The Kennedy Girl

Book excerpt: From esteemed author Julia Bryan Thomas comes a novel for readers who loved the fashion and glamour of The Second Life of Mirielle West and the clandestine intrigue of The Secrets We Kept, showcasing a journey to France through the eyes of a wide-eyed American orphan who becomes embroiled in an international espionage scheme. This American Girl in Paris might hold the fate of nations... It's the 1960s, and the fashion culture of New York, Paris, and Milan is starting to make an impression on the mid-century American woman. Jackie Kennedy's effortless style leads the nation, although Mia's bustling bakery job doesn't often give her the time or money to craft a stylish closet after her idol in the White House. But when a mysterious stranger suddenly offers her a modeling job in Paris at the esteemed House of Rousseau, she takes a chance on it, despite knowing nothing about the world of fashion. As an orphan with big dreams, holding a one-way plane ticket to Paris, she sets off for what she hopes is a better life. But the job of a model runs deeper than photoshoots and runway walks, and as Mia adjusts to the Parisienne lifestyle, she realizes that not everything is as it seems. Becoming more and more successful in her position as an up-and-coming model, she is soon drawn into the Cold War by the very fashion house she works for. And as she finds herself falling further into national crimes and politics, Mia will soon have to decide which side of history she's really on.