The Perfume Thief by Timothy Schaffert

​A lavish work of historical fiction that is as exciting and engaging as it is olfactory stimulating, The Perfume Thief is a book that ought to have come with its own scent cards. 
(There is actually a movie in the novel that utilized that technique – during the appropriate scenes the viewers were guided by numbers to smell a specific smell from the card. Smell-o-vision at work.)
The Perfume Thief is a (smell-o-) vision of gay Paree in a most literal if ways. It features a queer septuagenarian protagonist and a motley crew of her associates navigating the treacherous waters of a city freshly invaded by the Nazis. 
It’s a place awash is decadence and danger, but those who have chosen it for themselves as a city to love and belong to refuse to leave it. Clementine is among them. A reformed once-famous thief, she is now a well-known perfumer; her impeccably tailored suits and sizzling confidence hiding a woman scarred by a long-ago love affair. Alas, in Paris she is among friends. A terrific cast of queer and otherwise artists, performers, and misfits.
When she chooses to help one of them, there is some selfishness there too – she is to find a lost journal of a famous perfumer who once stole her recipe. Now, his daughter is desperate; she is Jewish and a lover of a Nazi officer, a terrifying combination,
So Clementine does her best spy impersonation and gets involved on friendly and professional basis with another Nazi. Intrigue ensues.
And if the intrigue doesn’t do it for you, there is still so much to love here. The author does a splendid job of bringing a place to life and using it as a character of its own. There is a magnificent wealth and vividness of detail; the atmosphere is completely immersive. And the characters are charming, memorable, and interesting too.
Clementine, whose age is confusing and if going strictly by the book seems like 80 but is stated as 72 in the official description, doesn’t really seem like her years, whatever they are. She’s almost difficult to buy as a senior citizen in actions, mentality, etc. But she is a fascinating and compelling protagonist and if this was a movie, Glenn Close would probably nail it. 
Overall, an exceptional armchair trip in time and place. A terrific read. Recommended.