Monday, 13 October 2025

Murder at the Moulin Rouge (A Blackwell & Watson Time-Travel Mystery Book # 5) by Carol Pouliot

Paris, 1895. When a cancan dancer at the Moulin Rouge falls to her death from the top of one of Montmartre’s highest staircases, the police dismiss it as an accident. But, Madeleine was one of Toulouse-Lautrec’s favorite models, and the artist is certain she was murdered. Enter Depression-era detective Steven Blackwell and 21st-century journalist Olivia Watson who travel back in time to Paris to hunt down the killer. Before long, they learn that a second dancer—a ballerina and favorite model of painter Edgar Degas—has died. Two dancers dead in two weeks. Two artists grieving. Is the killer targeting young dancers, or, does this case involve the enigmatic Paris art world?

From the moment Steven and Olivia arrive, Steven is out of his element. The small-town cop has no idea what techniques the French police use in 1895. Worse, he has no official status to investigate murder in one of the world’s largest cities. The sleuths soon discover disturbing secrets at the Paris Ballet. And when Olivia insists on going undercover to visit a suspect’s house alone, Steven fears he’s made the biggest mistake of his life.

Travel back in time with Steven and Olivia, as they enter the back-stabbing world of dance in one of the world’s greatest cities. Murder at the Moulin Rouge is their most daring and dangerous case to date.   (Summary via Goodreads)


I am a huge fan of time traveling books, I think they are so fun and when you add a murder to solve with a touch of romance, I'm totally 100% in !!  And author Carol Pouliot does it perfectly with her Blackwell & Watson Time-Travel Mystery series.
Steven Blackwell is a detective in the early 1930's while Olivia Watson is a journalist/researcher small business owner in 2015.  They are able to time travel between times by walking over the threshold in a bedroom in the house they both own in their timeframe.  They are able to venture out together in both timeframes and Olivia helps Steven with his murder cases.
In the fifth book in the series, Murder at the Moulin Rouge, they are going to go way out of their comfort zones when Steven's deceased mother knocks on his door .... and she is a lot younger.  A friend of her's in Paris in the year 1895 needs help.  A dear friend of his has died, the case was ruled an accident but Henri knows it wasn't.
Before they can even comes to terms with the fact that Steven's mother can time travel as well, they agree to go to 1895 Paris and try to investigate and help Henri.  Obviously this is going to be the toughest case they have ever worked on .... what do they know about the year 1895 other than what they may have learned in history class ?  That doesn't stop them from diving in head first, working with the local detective, meeting very interesting people and spending time with Steven's mother ... which isn't wierd at all !!!
I'll admit Murder at the Moulin Rouge is not my favorite book in this series.  I love spending time with Steven and Olivia no matter where and when they are but I wasn't a fan of Paris. The storyline was captivating and interesting and I was glad they solved the case and were able to return to their own timeframes.  I also now know that in future books I will not be surprised wherever they end up traveling to .... looks like nothing is off limits for this duo and I look forward to the next book to see where they go and who they meet.

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