Treasure of Saint-Lazare: A Novel of Paris (The Eddie Grant Series Book 1)

"More informative than history. Bravo!" (Ronald Rosbottom, author of When Paris Went Dark)

An old lover appears at Eddie Grant's door in Paris, launching him on a dangerous quest for the single most valuable piece of wartime Nazi loot that remains missing, a famous Raphael self-portrait — plus the crates of Nazi gold that accompanied it, all intended to finance the Fourth Reich.

Jen Wetzmuller found the letter among her father’s papers after he was run down on the streets of Sarasota. Its clues take Eddie from his Paris home to Florida, where he barely escapes with his life, then back to Paris, where he must burrow into the darkest memories of the German occupation in search of the treasure.

Along the way he and Jen briefly restart the fiercely passionate affair that he abandoned, to his regret, 20 years before.

Most of all, Treasure of Saint-Lazare is a novel of Paris.

(The painting, Raphael’s “Portrait of a Young Man,” has been missing since 1945. The Polish government is confident it still exists.)

A new review from Goodreads “What an absorbing story! John Pearce's book has everything: a fascinating historical backstory, suspenseful twists and turns, and evocative descriptions of both characters and places. The book has obviously been meticulously researched, with the action divided mostly between Pearce's hometown, Sarasota, and what is obviously his spiritual home, Paris. A great read, highly recommended.”