Murder in the Latin Quarter

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 show more 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." show less

This is not Black's best Aimee Leduc work. I found long stretches quite tedious and the wrap-up was abrupt and unsatisfying when balanced against the interminable "second act" false clues, dead ends, and reality-challenging escapades the heroine engages in. Aimee so consistently acts against her best interests, and the story line on her business partner Rene seems ripe for development though neglected. Since several earlier installments have been much better plotted, I will likely read her again.

Aimee Leduc is not your typical detective. Young, hip, and ever so chic in her flea-market designer clothes, Tintin watch and black patent leather heels, Aimee rushes head long into trouble when an illegal Haitian immigrant, named Mireille, shows up on her doorstep claiming to be her sister.

With little concern for her computer security business, or her partner Renee Friant's plans to land a huge computer security contract, Aimee becomes deeply enmeshed in a deadly mystery when Mireille disappears as suddenly as she has arrived.

Determined to find out if Mireille is really her sister, or just another con artist, Aimee is pushed into a tangled web involving a dead body, Haitian politics, an international financial scandal, an academic show more research rivalry, and a tainted water supply, with just a little bit of voodoo thrown in for good measure.

The character of Aimee Leduc has no concept of self-preservation and her detecting skills are naive- accuse the suspect and see how they react. This headlong rush into situations would be a little more believable in a younger character and though the story is action packed it can be a little overwhelming with all the plots and subplots. The reader is drawn in however by the detailed atmosphere Cara Black evokes with the descriptions of the bohemian Latin Quarter. A good read but you might want to start with an earlier book in this series. show less

current day Paris — Aimée Leduc Haitian — stealing *** *** hidden $ — World Bank IMF — Int'l monetary fund
catacombs — underground France — very interesting

When a Haitian woman arrives at the Paris office of Leduc Detective and announces that she is P.I. Aimée Leduc’s sister, Aimée must dig into her father’s past to solve a murder. A virtual orphan since her mother’s desertion and her father’s death, Aimée has always wanted a sister. She is thrilled.

Her partner, René, however, is wary of this stranger. Under French law, even an illegitimate child would be entitled to a portion of her father's estate: the detective agency and apartment that Aimée has inherited. He suspects a scam. But Aimée embraces her newfound show more sibling and soon finds herself involved in murky Haitian politics and international financial scandals leading to murder in the Latin Quarter on the Left Bank of the Seine, the old university district of Paris. show less

I couldn't finish this book because it made me mad. I felt manipulated throughout up to the point I quit. I can accept a suspension of belief but the lead character was in the catacombs (complete darkness, right?) with a headlamp and a candle. Ten feet away from her a match is lit and she can make out two men in blue uniforms with silver shields. Quickly she turns off her headlamp and blows out the candle since they hadn't seen her yet (?!)

Murder in the Latin Quarter by Cara Black is a murder mystery featuring private detective Aimee Leduc. The ninth in a series and my first. Aimee is minding her own business in her office in the Latin Quarter of Paris when a Haitian woman shows up claiming to be Aimee's sister. The woman bugs out though and so Aimee spends the rest of the book looking for her while investigating three murders involving a mysterious water company in Haiti.

The book is set in Paris and there all sorts of scenes in obscure little bars and bistros with lots of cigarette smoke, expresso, wine, and cognac. There are all sorts of colorful characters and many twists and turns in the plot.

A thriller that that des more; takes you on a descriptive tour of the Latin Quarter and the Sorbonne as well as imparting the recent history of Haiti/Papa Doc and the country's relationship to the World Bank