Murder in Clichy (An Aimee Leduc Investigation, Vol. 5) (Paperback)

by Cara Black (Author)
Key Phrases: phone cabinet, jade disk, jade figures, Cara Black, Cao Dai, Madame Nguyen (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
A small act of generosity leads to murder in Anthony-nominee Black's beguiling fifth outing for savvy and sensitive Parisian PI Aimée Leduc (after 2003's Murder in the Bastille). Still reeling from injuries sustained in her previous adventure, Aimée agrees to help a middle-aged Vietnamese nun, Linh, by delivering an envelope to Thadée Baret. When Aimée meets Thadée for the drop-off, he hands her a bag of precious jade; soon after, an unseen gunman murders Thadée. Who was Thadée? Why did he give Linh the jade? Who wanted him killed? Once it becomes apparent Aimée is involved in something bigger and more dangerous than at first seemed the case (a government surveillance team threatens her; her partner, René, is kidnapped), even more questions arise. Readers may feel in the dark at times, and it's consoling to know that Aimée is often just as baffled. As usual, the author renders the city in dazzling detail. She paints an especially rich portrait of the curious Clichy neighborhood, a district made up of "Aristocrats with de la before their name," and "immigrants with -ski, akela, or khabib at the end of their names." Weaving culture, history and suspense, Black scores again.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist
Aimee Leduc, the computer-security expert who can't seem to stay out of murder investigations that take her to some of Paris' rougher neighborhoods, is at it again in this fifth episode in a consistently satisfying series. Previous installments have found the intrepid Leduc working in various blue-collar and immigrant districts around the city (Murder in Belleville, Murder in the Marais, etc.), and this time she lands in a neighborhood, Clichy, in which Old World wealth sits jowl to jowl with a growing Vietnamese population. The murder she investigates--after a Vietnamese man is shot on the street and dies in her arms--affords plenty of opportunity to experience all aspects of Clichy's multifaceted personality. As always, Black seamlessly integrates fascinating historical material about both Paris itself and the immigrant groups in the story (the history of jade and its role in Vietnamese culture drive the action here). The mystery plot creaks a bit--too many blind alleys--but Leduc's irrepressible appeal and Black's signature ability to use Paris as a character provide ample compensation. Bill Ott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Soho Crime (March 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569474117
• ISBN-13: 978-1569474112
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #257,982 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 5 in The Aimee Leduc Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not her best work , July 20, 2005

By	M. Reslock (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Murder in Clichy (Hardcover)

generally a big fan of Cara Black but this latest is a big mound of material searching for a decent editor. Even for a big fan its a slog. I think that there is a fine book buried in the text but whomever is claiming to be the editor of this book should be fired - it's a mess. Second Draft (maybe) but ready for publication it is not!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Aimee's Paris -- a stylish, savy series., March 27, 2005

By	Kathy Kohl (Belleville, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder in Clichy (Hardcover)

Excellent new entry by Cara Black. This is the third Aimee Leduc book I've read and I find myself gladly anticipating the ride. (Glad I still have two more to read). I'm enjoying Black's character, Aimee, as much as Harry Bosch, Elvis Cole, Nick Stefanos, Tony Valentine and Tess Monaghan. I keep coming back.

Black's Paris is as much a character as L.A., D.C., Vegas, and Baltimore are in the aforementioned author's books. I love learning and reading about the arrondissements in Paris.

Very well done.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic Aimee Leduc investigative tale , February 26, 2005

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Murder in Clichy (Hardcover)

In 1994 Paris, Aimee Leduc has sight for the most part and the blurriness is going away, but she still struggles with her injuries especially to the optic nerve from last month's assault. Her computer security firm partner Rene encourages her to continue to seek a healthier lifestyle. Vietnamese Sister Linh asks Aimee to deliver an envelope to Thadee Baret because the nun insists she cannot do it as she is watched, even in Paris, as she is the daughter of a blackballed judge in her native country and the sister of a jailed dissident.. Reluctantly, Aimee agrees.

The drop off seems to go smooth as Aimee provides the envelope to Thadee who hands over to her a jade piece to give to Linh. Not long afterward someone kills Thadee. Aimee wonders what is going on as she was just a delivery intermediary, but government agents tell her to back off from making inquiries and someone abducts her partner, making the scenario even more baffling.

The fifth Aimee Leduc investigative tale is a fantastic story in which the readers remain in the dark along with the heroine wondering what is going on yet unable to stop reading to learn the truth. Aimee is a fabulous protagonist who learns a life lesson about Good Samaritans as she investigates the murder, the nun, and the abduction while pressure for her to back off increases. Cara Black provides her usual terrific Parisian joy ride that has helped make the Leduc tales consistently some of the best professional sleuth novels in recent years.

Harriet Klausner