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The Paris Architect is a 2013 novel by Charles Belfoure and author's debut in fiction writing. Published by Sourcebooks Landmark, it follows the story of a French architect Lucien Bernard who's paid to create temporary hiding places for Jews in Nazi-occupied Paris. The book hitted The New York Times best seller list in July 2015.

Plot summary
During World War II Lucien Bernard, an architect living in Paris, is offered a large amount of money to desing hiding places for Jews obsessed by the Nazis. He desperately needs to make for living though he knows that if caught, he would be killed.

Background and release
Specializing in historic preservation, before writing The Paris Architect, Charles Belfoure had written several non-fiction books on architecture, including works on the history of American banks and rowhouse architecture in Baltimore. He decided to pop into fiction spontaneously, thinking it might be an exciting expierience and a way of having a break from everyday work. A direct inspiration came to Belfoure after discovering the fact that during the reigns of Elizabeth I in England special holes were designed in houses as temporary hiding places for priests, as during this period Catholicism was repressed.

The novel was first published in hardcover in the United States on October 8, 2013. A paperback edition was released on July 15, 2014. An unabridged audible version narrated by Mark Bramhall was also released. The book was translated into several languages, including Italian, Hungarian and Turkish.

Reception
The book received generally favourable reviews. It was presented by USA Today in the "New Voices" section and was an American Booksellers Association Indie Pick in October 2013.

Malcolm Gladwell of The Guardian chose The Paris Architect his favourite book of 2013, calling it „a beautiful and elegant account of an ordinary man's unexpected and reluctant descent into heroism during the second world war”.

Vicki Briner of Library Journal wrote that „Belfoure’s portrayal of Vichy France is both disturbing and captivating, and his beautiful tale demonstrates that while human beings are capable of great atrocities, they have a capacity for tremendous acts of courage as well”. New York Post picked a novel as „a must-read”.

The Paris Architect was among finalists of the 2015 International Dublin Literary Award and hitted The New York Times best seller list in an e-book category in July 2015.