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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
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."
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Paris Personified, May 21, 2009
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.
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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
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!
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