In Cara Black's "accomplished, absorbing debut" (Kirkus Reviews), PI AimEe Leduc must decrypt a digitized photo from the 1940s. But when AimEe visits the historic Jewish quarter of Paris to deliver the picture, she finds its intended recipient murdered-and with a swastika carved in her aged forehead. "Literate prose, intricate plotting, and multifaceted and unusual characters mark this excellent first mystery. Strongly recommended."-Library Journal
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"There were a lot of silly thing a good editor should have caught like the diving under tables on the run while managing to keep her high heels on, but I found the overall arc of the story to be compelling. I am hoping each book gets better, as clearly it must, otherwise the French government would not have given her a reward for contributions to French culture. On to Belleville."
— Landis (4 out of 5 stars)
Literate prose, intricate plotting, and multifaceted and unusual characters mark this excellent first mystery. Strongly recommended.
— Library Journal "Standout first novel … a thrilling quick-paced chase." Ugh. One improbable premise after another. The protagonist scrabbles across a Paris rooftop in high heels and a suit, only to land in a dumpster full of buttons. Buttons? The only saving grace is that her partner at the detective agency is a little person. A little person who knows karate. "
— Jennifer, 2/19/2014" Not sure about this series. I like the history she weaves in and her headstron, smart independant main character but I suspect that she takes on situations a bit out of her league and escapses death too closely too often. "
— Paula, 2/17/2014" Cara Black reinforces the belief that it must be difficult indeed to write a good mystery; Murder in the Marais is eye-rollingly bad. Oh, I wanted to like it! It's Paris! It's the resistance! We get to learn about just how miserable life was in occupied Paris! But there are just so many problems. From the small ones - her dog, cloyingly named "Miles Davis" NEVER has to go out to pee, and seems to spend all day and night in her apartment or at the local news stand; to the simply annoying - she slips unnoticed into an Issey Miakye shop and - oh! WHAT A SURPRISE! SHE FITS INTO THE CLOTHES AND THEY LOOK GREAT ON HER! Gosh! That's so handy! She's amazingly clever at decoding secret documents, and has an unfailing knack for finding EXACTLY THE RIGHT ONE...She has crazed weasel sex with an evil neo-Nazi but luckily, on the last page, we find out that it is OK since he is REALLY an undercover reporter. There are improbable chases across rooftops, confusing routes all through Paris and the Metro...The book reads like there are big chunks missing - we never get the backstory on so many things, and other info is just thrown in for atmosphere. Ugh. This was really dreadful. "
— Alline, 1/15/2014" I thought this was a decent first attempt at a mystery novel. I liked Aimee, thought she is a bit on the superhuman side and could use more character development. Had a problem with Miles Davis, never has to pee, stays home all day alone and then when Aimee is off to do something he has to go visit Uncle Maurice. Did not make much sense to me. There were a lot of characters introduced quickly and it was hard to keep track of some of them. "
— Jo, 1/3/2014" A coworker recommended the Aimee Leduc PI series a long time ago and I finally got around to reading one. I enjoyed this book. A quick read set in Paris. Nice change rom what I normally read. I plan to read the rest of the series. "
— Janel, 1/3/2014" Had to read this for my book group. Hated it "
— Bruce, 1/2/2014" Excellent. Well written, great fun "
— Lanierc, 12/25/2013" Wonderfully written and intensely suspenseful. I can't wait to read the rest of the series. "
— Mikael, 12/14/2013" Read this at Jess' suggestion, as it is set in Paris. Good mystery story, the writer does seem to leave gaps in places, but it was an enjoyable book. "
— Bob, 12/11/2013" Karen--I'm loaning this to you and Mark. It may bring back memories...not of murder but of the Marais! "
— Linda, 12/3/2013" a fun read, but pretty formulaic and implausible...worth reading just to transport yourself to Paris! "
— Katie, 12/1/2013" I enjoyed this and will certainly read more but I did find it a bit difficult to follow. I'm unfamiliar with Paris geography and computer systems so I just took it all on faith that these parts of the story work out aas they should. "
— Julie, 11/28/2013" Perhaps I was too distracted and read this book in tiny chunks. I felt I should have liked it more, but I never really cared about the story. The jumbled series of events 40 years apart with the detective trying to find the thread that connects them all just didn't draw me in. "
— Patricia, 8/31/2013" So-so mystery set in Paris, about Nazis and Crimes From Years Ago Coming Back To Haunt Those Involved. I'd try another of this series but I wasn't blown away by this one. "
— Stephanie, 8/21/2013" This was a good mystery - but it was a bit confusing with multiple story lines and alot of different characters to keep track of... "
— Lisa, 2/28/2013" Good mystery book, easy read. "
— Kara, 12/18/2012" Attracted to this book based on its Paris setting. It's the first in a series and I'm guessing a lot of the characters introduced here pop up later... because it seemed like there were a lot of unnecessary characters for this particular story. "
— Anne, 10/1/2012" It was okay. But Aimee Leduc is not someone I'd want to hang out with often so I will take my quest for another mystery series elsewhere. "
— Kathryn, 8/8/2012" Well-written, blood thirsty mystery. "
— Matt, 4/7/2012" Promising idea, terrible writing, really disappointing. Nuff said. "
— Evelyn, 4/7/2012" I think I'll give another Aimee Leduc book a try. The novel had some weaknesses but there's something about Aimee I like. "
— Judi, 12/11/2011" I enjoyed this atmospheric mystery novel set in Paris and I plan to read some of the other novels in this series. The map in the book added to my enjoyment as I could remember my own walks through Paris! "
— Edna, 6/14/2011" Lots of local color but as a mystery too many disconnects for me. "
— Phyllis, 5/25/2011" I love this series, and this one's especially rich with intrigues going back to World War II. As usual, Detective Aimee Leduc's Hermes scarf never gets ruffled. She's able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, etc., but I love her! "
— Paulah, 5/11/2011" I liked it, but I'm still not sure about it. Too many characters, too many wildly unlikely scenarios. I don't do spoilers, but I will say the ending disappointed me. I didn't feel we worked up to that resolution; more that it dropped in. "
— Ellie, 5/6/2011" great descriptions of off the beaten path paris..good read "
— Pinky, 5/3/2011" I'll come back to it one day. <br/> <br/>I came back to it, and it got more interesting, but I still wasn't excited about Aimee Leduc. Personal preference. "
— Tracy, 4/28/2011" Glad to find a new mystery series writer...I'll read more of her books. This one was pretty good...a little predictable but a pleasant read. "
— Laura, 3/31/2011" Not enough about Paris. Simplistic murder mystery plot. Wanted to be swept into the sights and sounds of Paris. Didn't happen. Won't be reading Cara Black anymore. "
— Mateo, 3/29/2011" I stopped midway...the ingredients certainly seemed appealing....1993 Paris in the Marais the Jewish quarter...a mystery to be solved by a female detective...neo Nazis etc...but yawn my curiosity waned and so I cannot recommend it and I am off to find a book that gives me more pleasure. "
— Shifra, 3/29/2011" Learned a lot about Paris during the war. Interesting read but a bit far fetched at times. "
— Kathy, 3/24/2011" A well-plotted thriller set in my neighbourhood - what's not to like? :) "
— Rhino75, 3/23/2011Cara Black is the author of the popular Aimée Leduc mystery series. She is a San Francisco Library Laureate and a member of the Paris Sociéte Historique in the Marais. Her book Murder in the Sentier was nominated for an Anthony Award for Best Novel, and Murder in the Latin Quarter was a finalist for the Best Novel Award from the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association.
Carine Montbertrand is an award-winning narrator of dozens of audiobooks. When she first started working in the 1990s, she sounded younger than her years and specialized in children’s and young adult titles. Since then she has expanded to fiction for adults and has recorded everything from murder mysteries to fantasy and inspirational titles. She is adept with dialects and accents, voicing characters from countries around the world. She also specializes in English language titles with a French flavor, as she is half French. With her audiobooks, she has the opportunity to tell wonderful stories while finding voices for men, women, children, and sometimes ghosts and extraterrestrials.