Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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."

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.

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!

Aimée Leduc continues to lead us on charming, but inevitably wrong-headed and usually bloody, pélerinages through the streets of Paris. And for those who know enough of the city to recognize her waypoints, the journey can be very entertaining. Aimée, though, could stand to grow up a little, or least to show some sign that she is learning from her adventures. It would be interesting to see her break away from the now run-of-the-mill headstrong you-can't-tell-ME-what-to-do female PI of the V. I. Warshawski type, and start to develop into a woman who does something more than blow off her obligations and use her friends in pursuit of her own 'satiable curiosity.

It is always a joy to re-visit Paris with stylish sleuth Aimee Leduc. I can see the buildings and characters she describes perfectly in my mind's eye.
In this book, Aimee is visted by a woman who says she is her sister from Haiti and the chase never lets up from there.
But who is chasing whom? I found this one of the most exciting and intriging Leduc mysteries. My curiousity was always up and I delayed reading the ending for a few days which I like to do when I am really enjoying a book. I have read all the Leduc books and always find Aimee an interesting combination of chic and strength.

This book is not her best of the series, but still ok. More time is spent on details of Paris (interesting and correct) than putting together a good story. Still like the series.

I have read all Ms Black's Aimée Leduc mysteries and enjoyed them. Although there is a sameness to the plots, the writing is crisp and the Paris settings are marvelous. However, I do have one criticism...something that drives me crazy with each reading. The errors in French take away from the authenticity of the stories. There are too many incorrect accent marks, mistakes in grammar, and just plain wrong expressions throughout the books. I think this is a problem that can be easily corrected by hiring an editor who knows the French language.

"Say to wisdom, 'You are my sister,'
And call understanding your nearest kin,
That they may keep you from the immoral woman,
From the seductress who flatters with her words." -- Proverbs 7:4-5 (NKJV)

Can you think of another recent mystery series based in Paris that provides such rich detail about a neighborhood, its history, its current inhabitants, the lives of those on society's margins, and intriguing looks at a quartier's underground quirks? Anyone who has read more than two books in the series is bound to have found that combination to be intriguing.

I suspect that some people discover Cara Black in the mistaken belief that she provides for Paris what Donna Leon does for Venice. Mais, non! Ms. Leon takes you into the places that tourists would like to go while Ms. Black takes you to places that many tourists probably pray they will never see.

There's also an intriguing choice of detectives by Cara Black that breaks the mold. Her heroine, Aimee Leduc, doesn't want to be an investigator. She just wants to wear vintage designer clothes bought for little, to have exciting times with handsome "bad" boys, and to earn enough money as a computer security consultant at Leduc Detective to keep her home and business. Her pain is not understanding what happened to her mother and father, an intriguing thread that ties the series together. Rene Friant, her partner, is a genius at hacking into computer systems and is an expert in martial arts despite being a dwarf who walks in pain.

In Aimee's search for her family, it was inevitable that the theme of siblings would arise, as it does in this book when Mireille "Leduc," a Haitian woman arrives at her office claiming to be Aimee's half sister, the result of a liaison between Aimee's father and a Haitian woman. This new connection soon draws Aimee into the inevitable unofficial murder investigation.

To me, this book was the least appealing one in the series. As a read it, I kept feeling that the characters and plot were primarily there to give Cara Black an opportunity to connect Haiti (that former French sugar growing colony) to Paris and to write about the Latin Quarter. I also found the ultimate solution to be a little too far out of the orbit of the story's territory to be fully satisfying.

Unless you are determined to read every book in this series, you could skip this one.

This is the first Cara Black novel that I have read. I suspect it will be my last. Cartoonish, confused, unconvincing, and with one-dimensional characters. Thoroughly unsatisfying.

Anyone who visits Paris has certain favorite neighborhoods - and the legendary Latin Quarter is often one of them. Cara Black really captures the feeling of this quartier well. It's like a quick trip to Paris. Reading this in the dead of winter was balm for my spirits!

In this book, Aimee chases the idea that she might have a half-sister, as well as the sister herself. I won't divulge the ending. Suffice it to say it is satisfying.

Black is often criticized here for her formulaic approach. But every once in a while she makes a slight detour and this is one of those cases, literally and figuratively. Something feels different here. Set in the aftermath of the Pont D'Alma tunnel accident that killed Diana, Princess of Wales, during La Rentree, the period of time when the pulse of life quickens in France, especially Paris, there is an excitement in this book that is missing in some of the others. You almost feel Black is building towards some future momentum. Whatever it is, it's enough to keep you reading the next one.

I do wish the book had been better edited. The word is "complexioned" not "complected." Cara Black needs a better editor.