Murder in the Latin Quarter (An Aimee Leduc Investigation, Vol. 9) [Hardcover]

Cara Black (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2009

“Yes, Cara Black fans, Aimée Leduc is back. This is the ninth of Black's novels about the chic, indomitable Parisian detective, and it has all the elements Black's readers have come to cherish: an engaging protagonist with a likable sidekick (her diminutive partner, René Friant), cops who hinder more than they help, villains with murky motives, grisly crimes and, above all, the unique Parisian atmosphere.”-San Francisco Chronicle

“No contemporary writer of noir mysteries evokes the spirit of Paris more than Cara Black in her atmospheric series starring P.I. Aimée Leduc…The fearless, risk-taking Aimée is constantly running, hiding, fighting and risking her life-all while dressed in vintage Chanel and Dior and Louboutin heels.”-USA Today

“The ninth mystery in Cara Black's irresistible series set in Paris…might well be the book we've been waiting for. Aimée Leduc, Black's adorably punkish sleuth, is in her element…One of this colorful series's most scenic itineraries.”-The New York Times Book Review


“Kinsey Millhone turned loose in Before Sunset…In Leduc’s ninth outing, Paris, as always, sparkles in all its gargoyled, dusty, cobblestoned glory.”-Entertainment Weekly

A Haitian woman arrives at the office of Leduc Detective and announces that she is Aimée’s sister, her father’s illegitimate daughter. Aimée is thrilled. A virtual orphan since her mother’s disappearance and her father’s death, she has always wanted a sister. Her partner, René, is wary of this stranger, but Aimée embraces her and soon finds herself involved in murky Haitian politics leading to murder. The setting is the Latin Quarter on the Left Bank of the Seine, in the old university district of Paris.

Cara Black is the author of nine books in the Aimée Leduc series. She frequently visits Paris but lives in San Francisco with her husband and son. For more information, visit www.carablack.com

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Two weeks after Princess Diana's death in Paris in 1997, an illegal Haitian immigrant named Mireille walks into Aimée Leduc's office, claiming that Aimée's late father was also her father. Before Aimée can learn more, Mireille disappears, leaving only a cryptic note with an address in the Latin Quarter, the setting for Black's twisty ninth Aimée Leduc investigation (after 2008's Murder in the Rue de Paradis). At the address, an old building housing a comparative anatomy research facility, Aimée finds the corpse of a well-dressed black man with his ear cut off. The complex plot, which involves Haitian politics, history and culture as well as world trade and geopolitical corruption (not to mention Aimée's quest to discover if Mireille is really her half-sister), at times threatens to overwhelm the book. Still, Black creates an indelible portrait of a Parisian neighborhood as she explores how the past continues to collide with the present, with unpredictable and far-reaching results. (Mar.)
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From Booklist

Black returns to two of her favorite themes in this latest Aimée Leduc novel: immigrants in Paris and the family history of her heroine. As usual, Aimée, a computer-security analyst forever entangled in murder investigations, finds herself balancing paying clients against freelance sleuthing, and this time the mystery involves a Haitian woman who claims to be Aimée’s sister. Is Mireille really the offspring of a long-ago liaison between Aimée’s late father and a Haitian woman, or is she somehow part of a scam connected to Paris’ Haitian community? The body count grows as Aimée follows the trail through the Latin Quarter and the Sorbonne to what may be an international scandal involving aid to Haiti. Black’s ability to combine the landscape of Parisian neighborhoods with the intricate politics of the city’s many immigrant communities is what gives this series its appeal, despite the somewhat formulaic plot structure. Aimée’s ongoing search for her father’s murderer and any trace of her vanished mother adds depth to the stories, and that family angle is heightened here with the possibility of a sibling. A solid outing in a dependable series. --Bill Ott

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Soho Crime; First edition (March 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569475415
• ISBN-13: 978-1569475416
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 1.1 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #612,455 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Cara Black lives in Noe Valley with her bookseller husband, Jun, owner of Foto-Graphix Books, and her son, Tate. She's a San Francisco Library Laureate, Macavity and three time Anthony award-nominee for her series, Aimée Leduc Investigations, set in Paris

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Paris is wonderful as usual and Aimee is Aimee...., March 15, 2009

By 

Flush Barrett-Browning (Tennessee Valley) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Murder in the Latin Quarter (An Aimee Leduc Investigation, Vol. 9) (Hardcover)

Murder in the Latin Quarter" is the ninth Aimee LeDuc offering. Aimee, the blonde Parisian detective, is approached by a Haitian woman claiming to be her half sister. Is this the scam Aimee's partner Rene suspects, or is the hopeful Aimee going to have a family again? And since this is, after all, a detective series, the erstwhile sister is at the center of a murder. A famous Haitian scientist has been murdered and his research is missing.
As usual, descriptions of Aimee's thrift shop designer creations and local cafes and side streets play a big part in creating the Parisian atmosphere. And it's that atmosphere that is the strongest element of the novels. The reader who loves Paris is given an opportunity to return and wander the streets, have a cup of decent coffee, and remember the sights and smells - some good and some not.
But to be honest, this is my ninth Aimee novel and I can no longer tell them apart. Aimee is chased by mecs [the poor bad guys], the rich bad guys are caught at the end, her clothes get dirty but she resourcefully finds others that look great, she persuades her usual sources/friends to help her out in her emergencies, her partner Rene tries unsuccessfully to get her to focus on the profit areas of their business but ends up risking life and limb to get her out of trouble.
I agree with a previous reviewer - it's time for Aimee to grow up. For a series character to retain the reader's interest, she has to change and grow. To age and mature and learn from her mistakes.
This is my last automatic Cara Black buy. From now on I'll wait for the reviews and see if Aimee is stretching a bit. I love Paris, but even Paris grows and changes.
But if you haven't read any of the series, by all means read. I suggest that you start with the first in the series "Murder in the Marais."

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Paris Personified, May 21, 2009

By 

Ted Feit (Long Beach, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Murder in the Latin Quarter (An Aimee Leduc Investigation, Vol. 9) (Hardcover)

This series always provides an interesting mystery involving Paris. Aimee Leduc is surprised one day when she is visited by a pretty Haitian mulatto, Mirielle, claiming to be her half-sister. This leads Aimee into a wild series of events involving Haitian politics and at least three murders. Mirielle disappears, and Aimee is determined to find her and discover the truth of their relationship.

Despite warnings by both her partner and her godfather police official, Aimee plods on, seeking Mirielle and investigating the murders, placing herself, as usual, in all kinds of danger. These efforts give the author the opportunity to give wonderful descriptions of the Latin Quarter and its various institutions.

Written with interesting historical descriptions, and deep character portrayals, the novel is the ninth in the series. A tenth is in the works for 2010 publication, something to which we can look forward. Recommended.

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Boring Tourist Trivia Covering a Thin Detective Story in the Latin Quarter of Paris, May 16, 2009

By 

David Island "Excalibur" (San Rafael, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Murder in the Latin Quarter (An Aimee Leduc Investigation, Vol. 9) (Hardcover)

Compelling narrative it is not! Charming it is not! "Murder in the Latin Quarter" is not Cara Black's best tale by a long shot. It's a truly weird plot with uninteresting "scientific" substance about an obscure topic that never grabs the reader's imagination. The story is populated by strange and unlikable characters, many from Haiti. There's way too much breathless, contrived tension, running and barely escaping the flics or the bad guys, too many completely unbelievable near-death episodes, and too many just plain not-to-be-believed scenarios.

Among the worst subplots is the entire not-to-be-believed-for-one-second story of Aimee's alleged half-Haitian sister -- simply a bad farce.

The main problem for me was Black's apparent blending of - or confusion with - a detective story on one hand and a blah James Bond spy thriller on the other. She fails completely at this mix. Aimee Leduc is smart and resourceful (like Cara Black, no doubt), does sleep around a bit, and leans too much of friends when she's in a jam (half the book). While Paris is very interesting geographically, historically, and culturally, Black regales us with too many touristy descriptions, especially the overdone and terribly boring visits to the Catacombs of "Subterranean Paris."

Black was clever in tying the timeline of her story to the days immediately following the car crash death of Princess Diana, particularly in how Aimee used the panicked police department to help her (rather dishonestly) locate bad guys' van. Aimee's apparent amorality about absolutely everything is rather disturbing. She is hardly the epitome of an upstanding citizen and may in fact suffer from some sociopathic tendencies. And, what was that very strange and patronizing connection to the Haitians and AIDS? Odd, indeed.

There are simply too many uninteresting characters, most of whom were stick figures, utilizing shop-worn stereotypes, too much coincidence (the Cavalry riding in at the last moment to save poor Aimee), a very, very thin "plot," and an over-embellishment of that wafer-thin story line. All-in-all, "Murder in the Latin Quarter" is a badly written, terribly boring "romp" through tourist Paris, with the always-unbelievably-running-desperately-for-her-insignificant-life Aimee!

This one is definitely NOT Anthony Award nomination material. Actually Black should be a little embarrassed at this debacle. Better try next time, Cara. This one's a dud-and-a-half!