Murder on the Ile Saint-Louis (Aimee Leduc Investigation) (Hardcover)

by Cara Black (Author)
Key Phrases: bottle bombs, oil conference, sandalwood scent, Madame Cachou, Monsieur Vavin, Ile Saint-Louis (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. At the start of Black's gripping seventh mystery to feature Parisian computer expert Aimée Leduc (after 2006's Murder in Montmartre), a distraught, late-night anonymous phone call distracts Aimée from her deadline and sends her to the courtyard of her Ile Saint-Louis building, where she finds an infant girl. After the caller never shows up for her baby (whom Aimée decides to care for), Aimée wonders if the woman may have become an "Yvette," a Jane Doe dragged from the Seine. She follows a tenuous lead to discover the caller's identity, bringing her Samaritan impulses into direct conflict with her business sense. A wonderfully complex plot is lent immediacy by environmental activists agitating against a proposed oil agreement—secondary characters who play a crucial role in the intrigue. This Paris has a gritty, edgy feel, and Black's prose evokes the sound of the Seine rising with the spring thaw. Aimée makes an engaging protagonist, vulnerable beneath her vintage chic clothing and sharp-witted exterior. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Aimee Leduc, computer-security analyst and intrepid sleuth, usually needs to wander the arrondisements of Paris to find murder cases in which to involve herself. This time, though, the murder comes to the doorstep of her apartment building on the city's historic Ile Saint-Louis. Not only does Aimee find herself in the middle of a murder investigation, she also finds a baby in her arms--left on that same doorstep by an unknown woman. Following the baby's trail leads her to a violent conflict between environmentalists and an oil company. As the bodies accumulate, Aimee must sort out good guys from bad on both sides of the dispute. Meanwhile, the ever-hip investigator must come to terms with the emergence of some shocking maternal instincts. Black again makes the most of her setting, drawing on the juicy history of the Ile Saint-Louis--a crucial scene takes place on the Rue de la Femme-sans-tete (road of the headless woman)--but this time the plot lacks a bit of the sizzle that sparked previous episodes. Still, this series remains must reading for fans of the jauntier side of European crime fiction. Bill Ott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Soho Crime (March 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569474443
• ISBN-13: 978-1569474440
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #517,691 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 7 in The Aimee Leduc Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Kinder, Gentler Aimée Leduc, February 24, 2008

By	Liz at reviewedbyliz.com "Because life is too... (Cedar Springs, Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder on the Ile Saint-Louis (An Aimee Leduc Investigation, Vol. 7) (Paperback)

MURDER ON THE ILE SAINT-LOUIS is an Aimée Leduc book. This time out, we see a softer side of Aimée, as she is prompted by a phone call from a frantic woman to come down to the courtyard of her building. Not knowing what to expect, Aimée slips on her kitten heels and grabs her gun. Instead of trouble, she finds a tiny baby girl wrapped in a denim jacket. Okay, for Aimée, that is trouble. Uncertain what else to do, Aimée enlists all of her friends to help her care for the baby until the mother returns for her.

Of course, Aimée doesn't sit idly by and wait for this to happen. Instead, she tries to find out how the mysterious caller knows her, how she came to select the unlikely Aimée as the child's protector, and to determine what is keeping the mother from returning to claim her infant. Along the way there is a healthy dose of Parisian history, a few more dead bodies, and some lovely couture frocks acquired at bargain basement prices.

Of the Aimée Leduc books I have read, MURDER ON THE ILE SAINT-LOUIS is my favorite. It has the same wonderful descriptions of the architecture and the historical stories that I enjoy so much, but it has a kinder, gentler Aimée, too. In this book, she must make the safety of the baby her primary concern and she tones down her often reckless and thoughtless behavior. A more considerate main character involves me more in the story because she is easier for me to relate to.

Favorite character? René, Aimée's business partner and emergency baby sitter. In this book, his unfulfilled wishes are there for all to see as he cares for the baby. Did I guess it? Some of it. Will I read another? Yes.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Aimée Leduc Story Continues..., March 25, 2007

By	Suz - See all my reviews

I liked this book -- for two reasons, mainly. First, I enjoyed hearing more about Aimée Leduc and how her character is developing. She and her colleague René become (as they inevitably do in each story) involved in the lives of others, and in this story a lovely little baby falls into their care. It is fun to see how they respond. Second, I love hearing all the details of the nooks and crannies of Paris -- the sewers, the estate houses... These are all things I might not be privy to seeing when I visit Paris, and it is fun to picture these things.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Superb Paris Mystery, June 15, 2007

By	James R. Hunter (Sao Paulo, Brazil) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Mystery novels historically have had as much to do with the place as the characters and the plots. Cara Black's latest Aimee Leduc novel proves this with its evocative descriptions and historical references about the Ile St-Louis, certainly one of my favorite areas of Paris. The plot here has a few too many contemporary (2007) references for a novel set 10 years earlier, but otherwise Aimee's life remains involving and evolving. I loved it.