room, inside your closets, and in those you love.What more could you wantElizabeth McCracken, author of Bowlaway

"A long-lost romance! Espionage! Fashion! Crime! History! The resistance! A 72-year-old reformed con artist who just has to do one last crime!!! If youre reading this and thinking to yourself, Wow this is up my alley, I can promise you, its all you wanted and more."Alma

"...Full of decadence, intrigue, and danger."The Millions

"...A fun page-turner, and its truly not every day you get to see a 72-year-old lesbian at the center of a novel like this one."Vox

"Richly imagined, exquisitely written, this tale enthralls on every page."The Toronto Star

"Vivid and striking. . . Small acts of bravery during the Resistance may be less known, but this novel gives imagination to the courage of queer lives during the Occupation. Clem embodies the wisdom of a fully-rendered life, filled with deception, compassion, and transformation. A luminous character invented to populate the queer history that was lost."Lambda Literary

"Schaffert imbues this story of resistance, love, and loss with hefty emotion... The Perfume Thief has some thrilling moments, plenty of suspense, and frequently high stakes, but its far too poetic to be a mere espionage tale. Schafferts gorgeous prose elevates the narrative, engaging all of the senses with both bitter and sweet flavors... Like Clems perfumes, The Perfume Thief is a book that lingers long after youve set it down."Criminal Element

"The queer spy novel about WWII Paris that I never knew I needed and now could not possibly consider living without... Elegant and elegiac, a paean to the Old Paris, or perhaps a Paris That Never Was, The Perfume Thief is perfectly pitched by the publisher as AGentleman in Moscow meets Moulin Rouge."CrimeReads

Entrancing . . . The writing is exquisite, each well-chosen word bringing to elegant life a Paris that no longer exists. . . Clementine and her gorgeous suits, her exotic past, her many and varied lovers, are metaphors for not only the queer society in which she moves, but for the many incarnations of the city of Paris herself. The descriptions of perfumes and their creation are so vivid I sometimes thought I actually discerned those scents on the air. Highly recommended!Historical Novels Review

"[An] intoxicating blend of decadence and intrigue. . . Schafferts evocation of Paris and its wartime demimonde is sensual and alluring, but the heart of his novel is Clementines demonstration through her own adventures of how every life is its own heady perfume. . . This is a rich and rewarding tale, as original and unique as the handiwork of its eponymous character."Publishers Weekly *starred review*

"Timothy Schafferts sixth novel has so much going for it that its hard to pinpoint only a few reasons why you will love it. . . With a healthy dose of romance, fashion and espionage and a glimpse of the lives of openly queer artists under Nazi occupation, The Perfume Thief is a reminder that Paris, even in the pages of a book, always makes for a great escape."Bookpage

"Incorporating the tense setting of Nazi-occupied Paris, Schaffert concocts a memorable work that oozes atmosphere and originality. . . It boasts beguiling characters who gain depth with each unveiled layer. Schaffert creates a lasting impression through his tribute to these unique artists, the 'alchemists of the citys very soul,' and their courageous and creatively daring methods of resistance."Booklist

"Intoxicatingly vivid. . . The Perfume Thief lyrically savors the myths and lore of fragrance made of whispers, of secrets written in the cream of your coffee, wrapped in a gripping historical mystery. . . [Schaffert] delivers an unusual, clever tale that captures the nuances of Paris under occupation, featuring resilient characters fighting for the citys soul."Shelf Awareness

Author Bio

TIMOTHY SCHAFFERT is the author of five previous novels- The Swan Gondola, The Coffins of Little Hope, Devils in the Sugar Shop, The Singing and Dancing Daughters of God, and The Phantom Limbs of the Rollow Sisters. He is a professor of English and Director of Creative Writing at University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and he writes the column "The Eccentricities of Gentlemen" for the popular lifestyle magazine Enchanted Living.