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Aimee Leduc Investigations #14
Murder in Pigalle
June, 1998: Paris's sticky summer heat is even more oppressive than usual as rowdy French football fans riot in anticipation of the World Cup. Private Investigator Aimee Leduc has been trying to slow down her hectic lifestyle--she's five months pregnant and has the baby's well-being to think about now.
Then disaster strikes close to home. A serial rapist has been terrorizing Paris's Pigalle neighborhood, following teenage girls home and attacking them in their own houses. It is sad and frightening but has nothing to do with Aimee--until Zazie, the 13-year-old daughter of the proprietor of Aimee's favorite cafe, disappears. The police aren't mobilizing quickly enough, and when Zazie's desperate parents approach Aimee for help, she knows she couldn't say no even if she wanted to.
Then disaster strikes close to home. A serial rapist has been terrorizing Paris's Pigalle neighborhood, following teenage girls home and attacking them in their own houses. It is sad and frightening but has nothing to do with Aimee--until Zazie, the 13-year-old daughter of the proprietor of Aimee's favorite cafe, disappears. The police aren't mobilizing quickly enough, and when Zazie's desperate parents approach Aimee for help, she knows she couldn't say no even if she wanted to.
310 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2014
158 people are currently reading
948 people want to read
About the author
Cara Black
44 books1,350 followersCara Black frequents a Paris little known outside the beaten tourist track. A Paris she discovers on research trips and interviews with French police, private detectives and café owners. She lives in San Francisco with her husband, a bookseller, and their teenage son. She is a San Francisco Library Laureate and a member of the Paris Sociéte Historique in the Marais. Her nationally bestselling and award nominated Aimée Leduc Investigation series has been translated into French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, German and Hebrew. She received the Medaille de la Ville de Paris for services to French culture. She's included in the GREAT WOMEN MYSTERY WRITERS by Elizabeth Lindsay 2nd editon published in the UK. Her first three novels in the series MURDER IN THE MARAIS, MURDER IN BELLEVILLE AN MURDER IN THE SENTIER - nominated for an Anthony Award as Best Novel - were published in the UK in 2008 and MURDER IN THE LATIN QUARTER comes out in the UK in 2010. Several of her books have been chosen as BookSense Picks and INDIE NEXT choice by the Amerian Association of Independent Bookstores. The Washington Post listed MURDER IN THE RUE DE PARADIS in the Best Fiction Choices of 2008. MURDER IN THE LATIN QUARTER is a finalist for Best Novel Award from the NCIBA Northern California Independent Booksellers Association.
She is currently working on the next book in the Aimée Leduc series.
She is currently working on the next book in the Aimée Leduc series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 157 reviews
April 9, 2016
Read it because the title beckoned me - have driven through the Pigalle. Interesting enough for me to finish it but disjointed enough to not have me looking for more.
July 10, 2021
Lots of red herrings, plot twists, running around Paris, suspense & excitement. Entertaining.
April 14, 2014
Aimee Leduc is back for another adventure. Be warned that Aimee is something of a drama queen - especially now since she is pregnant and "les hormones" are causing her no end of problems! That doesn't stop her from getting into all kinds of situations including getting shot in the shoulder while she is looking for the 13 yr old daughter of friends. The young girl, Zazie, has been tracking a rapist who has been going after a specific type of young girl. They are generally blonde and are talented violinists. Zazie is neither, but a couple of her friends are. However in a good mystery, things are NEVER what they seem to be. It turns out this case is a LOT more complicated than it seems to be at first. For someone like me who loves the idea of being in Paris, living vicariously through the latest Leduc mystery is a lot of fun. Every mystery is set in a different area. This latest, Pigalle, is the famed nightclub area that has gone to seed.(I can remember walking through the area and seeing gorgeous women taking their breaks outside.) For those readers new to the series, the author manages to catch up the reader although I subscribe to the belief that for a new series, it's best to start at the beginning. Still, if you're looking for a quick trip to Paris, this is the book. It takes you places that tourists will never see - or would ever want to see!
March 6, 2021
You scum always turn up," said le Weasel. "But one only three apples tall takes the prize."
Three apples tall - René hadn't heard that since a bully's taunts in the village school.
Something snapped within René. The smirking, long-haired Eurotrash's insolence, his aching hip, his fear over Zazie - it was too much. Up like a shot, René planted his feet in the offensive karate position. They never expected a dwarf to be a black belt. Aimed and kidney-kicked the surprised fashion sensation off his chair, spun and twisted his arm until he was down to the tiled café floor.
"I call half-men like you scum, preying on little girls," he said. René pressed the groaning man's arm back. "You're going to tell me where Zazie is and then we're walking across the street to a cell. Compris?
"What are you? Some demi-tasse flic?"
"First I'll break your arm, then I'll work my way down."
The waiter stood by the table, tray in hand, and shook his head. "Attendez, I want no trouble in my café. Take it outside."
Not, I think, very well written, n'est-ce pas? The sprinkling of French words does not seem to serve any purpose and it must be quite annoying to readers who don't know any French. (Do people in France actually say that something that is easy is a "piece of gâteau?") A phrase like René "aimed and kidney-kicked" a man off his chair is clumsy and somewhat peculiar; René aimed the man off his chair?
This is the fourteenth book in Cara Black's Aimée Leduc series, but it is the first one that I have read. (As I write this in 2020, there are now nineteen books in the series.) Leduc is a Parisian private investigator, who in this book, set in 1998, is five months pregnant, but that barely slows her down. René Friant is her partner in a detective agency. They become involved in solving two mysteries, which they believe are related. A serial rapist is attacking young girls coming from violin lessons; one of his victims dies. At the same time, their thirteen year old friend Zazie, daughter of local café owners, has disappeared, perhaps kidnapped by the rapist.
I enjoyed many of the details about Paris. I hate to think, though, that such a large percentage of people living there are as thoughtless and uncaring as many of the ones in this book. Person after person, entreated to help in the search for the missing child, simply can not be bothered.
Some of the things that occur are, literally, unbelievable. A character is shot and is lying in a hospital in some danger late one evening. By 9:00 A.M. the following morning, that person is out of the hospital and back at work. Leduc is given one fact about the rapist and immediately solves the case; the rapist, in turn, sees Leduc and immediately realizes that she had come up with the solution - and is convinced that she had not told anyone. Leduc finds that some photographs given to a shop to be developed may have clues to Zazie's whereabouts. She is told that it usually takes two days to process these and evidently just accepts this and does not explain how urgent it is that these be processed immediately.
This is not really a bad book but neither is it a particularly good one. I am not tempted to read the rest of the series.
Three apples tall - René hadn't heard that since a bully's taunts in the village school.
Something snapped within René. The smirking, long-haired Eurotrash's insolence, his aching hip, his fear over Zazie - it was too much. Up like a shot, René planted his feet in the offensive karate position. They never expected a dwarf to be a black belt. Aimed and kidney-kicked the surprised fashion sensation off his chair, spun and twisted his arm until he was down to the tiled café floor.
"I call half-men like you scum, preying on little girls," he said. René pressed the groaning man's arm back. "You're going to tell me where Zazie is and then we're walking across the street to a cell. Compris?
"What are you? Some demi-tasse flic?"
"First I'll break your arm, then I'll work my way down."
The waiter stood by the table, tray in hand, and shook his head. "Attendez, I want no trouble in my café. Take it outside."
Not, I think, very well written, n'est-ce pas? The sprinkling of French words does not seem to serve any purpose and it must be quite annoying to readers who don't know any French. (Do people in France actually say that something that is easy is a "piece of gâteau?") A phrase like René "aimed and kidney-kicked" a man off his chair is clumsy and somewhat peculiar; René aimed the man off his chair?
This is the fourteenth book in Cara Black's Aimée Leduc series, but it is the first one that I have read. (As I write this in 2020, there are now nineteen books in the series.) Leduc is a Parisian private investigator, who in this book, set in 1998, is five months pregnant, but that barely slows her down. René Friant is her partner in a detective agency. They become involved in solving two mysteries, which they believe are related. A serial rapist is attacking young girls coming from violin lessons; one of his victims dies. At the same time, their thirteen year old friend Zazie, daughter of local café owners, has disappeared, perhaps kidnapped by the rapist.
I enjoyed many of the details about Paris. I hate to think, though, that such a large percentage of people living there are as thoughtless and uncaring as many of the ones in this book. Person after person, entreated to help in the search for the missing child, simply can not be bothered.
Some of the things that occur are, literally, unbelievable. A character is shot and is lying in a hospital in some danger late one evening. By 9:00 A.M. the following morning, that person is out of the hospital and back at work. Leduc is given one fact about the rapist and immediately solves the case; the rapist, in turn, sees Leduc and immediately realizes that she had come up with the solution - and is convinced that she had not told anyone. Leduc finds that some photographs given to a shop to be developed may have clues to Zazie's whereabouts. She is told that it usually takes two days to process these and evidently just accepts this and does not explain how urgent it is that these be processed immediately.
This is not really a bad book but neither is it a particularly good one. I am not tempted to read the rest of the series.
March 21, 2015
Normally, I believe in reading a designed series of books in order. In fact,when I go to my local library, spot something interesting on the 'new' shelves and discover that it's part of a series, I put the newer publication back and go in search of the first book in the series. Sometimes, for a variety of reasons, this doesn't happen.
It didn't happen with Cara Black's Aimee Leduc novels. For one of those variety of reasons, I picked up Murder Below Montparnasse, Black's 2013 addition to the (at the time)13-book series. I read it and immediately sought out 1999's Murder in the Marais. From there, I read numbers two through 12, and then, re-read Murder Below Montparnasse, just to keep the continuity of the whole thing going.
Then, I picked up Murder in Pigalle, released last year, and realized that my general rule about reading series in order could use a little modification.
If you read them in order, which, with the one exception, I did, you come to know this Aimee Leduc detective character quite well, not to mention a great deal about the city of Paris. In Pigalle, Aimee is pregnant, three or months along if I remember correctly, and all of your history with her as a character comes to bear on your concerns for her safety in this book. As a reader of the series, you become aware of her pregnancy at the very end of Murder Below Montparnasse.
With Murder in Pigalle, a great deal of Aimee history is put on display in one way or another, and it led me to believe that it would be a good place to start the series. Black's writing has become increasingly more assured as the series has progressed, and Murder in Pigalle finds her at the top of her form. The difference, I hasten to add, is subtle; not like you're going to pick up the first book in the series and discover an inept author, it's just that over the years, author Black has grown more and more attached and broadly aware of the characters she first created 16 years ago.
I believe that reading Murder in Pigalle first, and then starting the series from the first book, as if Aimee were having a 13-book flashback is the way to go. What you read and discover about her in Murder in Pigalle is more likely to draw you into the series as a whole, than reading the first installation (Murder in the Marais) is likely to draw you forward. You will be much more invested in Aimee as a character when you follow her exploits in Murder in Pigalle.
Loved Murder in Pigalle. Love the series. On to Murder on the Champ Des Mars
It didn't happen with Cara Black's Aimee Leduc novels. For one of those variety of reasons, I picked up Murder Below Montparnasse, Black's 2013 addition to the (at the time)13-book series. I read it and immediately sought out 1999's Murder in the Marais. From there, I read numbers two through 12, and then, re-read Murder Below Montparnasse, just to keep the continuity of the whole thing going.
Then, I picked up Murder in Pigalle, released last year, and realized that my general rule about reading series in order could use a little modification.
If you read them in order, which, with the one exception, I did, you come to know this Aimee Leduc detective character quite well, not to mention a great deal about the city of Paris. In Pigalle, Aimee is pregnant, three or months along if I remember correctly, and all of your history with her as a character comes to bear on your concerns for her safety in this book. As a reader of the series, you become aware of her pregnancy at the very end of Murder Below Montparnasse.
With Murder in Pigalle, a great deal of Aimee history is put on display in one way or another, and it led me to believe that it would be a good place to start the series. Black's writing has become increasingly more assured as the series has progressed, and Murder in Pigalle finds her at the top of her form. The difference, I hasten to add, is subtle; not like you're going to pick up the first book in the series and discover an inept author, it's just that over the years, author Black has grown more and more attached and broadly aware of the characters she first created 16 years ago.
I believe that reading Murder in Pigalle first, and then starting the series from the first book, as if Aimee were having a 13-book flashback is the way to go. What you read and discover about her in Murder in Pigalle is more likely to draw you into the series as a whole, than reading the first installation (Murder in the Marais) is likely to draw you forward. You will be much more invested in Aimee as a character when you follow her exploits in Murder in Pigalle.
Loved Murder in Pigalle. Love the series. On to Murder on the Champ Des Mars
May 11, 2014
If you have not read any of Cara Black's previous thirteen Aimee Leduc mysteries, shame on you. There still is time, start with Murder in the Marais and have a Leduc binge. There is no one in the genre or even in the travel writing business that captures the Paris of 1990s better than Ms. Black.
With Murder in Pigalle Aimee now shoulders two burdens, the search for a friend's child that may have been abducted by a pedophile and the child in her own belly. And to complicate the search she has to deal with the World Cup (world soccer championship for you Americans), the hottest June in decades, the Parisian police bureaucracy, and a criminal trying desperately to go straight and save his own missing daughter. As with many of Ms. Black books nothing is as it seems. And to add just one more level of annoyance – it's tax season and Aimee owes the taxman big time. Success has its problems.
The characters fairly breathe under Black's pen; they are as rich and real as the prostitutes and hustlers that populate the seamier parts of the City of Light. Black describes the Paris the tourists miss or try hard to avoid. It is the Paris of Parisians and immigrants that go about their day and their lives untouched by cloying tourists and European day-trippers. It is the shopkeepers, the art dealers, and the theater employees living over their shops; and its also about the grafters, thieves, and pimps of the Pigalle. Aimee knows them all and using her detective skills follows lead after lead trying to find the child who has disappeared from the eyes of Paris.
Everything happens in four days and the pace is driving. The writing is classic Black, edgy, fashion conscious, knowledgeable, and above all crisp and economical. There is enough description of Paris to be satisfying without going over the top or touristy. Even Ms. Black's use of a French word to highlight a phrase or scene (that some find annoying), I found endearing. Much better than long sentences in French even though, in reality, everyone is speaking French. And remember, if you hear someone clapping below the window after you finish a piano piece by Paganini, be afraid, very afraid.
With Murder in Pigalle Aimee now shoulders two burdens, the search for a friend's child that may have been abducted by a pedophile and the child in her own belly. And to complicate the search she has to deal with the World Cup (world soccer championship for you Americans), the hottest June in decades, the Parisian police bureaucracy, and a criminal trying desperately to go straight and save his own missing daughter. As with many of Ms. Black books nothing is as it seems. And to add just one more level of annoyance – it's tax season and Aimee owes the taxman big time. Success has its problems.
The characters fairly breathe under Black's pen; they are as rich and real as the prostitutes and hustlers that populate the seamier parts of the City of Light. Black describes the Paris the tourists miss or try hard to avoid. It is the Paris of Parisians and immigrants that go about their day and their lives untouched by cloying tourists and European day-trippers. It is the shopkeepers, the art dealers, and the theater employees living over their shops; and its also about the grafters, thieves, and pimps of the Pigalle. Aimee knows them all and using her detective skills follows lead after lead trying to find the child who has disappeared from the eyes of Paris.
Everything happens in four days and the pace is driving. The writing is classic Black, edgy, fashion conscious, knowledgeable, and above all crisp and economical. There is enough description of Paris to be satisfying without going over the top or touristy. Even Ms. Black's use of a French word to highlight a phrase or scene (that some find annoying), I found endearing. Much better than long sentences in French even though, in reality, everyone is speaking French. And remember, if you hear someone clapping below the window after you finish a piano piece by Paganini, be afraid, very afraid.
March 12, 2015
What an obnoxious heroine--how do people stomach these stories featuring her? She's a petulant toddler, barging in and demanding that everyone drop whatever they're doing and pay attention to her and her needs. She gets one innocent suspect beaten, her partner in the detective agency threatens another will get the same treatment, because neither of them waits for confirmation before rushing to judgement. No wonder their agency has tax problems; they are horrible investigators. (Or maybe it's all her spending on high-end designer goods, which are name-dropped often). And when the actual perpetrator is introduced midway through the book, it is as obvious as any hackneyed tv whodunit casting a familiar actor in a sea of unknowns. And the French phrases, ahh, the French phrases...
It makes sense to sprinkle French words in a book written in English for a number of reasons. If it's a place name (no one expects "Notre Dame" to be written as "Our Lady") or if a French person speaking English can't recall the exact English phrase and reverts to his native tongue. But "your tax francs at work"? "piece of gateau"? Just stupid.Do people read this series to re-live a trip to France or to imagine traveling there? Because it certainly can't be for the stories. Stupid writing, stupid heroine, stupid plot.
May 12, 2017
I've been working my way through all of the Aimee Leduc novels ... and only have three left before I've read the whole lot!
The reasons I love them are twofold: they take me into the streets of a city I love, and Cara Black *always* manages to get the "whodunnit" past me. Yes, that happened again in this one.
This time, a pregnant Aimee is trying to find a missing person: the 13-year-old daughter of her cafe-owning friends. Zazie admires Aimee's detection skills and is emulating her for a school project ... one that has put her in the way of some dangerous folk. How so? Several girls around her age have been abducted and raped, one of whom she knows quite well.
We get a further look into Aimee's business partner, Rene, who is in love with her -- although she will never see him as more than a friend, by her own admission, in this one. He's determined to be as much of a father as he can for Aimee's coming infant, since the father has absented himself from the picture.
These books are tightly constructed and enjoyable reads. Highly recommended.
The reasons I love them are twofold: they take me into the streets of a city I love, and Cara Black *always* manages to get the "whodunnit" past me. Yes, that happened again in this one.
This time, a pregnant Aimee is trying to find a missing person: the 13-year-old daughter of her cafe-owning friends. Zazie admires Aimee's detection skills and is emulating her for a school project ... one that has put her in the way of some dangerous folk. How so? Several girls around her age have been abducted and raped, one of whom she knows quite well.
We get a further look into Aimee's business partner, Rene, who is in love with her -- although she will never see him as more than a friend, by her own admission, in this one. He's determined to be as much of a father as he can for Aimee's coming infant, since the father has absented himself from the picture.
These books are tightly constructed and enjoyable reads. Highly recommended.
December 3, 2019
Yes, Cara Black's stories are engaging. I was comfy & reading this one...& reading...& realized that there was quite a lot of ...hmm...fluff...filler...& was trying to get to the actual content & have the story move on...so, looking back at this book ^ thinking about others...I concluded that Black does take her time with the story..& get a bit side-tracked on the telling of it. I prefer direct, movement, energy & let's get it going. I am not getting that..sense of urgency..when the descriptions and thoughts of the protagonist & her sidekick go on & on a bit too much.
Still - I will continue to read about Aimee....but keep it in between some of my other favorites...it's better as a beach book or as now, cozy for a snowy winter storm, with a good coffee.
Cheers, Cara.
Still - I will continue to read about Aimee....but keep it in between some of my other favorites...it's better as a beach book or as now, cozy for a snowy winter storm, with a good coffee.
Cheers, Cara.
June 16, 2019
Okay, I’m back into this series a bit more. This was a great installment and some of the tics that were starting to annoy me have disappeared. It felt fresh and the plot more grounded.
February 9, 2022
Murder in Pigalle follows Murder Below Monteparnasse. It's June, tax time and LeDuc detectives doesn't have the money to pay their taxes. Aimee is in her second trimester of pregnancy, living on kiwis and cornichons. (How is the Bump as she refers to her baby, to grow on that kind of a diet?) The streets of Paris are full of World Cup fans.
Aimee just wants to wrap herself in her duvet and sleep. But when she goes downstairs to the cafe to buy an expresso, she learns that 13 year old Zazie, the daughter of the proprietors, hasn't come home from school. Aimee has known Zazie since the girl was a baby. She is alarmed because a rapist targeting young girls has attacked three teenagers in the neighborhood in the past few weeks. When she tells Zazie's parents to call the police, the flics brush off the call. They won't do anything for 24 hours, blandly saying that Zazie is probably with a boy or went to a rave.
Aimee knows Zazie is a responsible girl who doesn't have a boyfriend, but the cops won't listen. They tell her to go home and put her feet up. Being Aimee, she embarks on a search through Pigalle, encountering all sorts of interesting types, the bar manager who looks like Johnny Holliday, the 70 year old Resistance fighter, the wealthy young couple she meets at a reception for donors to a music scholarship, the driven woman whose daughter was attacked by a rapist only a few days ago.
Everywhere she goes, Aimee encounters blind alleys. Parents refuse to talk. The police just want to go en vacances. The people she tries to talk to don't answer their phones. But.....
Aimee just wants to wrap herself in her duvet and sleep. But when she goes downstairs to the cafe to buy an expresso, she learns that 13 year old Zazie, the daughter of the proprietors, hasn't come home from school. Aimee has known Zazie since the girl was a baby. She is alarmed because a rapist targeting young girls has attacked three teenagers in the neighborhood in the past few weeks. When she tells Zazie's parents to call the police, the flics brush off the call. They won't do anything for 24 hours, blandly saying that Zazie is probably with a boy or went to a rave.
Aimee knows Zazie is a responsible girl who doesn't have a boyfriend, but the cops won't listen. They tell her to go home and put her feet up. Being Aimee, she embarks on a search through Pigalle, encountering all sorts of interesting types, the bar manager who looks like Johnny Holliday, the 70 year old Resistance fighter, the wealthy young couple she meets at a reception for donors to a music scholarship, the driven woman whose daughter was attacked by a rapist only a few days ago.
Everywhere she goes, Aimee encounters blind alleys. Parents refuse to talk. The police just want to go en vacances. The people she tries to talk to don't answer their phones. But.....
September 21, 2014
Five months pregnant and suffering from morning sickness and other discomforts, Aimee Leduc still has the drive to investigate a series of rapes in the famous Pigalle district of Paris in this, the 14th novel in the series. And, of course, getting herself into all kinds of dangerous situations, despite her delicate condition.
When the 13-year-old daughter of the couple that owns the café on the corner of her office fails to return home, Aimee is enlisted to find her. The fear, of course, is that what appears to be a serial rapist who preys on young girls has abducted her. Aimee to the rescue. What is unknown at the time is a subplot which intertwines with that theory. But never fear: Aimee is on the job.
The story is to some degree based on a true Parisian crime that took place in 1998. As in past novels in the series, detailed descriptions of Paris, and especially the area in which the tale takes place, permeate the pages, lending flavor as usual. The book gets off to a rather slow start, with a lot of superfluous detail, but gathers steam as it goes. While all the previous novels have been somber (after all, serious crimes are involved), this book is grim given the age of the victims and the gravity of the harm that comes to Aimee. Given impending motherhood, the question arises: Is it time to retire?
Recommended.
When the 13-year-old daughter of the couple that owns the café on the corner of her office fails to return home, Aimee is enlisted to find her. The fear, of course, is that what appears to be a serial rapist who preys on young girls has abducted her. Aimee to the rescue. What is unknown at the time is a subplot which intertwines with that theory. But never fear: Aimee is on the job.
The story is to some degree based on a true Parisian crime that took place in 1998. As in past novels in the series, detailed descriptions of Paris, and especially the area in which the tale takes place, permeate the pages, lending flavor as usual. The book gets off to a rather slow start, with a lot of superfluous detail, but gathers steam as it goes. While all the previous novels have been somber (after all, serious crimes are involved), this book is grim given the age of the victims and the gravity of the harm that comes to Aimee. Given impending motherhood, the question arises: Is it time to retire?
Recommended.
April 28, 2014
Another good, predictable read from this author. In spite of the fact that she seems to think that lime trees in Paris are citrus trees(they ARE NOT, they are a type of linden tree, tilleul tisanes are made from them) it is good escapist reading, and where better to escape to than the City of Light? From Amazon;New York Times Bestseller Cara Black’s fashionable Parisian P.I. Aimée Leduc has a new look for her 14th adventure: five months pregnant.
June, 1998: Paris's sticky summer heat is even more oppressive than usual as rowdy French football fans riot in anticipation of the World Cup. Private Investigator Aimée Leduc has been trying to slow down her hectic lifestyle—she's five months pregnant and has the baby's wellbeing to think about now. But then disaster strikes close to home. A serial rapist has been terrorizing Paris's Pigalle neighborhood, following teenage girls home and attacking them in their own houses. It is sad and frightening but has nothing to do with Aimée—until Zazie, the 13-year-old daughter of the proprietor of Aimée's favorite café, disappears. The police aren't mobilizing quickly enough, and when Zazie's desperate parents approach Aimée for help, she knows she couldn't say no even if she wanted to.
June, 1998: Paris's sticky summer heat is even more oppressive than usual as rowdy French football fans riot in anticipation of the World Cup. Private Investigator Aimée Leduc has been trying to slow down her hectic lifestyle—she's five months pregnant and has the baby's wellbeing to think about now. But then disaster strikes close to home. A serial rapist has been terrorizing Paris's Pigalle neighborhood, following teenage girls home and attacking them in their own houses. It is sad and frightening but has nothing to do with Aimée—until Zazie, the 13-year-old daughter of the proprietor of Aimée's favorite café, disappears. The police aren't mobilizing quickly enough, and when Zazie's desperate parents approach Aimée for help, she knows she couldn't say no even if she wanted to.
December 28, 2014
FROM BOOKLIST: AiméeLeduc is crashing around Paris again, this time—during the 1998 World Cup in France—in search of her pal Zazie, a 13-year-old wannabe detective who has disappeared and may be the latest victim of a serial rapist preying on young girls in the Pigalle district. Ah, but that’s not all: Aimee is five months pregnant and is doing her running accompanied by the Bump. Black cleverly mixes the domestic situation (Aimee has yet to tell the Bump’s father what’s happening) and the red-herring-laden mystery (Is Zazie’s disappearance even connected to the rapist?). The plot gets a little crazy this time, and the resolution seems a tad abrupt, but series fans won’t notice, as they’ll be thoroughly caught up in the ongoing story lines regarding Aimées romantic life, her relationship with partner and best friend Rene (struggling to keep his own romantic feelings for Aimée secret), and, of course, Aimée’s terrorist mother, now confirmed to be alive but still off the radar. The combination of vividly evoked Parisian neighborhoods and a bewitching, stylish heroine (now adorned in vintage Dior maternity togs) continues to make this series as tasty as a chunk of French chocolate. --Bill Ott
December 31, 2014
This is my third Aimee Leduc mystery and the tics that bother me probably won't be enough to keep me from reading more (or reading the back episodes) but I will definitely have to space them out.
What tics? The over-explanation of the French phrases which leads to clunky writing, and the fashion comments. I think about writers who actually are French, or someone like Louise Penny writing about French-Canadians, or British mystery writers. They just use a phrase and assume that readers will know what it means or move on (it took me a while to understand why chalice was worse than merde but confusion didn't spoil my enjoyment of the Three Pines series). And after the first mention of Aimee's Tintin watch I got annoyed. Once was enough.
In this mystery the actual action seemed a little muted compared to the others I've read, with Aimee's pregnancy possibly leading to more caution? Or maybe there was more that got edited out? It felt a little jumpy and lacking a je ne sais quoi.
ARC provided by publisher.
What tics? The over-explanation of the French phrases which leads to clunky writing, and the fashion comments. I think about writers who actually are French, or someone like Louise Penny writing about French-Canadians, or British mystery writers. They just use a phrase and assume that readers will know what it means or move on (it took me a while to understand why chalice was worse than merde but confusion didn't spoil my enjoyment of the Three Pines series). And after the first mention of Aimee's Tintin watch I got annoyed. Once was enough.
In this mystery the actual action seemed a little muted compared to the others I've read, with Aimee's pregnancy possibly leading to more caution? Or maybe there was more that got edited out? It felt a little jumpy and lacking a je ne sais quoi.
ARC provided by publisher.
March 5, 2014
I really enjoyed the first few books in this series, so I was looking forward to hear about Aimee's latest exploits, especially since she is now 5 months pregnant and struggling to come to term with impeding motherhood. The subject is one that every new or budding mother would dread: attacks and rapes of young girls. However, this time round I found the book a bit too 'touristy', catering too much for those who want to visit Paris vicariously. Nothing wrong with that, but the constant name-dropping and French expressions thrown in throughout each dialogue (zut, alors, etc.) felt artificial and distracted me from the story.
April 28, 2015
Just finished this book tonight and I can't wait to find out what happens next in Aimee Leduc's life! What will happen when her baby is born and what lies in store for her investigations, her business, and with all of her relationships? The sights, the sounds and the dangers come alive once more in the streets of Paris, it's hot summer and a serial rapist is on the loose after young girls. Aimee whose pregnancy is starting to show finds her self in plenty of danger and the heat is getting to her in more ways than one. There are plenty of twist and turns on this Parisian thrill ride before the last page is turned and you will be left wanting more.
April 6, 2016
One of my all time favorite mystery series! I want Aimee's wardrobe!
#14 in the Aimee Leduc series includes all the things that make the series such fun -- Paris, of course, but the Leduc staff and all the secondary characters in the series contribute to the solid base on which Cara builds her story lines. This outing is a bit more disturbing in subject matter than some, but it is still a classic Aimee in distress solving whatever problems come her way.
#14 in the Aimee Leduc series includes all the things that make the series such fun -- Paris, of course, but the Leduc staff and all the secondary characters in the series contribute to the solid base on which Cara builds her story lines. This outing is a bit more disturbing in subject matter than some, but it is still a classic Aimee in distress solving whatever problems come her way.
November 1, 2019
Because of the subject matter of this story dealing with art and artists, I thought I would find this really interesting. Unfortunately, the mystery of who the murderer was and its solution wasn't well written so I didn't and wound up skimming through to the end. I also didn't like the way the time line kept skipping around with the different characters.
Read
April 13, 2024The case in this one is disturbing, so I almost did not finish it; but i wanted to get the backstory, & I like the visits to Paris, so I resumed. Only a few more books left in the series, & I find myself feeling a bit wistful, as I do really enjoy the neighborhood jaunts.
September 25, 2020
For those who already know Cara Black, this episode of Aimee Le Duc will surprise. You will not find her running away from flics or others in stilettoes over cobbled stone streets and alleys of Paris nor jumping from one rooftop to another to avoid capture. Major life style changes are in store. I will not go on further lest I spoil the story but curiosity will drawn you in. Aimee still manages to get herself positioned in a way to take a bullet rationalizing that she, in fact, was trying to protect an informant of hers whom she thought at the time was the target. Another visit to the local ER follows-no surprise there-where the bullet is extracted and become a novelty in and of itself. (See ending paragraph.) No vacation here for Aimee and her beloved Melac or for her devoted co worker Renee as suggested at the end of the previous episode.
There are no changes to Aimee's mode of operation or personality-still drawn to "hunks" as she calls them even when not in her best interest and cannot refuse helping a friend in need and conducting her own investigation in the process. (Forever honor-bound to assist any who claim friendship with either of her parents though not in issue in this episode.) Godfather Commissaire Morbier Aimee's valued mentor and confidant is not there to assist this time around and referencing him in her encounters with those he works with particularly those in the Brigade Criminelle yields no benefits to becoming in the know. This storyline revolves around Aimee's search for the 13 year old daughter (Zazie) of neighborhood proprietors of a deli shop who report her missing. Suspense is added to the drama as Zazie had not long before had a conversation with Aimee about surveillance. In tracing where she was reported to have been that night we learn the story she has given to her parents does not hold up and why. A serial killer is on the loose, following victims- to- be to their homes in the dark of night following their evening violin lessons. Day time lessons having been reserved for those able to pay. The hunt by Aimee is personal as she has known Zazie as a two year old before her first words were formed.
Corruption is uncovered in the Commissaire's office in the process which could be a reason why Morbier does not answer his phone but not resolved so it will present front and center, no doubt, in the next episode along with other surprises. Those with an interest in ballistics will enjoy discussion about a nine millimeter German lugers ideal for use by hitmen as virtually untraceable since they carry no serial numbers yet have individualized striations. Those with an interest in the Resistance will enjoy Aimee interview with Madame Tonette describing her involvement and actions in the Movement which she reports as sharing with the missing Zazie to assist her in her assigned school surveillance project.
I thought I was engaged throughout yet had to retrace my steps to the end to help identify the predator after the person is named -bit convoluting but really not much different than formula used in previous episodes yet could be disturbing for those not enamored with Aimee. Lime trees in Paris?? Something to check out. Also people continue to have their coffee with brown sugar which I have been unable to find a common practice in these surrounds or anywhere else. A Cara Black creation?
You will not miss the next in the series-too much open ended.
There are no changes to Aimee's mode of operation or personality-still drawn to "hunks" as she calls them even when not in her best interest and cannot refuse helping a friend in need and conducting her own investigation in the process. (Forever honor-bound to assist any who claim friendship with either of her parents though not in issue in this episode.) Godfather Commissaire Morbier Aimee's valued mentor and confidant is not there to assist this time around and referencing him in her encounters with those he works with particularly those in the Brigade Criminelle yields no benefits to becoming in the know. This storyline revolves around Aimee's search for the 13 year old daughter (Zazie) of neighborhood proprietors of a deli shop who report her missing. Suspense is added to the drama as Zazie had not long before had a conversation with Aimee about surveillance. In tracing where she was reported to have been that night we learn the story she has given to her parents does not hold up and why. A serial killer is on the loose, following victims- to- be to their homes in the dark of night following their evening violin lessons. Day time lessons having been reserved for those able to pay. The hunt by Aimee is personal as she has known Zazie as a two year old before her first words were formed.
Corruption is uncovered in the Commissaire's office in the process which could be a reason why Morbier does not answer his phone but not resolved so it will present front and center, no doubt, in the next episode along with other surprises. Those with an interest in ballistics will enjoy discussion about a nine millimeter German lugers ideal for use by hitmen as virtually untraceable since they carry no serial numbers yet have individualized striations. Those with an interest in the Resistance will enjoy Aimee interview with Madame Tonette describing her involvement and actions in the Movement which she reports as sharing with the missing Zazie to assist her in her assigned school surveillance project.
I thought I was engaged throughout yet had to retrace my steps to the end to help identify the predator after the person is named -bit convoluting but really not much different than formula used in previous episodes yet could be disturbing for those not enamored with Aimee. Lime trees in Paris?? Something to check out. Also people continue to have their coffee with brown sugar which I have been unable to find a common practice in these surrounds or anywhere else. A Cara Black creation?
You will not miss the next in the series-too much open ended.
July 26, 2017
Investigator Aimee Leduc is pregnant, coping with a heat wave and irritating partner who keeps trying to take charge of her pregnant self, and it's tax season. So the last thing Aimee needs is the sudden disappearance of a young girl, Zadie, a friend's daughter who was apparently conducting her own impromptu surveillance--of a rapist who had already attacked two of the girl's classmates. Did Zadie find the man and become his next victim?
This is my first Cara Black. I was not immediately taken with the characters or plot. Dropping into the middle of the series may be at the root of my disengagement; I hate not being able to start a series at the beginning. Black writes well, and as the plot unfolded, I began to get more interested. I think the first half of the book was too focused on Aimee coping with being pregnant, fussing about her hot-cold relationship with the baby's father, and deflecting her zealous partner from both his obsession with the baby and exactly where she came up with a sudden influx of cash to pay their tax debt. (Long back story; see the book.)
The mystery itself became more complex as it advanced, and I enjoyed the way it played out and was resolved. But I'm not sure I'll read any more of Ms. Black's series. Maybe if I can lay hands on books 1 and 2...
Pet peeve: why do publishers include maps in books that do not show the places and streets named in the text? Irritating. This is the second book I've read this summer with a useless map. Why bother?
This is my first Cara Black. I was not immediately taken with the characters or plot. Dropping into the middle of the series may be at the root of my disengagement; I hate not being able to start a series at the beginning. Black writes well, and as the plot unfolded, I began to get more interested. I think the first half of the book was too focused on Aimee coping with being pregnant, fussing about her hot-cold relationship with the baby's father, and deflecting her zealous partner from both his obsession with the baby and exactly where she came up with a sudden influx of cash to pay their tax debt. (Long back story; see the book.)
The mystery itself became more complex as it advanced, and I enjoyed the way it played out and was resolved. But I'm not sure I'll read any more of Ms. Black's series. Maybe if I can lay hands on books 1 and 2...
Pet peeve: why do publishers include maps in books that do not show the places and streets named in the text? Irritating. This is the second book I've read this summer with a useless map. Why bother?
January 17, 2018
Reading is still my comfort and good mysteries always a getaway from loneliness. Cara Black's Murder in Pigalle continues a series of good tales set in various parts of Paris. There are a couple of intertwining threads to this one. Aimée, always the independent fireball, continues doing dangerous things even though five months pregnant from her latest bad boy connection.... here all revolves around Zazie, the 12 year-old daughter from the nearby café who adores Aimée and has put her admiration to work by trying to sleuth on her on to discover the identity of a serial rapist preying on local young girls, some her classmates. Then she disappears. Crossing paths with this mystery is the story of Zacharié (yes, that is the bizarre spelling of his name here!), on parole and desperately wanting custody of his young daughter Marie-Jo, but there is corruption afoot. Another well-done mystery with all the usual characters and the setting so familiar!
July 11, 2020
First thing, Aimee and Rene break all stereotypes of detective fiction. A fashion conscious pregnant private detective, with her dwarf martial-arts loving partner. They have great chemistry.
Good story about a series of child rapes in the Pigalle area of Paris, and a dual thread about a parolee doing "one last job" to help gain custody of his daughter. Not exactly original concepts, but Cara Black keeps it fresh and the characters original and believable.
The ending is quite good, but the beginning and middle seem to go off in a lot of different directions. Some of it may be Black's liberal use of French in the otherwise book in English, the other may be this is my first read of her Aimee Leduc series, so perhaps I was not up to speed on some of the back story.
So if this is for you, it is well worth going back to the first books and getting know these characters and this writer.
Good story about a series of child rapes in the Pigalle area of Paris, and a dual thread about a parolee doing "one last job" to help gain custody of his daughter. Not exactly original concepts, but Cara Black keeps it fresh and the characters original and believable.
The ending is quite good, but the beginning and middle seem to go off in a lot of different directions. Some of it may be Black's liberal use of French in the otherwise book in English, the other may be this is my first read of her Aimee Leduc series, so perhaps I was not up to speed on some of the back story.
So if this is for you, it is well worth going back to the first books and getting know these characters and this writer.
April 18, 2022
Another Aimee Leduc mystery that does not disappoint. Aimee is pregnant. Does this stop her running around Paris at all hours to solve a mystery? Of course not! Her heart is ensnared once again to help find the missing teenage daughter of the cafe she frequents. Zazie was learning resistance shadowing techniques and may have stumbled across a rapist. Time is of the essence so once again, Aimee risks herself, her business, and now her unborn child.
Enjoy the escapades among another district of Paris. This time it's Pigalle, a red light district.
Grab an espresso and a croissant and read.
Enjoy the escapades among another district of Paris. This time it's Pigalle, a red light district.
Grab an espresso and a croissant and read.
June 9, 2023
Aimee Leduc is a private investigator working in Paris.
In 1999 Aimee learns that the 13-year-old daughter of her favorite cafe manager has disappeared. She fears that Zazie may be the victim of a serial rapist who has been operating in the area. Unfortunately, she can't get the police interested, so she has to pursue leads on her own.
She finds that the victims have been violin students. Zazie does not own a violin, so Aimee wonders what else could cause this rapist to choose her (if he did). She takes the case to its conclusion, knocking heads and irritating people along the way.
It's something of a cozy mystery, rather too cute for my taste. But reasonably well constructed.
In 1999 Aimee learns that the 13-year-old daughter of her favorite cafe manager has disappeared. She fears that Zazie may be the victim of a serial rapist who has been operating in the area. Unfortunately, she can't get the police interested, so she has to pursue leads on her own.
She finds that the victims have been violin students. Zazie does not own a violin, so Aimee wonders what else could cause this rapist to choose her (if he did). She takes the case to its conclusion, knocking heads and irritating people along the way.
It's something of a cozy mystery, rather too cute for my taste. But reasonably well constructed.
April 20, 2022
This is one of those series where you really should start at the beginning. I didn't and so there were a lot of holes that needed plugging in my mind. Aimee Leduc is a French investigator in Paris. She's pregnant, but not married to the father. She gets involved in a rape/missing girl case when the 13 daughter of her favorite cafe owner goes missing. Aimee is afraid that she has tracked down the man who raped her best friend and so now is being held against her will. There are almost too many threads to keep track of, but everything is resolved by the end.
October 21, 2020
Aimee Leduc is a private investigator who lives in Paris and is uncomfortably pregnant. She gets involved in the search for a young girl who is very close to her, Zazie. Zazie disappears at the same time a serial rapist has been attacking young girls. But, is the disappearance of Zazie linked to the serial rapist or is there another sinister event happening? Couple of twists at the end. Good read.
July 14, 2022
Pregnant Aimee LeDuc undertakes to find the missing daughter (Zazee) of a friend when a serial rapist has been preying on 12-13 year old latch key girls. She finds that the ones she learns about are talented musicians who play the violin and have the same violin teacher. Zazie, the 13-year-old, red-haired daughter of the owner of the local café and Aimée’s faithful disciple, has a theory about who might be the aggressor and she is eager to play the detective.
June 18, 2018
An average Aimee Leduc mystery, no better or worse than any other. The usual plot lines and the denouement takes place on about a page. Her is changing finally in a dramatic way and we shall see how she handles this in subsequent novels. I’m reading them all in order but I have no idea why.
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