Murder in Passy: An Aimee Leduc Investigation Set in Paris [Kindle Edition]

Cara Black (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Full of French political intrigue, Black's atmospheric 11th Aimée Leduc investigation (after 2010's Murder in the Palais Royal) finds the Paris PI's world turned upside down with the arrest of her godfather and longtime mentor, Commissaire Morbier, for murder. Worse yet, the victim—Morbier's inamorata, Xavierre d'Eslay—was with Aimée minutes before her death by strangulation. To clear Morbier, Aimée must dig deep as his fellow officers close rank and refuse to cooperate. Helping Aimée are her detective agency partner, René; her cousin, Sebastian; and her former policeman lover, Melac, who may or may not have an agenda of his own during the investigation. Though Xavierre lived a life of privilege in the posh suburb of Passy, Aimée discovers her past is shrouded in secrecy, linked to Basque separatists and terrorist acts. While the characters and their motivations can sometimes be hard to follow, the plot builds to a satisfying conclusion. (Mar.)
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Review

Praise for the Aimée Leduc series:
 
“No contemporary writer of noir mysteries evokes the spirit of Paris more than Cara Black in her atmospheric series starring P.I. Aimée Leduc…. 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
                           
“If you’ve never been to Paris, or you’d like to go back soon, let Cara Black transport you there.”—Linda Fairstein
 
“Black does for Paris what Dashiell Hammett did for San Francisco. She makes the city shimmer.”—Plain Dealer (Cleveland)
 
“Charming…. Aimée is one of those blithe spirits who can walk you through the city’s historical streets and byways with their eyes closed.”—The New York Times Book Review
 
“Leduc has such a thorough grasp of the practicalities of investigation, plus a penchant for undercover work that will have readers on pins and needles.”—San Francisco Chronicle

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 629 KB
• Publisher: Soho Crime (March 1, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004NNUYH4
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,295 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

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

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Stuck in Neutral, March 14, 2011

By 

Former English Major (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Murder in Passy: An Aimee Leduc Investigation Set in Paris (Hardcover)

I'm a devoted fan of Cara Black's (I pre-order the hardbacks well in advance of their arrival every spring) but this one doesn't do it for me. It fits the mold of all the other installments in the Aimee series: a slightly off-angle community in Paris; enough "action" (and violence) to straddle the line between thriller and mystery; and vague hints (usually toward the end) about Aimee's family and childhood and the real mystery of the series, which is what exactly has happened to her mother. The portrayal of the Basque community is interesting enough, but Cara (or Soho) could have employed an entry level fact checker who could have told them, among other things, that Basques could not have fled Spain because of Franco in the 1980's because Franco died in 1975. Murder in the Marais (the debut novel) felt genuine, but some of the communities that Cara chooses to explore seem more like plot devices than actual people and I would put this one in that category. And more and more it seems that the author is relying on violence as a substitute for less exciting but perhaps more meaningful human drama. And lastly, can we move the plot about Aimee's family forward a bit more? Knowing that Morbier had telltale documents in his safe deposit box he had not shown Aimee is simply not enough. We have only -what? - nine arrondissements to go in this series and I'm not sure we're going to find out enough about what really matters in time.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Murder in Passy, Top of the Game, April 3, 2011

By 

Irwin H. Moss "Moose" (Los Angeles, Ca. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Murder in Passy: An Aimee Leduc Investigation Set in Paris (Hardcover)

Yesterday I concluded reading Cara Black's MURDER IN PASSY. "Let me be perfectly, frank (or was it "honest?)." I loved it.

Haven't read as good a mystery/thriller in a long time. I have a quibble or two but I will reserve them until the end of this note. I have read a couple of her books, largely because of the time we have spent in Paris and our enjoyment of noting and knowing place de facto. Those earlier books did not prepare me for this one.

I am not very good at or helpful in digesting most novels and mystery books I read so I suggest you read the first review in Amazon which sites that which I wrote.

I do not know whether or not the politics history geography etc in connection with things BASQUE are correct or factual, and I don't care. (In the movie business there is a phrase called, "DA." It means, "don't ask!" Not every moment of fiction or film is explainable and who cares?)

Once into the story it took very few pages for me to be hooked, and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough, and I didn't skip a word, as I wanted all the flavor Ms Black was dishing out. Were there some improbable traps and "just in the nick-of-time" escapes? Yes, perhaps one or two too many, but I raced on.

Quibbles: There were a few moments where Aimee's physical prowess stretched the imagination, elements I don't like with male "super" leads either, but here I rooted like hell for her to make it.

Were all the loose ends tied? No. Is that OK with me? Yes. Aimee is smart no doubt but imperfect as are we all. I doubt I would give 5 Stars to anyone, but this is a 4 1/2.

I don't know if Graeme Greene would label this "an entertainment," (prig though he was) but I sure would. Ms Black, I am going back for more.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Always Looking for a good Mystery?, March 17, 2011

By 

Barbara Bartholomew "Barbara Bartholomew" (Carter, Oklahoma) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Murder in Passy: An Aimee Leduc Investigation Set in Paris (Kindle Edition)

A well-written mystery set in intriguing Paris neighborhoods and featuring a strong, resourceful heroine. Reminds me somewhat of Louise Penny's mysteries in the powerful sense of place and the various colorful characters. The relationship between Aimee Leduc and her godfather is particularly well done.