Murder in Saint-Germain

Aimee Leduc Investigations #17

by Cara Black

Paris, July 1999: Private investigator Aimée Leduc is walking through Saint-Germain when she is accosted by Suzanne Lesage, a Brigade Criminelle agent on an elite counterterrorism squad. Suzanne has just returned from the former Yugoslavia, where she was hunting down dangerous war criminals for the Hague. Back in Paris, Suzanne is convinced she’s being stalked by a ghost—a Serbian warlord her team took down. She’s suffering from PTSD and her boss thinks she’s imagining things. She begs Aimée to investigate—is it possible Mirko Vladić could be alive and in Paris with a blood vendetta?

Aimée is already working on a huge case; plus, she’s got an eight-month-old baby to take care of. But she can’t say no to Suzanne, whom she owes a big favor. Aimée chases the few leads she has, and all evidence confirms Mirko Vladić is dead. It seems that Suzanne is in fact paranoid, perhaps losing her mind—until Suzanne’s team begins to die in a series of strange, tragic accidents. Are these just coincidences? Or are things not what they seem?

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, France, Mystery Thriller, Crime, Thriller, Historical Fiction

336 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

Cara 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.

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frenetic. I have stayed with this series from the beginning, but does Aimee Leduc make decisions that are at all reasonable? It's a wild ride for sure, and you really can't put the book down until finished. And then it finishes with another incomplete conversation....to be continued.
Sometimes I love this ride like some roller coasters I've been on. I will keep coming back, but I think I might be in the mood for her to sit out some of these wild investigations and impossible physical feats.
It's 1999 and Aimee and Rene are supposed to be focused on Y2K work. But then friends and friends of friends ask for help. This book brings short visits with Melac (the baby's father) and her elusive mother as well. Aimee conquers Paris on a couple different fronts in this adventure, one including a Serbian war criminal wielding a crowbar backed by a military contingent as well as a cover-up/blackmail scheme at one important institution over art forgery. All implausible and impossible and all very Aimee. I always wonder when she takes a bath. There seems to be no time.

[Jim · Rating 1 out of 5]

I heard great things about this series. I don't understand why people I think that. This is an empty fever dream written by a tourist, not a Parisian, who is overly impressed with the haute couture so they are compulsively driven to describe every article of clothing and associated brand that the protagonist wears, and in some cases, might consider wearing, that it quickly moves from tedium into parody (I was reminded of Godard's haute bourgeoisie character from Weekend: "Mon sac Hermes!!!"). In fact I think the author relies on these sartorial side tracking, as well as less frequent granular descriptions of her carefully chosen light meals, to stand in for character development --and apparently that's expected to do all the heavy lifting because the internal dialogue is such a frippery that it makes the Bridget Jones series seem like it was authored by Virginie Despentes.  The dialogue throughout is so basil exposition, it's DOA. The scenes of Paris are so devoid of real life and are so unoriginal that it feels like it was written by somebody who has never been to France, but has seen a lot of movies and vids of fashion shows set in Paris  (if you're a fan of Paris and want to read some good current fiction that bears some resemblance to real life and real people, check out the French voices series published by newvesselpress.com).  The characterization of people here is so one-note, it's stereotypical. The procedural attempts of this faux policier are so unimaginative and half-assed, it would be hilarious if it weren't insulting to fans of the genre. It's impossible to believe that this ex-flic and child of a flic ever drew a paycheck as an investigator. Avoid. Désolée, not désolée.

[Bonnie Brody · Rating 2 out of 5]

Aimee Leduc specializes in corporate crime investigation. However, when her friend Suzanne contacts her, Aimee knows she owes Suzanne a favor. Suzanne claims to have seen a supposedly dead war criminal from the former Yugoslavia walking the streets of Paris. Suzanne is an elite counter-terrorism agent who has recently been put on desk duty. Does she have PTSD or is this criminal still alive? When people tangentially involved in this investigation start dying off, Aimee begins to take Suzanne more seriously.

The problem with this novel is that there are too many story lines. There is the issue of Aimee's childcare, the possible blackmail of a famous art critic, the imminent death of a man who betrayed Aimee's father, the sudden return of the father of Aimee's baby, and on and on. Though I was able to follow the story, it just didn't really hold my interest.

[Val · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked up this book at my local library knowing nothing about the author or the series. I was interested in the title, having Paris and explored the area around Saint Germain. I thought I would enjoy reading and remembering. I tried. I made it halfway through. I was very frustrated with the main character Aimee Ledue, I was almost shaking. Why wasn't she listening to any of her friends? Why was she running around the city risking her life when she had a small infant at home? Why was she leaving that same baby in the hands of her ex, whom she didn't trust? Why, why, why? So my husband asked me why I was still reading the book and I didn't have a good answer. Life is too short to get annoyed at book characters. Goodbye and good luck Aimee, but you have made your own problems.

[Ken Fredette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was at book review that Cara Black had in Downers Grove and got my copy signed. But if you are a fan of Aimee Leduc this book has all her characters in it and maybe it will end even better next time. I have all her hard copies in my library except for one on my kindle. I really like her style of writing because she names her murders after places in Paris and she always has a map. She describes each area with such detail I can see it in my mind and I like that. You should read her prior books to know what going on in the story. But you will figure some of it out on your own. Good reading.

[Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Cara Black's best book to date and I've liked them all. The ending is amazing .Every page full of suspense. Aimée is extremely courageous. She didn't really want this case at all. It was a favor to her friend Suzanne. But, she realized how important it was to solve it after children were abused by this monster and her friend was in real danger. It is interesting how Aimée has really fallen in loved with Chloé. And , how she feels about seeing her mother again now that she is a mother. I wonder what is going to happen with Melanie in the future. I have my own theory. Perhaps he really is married only as an undercover job and desperately wants to return to Aimée and his baby?!?!

[Ray Palen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read my review next week on bookreporter.com .

[Wanda Boker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm glad that I gave this series a second chance, this is Cara Black's most recent and it is a genuinely fun read. Set in Paris (all the books in the series are) against the backdrop of the war in ex-Yugoslavia and the initial investigations of the ICTY (International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia). The characters seem more emotionally developed, the subject matter is important and Black's knowledge of Paris and its history is impressive. There are unnecessary loose ends and obvious questions as she wraps it up, but maybe that's par for the course for crime mysteries.

[Claudia Denholm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a little late to the game here, reading the last book of the Aimee Leduc series first. Even so, I was able to get the general gist of much of her past. I liked this book - it was interesting, not only history-wise, but for having a smart, charming and very French detective, who seems to subsist on shots of espresso and chocolate. Tres bon!

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Action packed and good as always.

[Jo Dervan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aimee Leduc, a private investigator in Paris is back in the 17th book in the Aimee Leduc Investigations series. Each book in the series takes place in another sections of Paris. The author peppers the text with historical and cultural facts of the particular section. This story is set in the Saint-Germain section of the 6th Arrondisment, the home of the famous School of Fine Arts which is a setting for a part of the story.

Aimee is now the single mother of Chloe, an infant, and she is juggling motherhood and her detective agency. Chloe's father, Melac, has disappeared from the baby's life and married someone else. Her godfather, Morbier, is dying in a hospital and wants to see her and to make peace before he dies. Aimee does not want to meet with him as she has not forgiven him for her father's death.

Then her friend, Suzanne Lesage, an undercover police officer, asks Aimee's help in finding Mirko, a war criminal from Bosnia who was assumed dead. Several members of the team Suzanne worked with in Bosnia have died in what appeared to be accidents. However Aimee believes they were killed by the war criminal and sets out to prove it. The hunt takes her throughout Saint German and into the highest ranks of the French military and the police departments.

The stories in this mystery series are all packed with adventure and gives the reader of view of life in contemporary Paris. Anyone who has visited Paris will find familiar and unfamiliar sites in every chapter. Anyone who wants to visit Paris someday or just enjoys an exciting mystery, will also find much to like in this well written book.

[The Library Lady · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must have read this when it came out, but I didn't recall the plot so I decided to go back to the series at this point. And I see why I don't remember it sharply because Black's plot are so convoluted that I feel as if I need to make charts, or notes, and, as usual the denouement comes abruptly, and slam bang boom we're fini. Others have noted the constant preoccupation with haute couture and I share their irritation. And the way that French words are occasionally dropped in annoys me. I mean, obviously this is in Paris and they are speaking French, is this an American's way of making sure we're aware of that?

And I wonder whom the author whose blurb: "The finest PI series now being written"is embossed on the cover of her books reads besides Cara Black?

Clearly he needs to branch out.Because she's entertaining enough. But this book rates about a 3.5 and that's how most of this series has been.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have enjoyed Cara Black's Aimee Leduc series since its beginning in 1999. As always the author immerses the reader in the heart of a Parisian neighborhood, almost always with a twist of history running through the novel. The present mystery at hand can stand on its own, in the background are connections to previous relationships, and at the center is the perennially on-the-go Aimee Leduc, full of pluck and verve, who seems to know every backstreet and alley in the City of Light. The novels seem to become more rich in depth as each year goes by. An excellent summer read.

[eyes.2c · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wild ride with Aimee. So much happening. Bosnian war criminals, murders framed as accidents including a denfenestration (love that word--not the action though)
On the home front Aimee has the perenial problem of how to be a single mother and work especially the sort of hours she puts in.
Chloe's father makes an appearance, rather helpful at times but still strange. What's that about?
And we end on a note that needs another story!
Still I just love Aimee, her haute courture flea market bargains and her incredible per chant for getting it right

[Larraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, published in 2017, brings Aimee back to the current year in her life of 1999. She is a single mother running her combination computer security and detective business and finding it hard to keep her life balanced even though she has an able partner with Rene. Aimee is currently working on the contract with Ecole des Beaux-Artes which is having computer issues. She is trying to keep her mind on the job despite the fact that she has been told that her godfather, Morbier, is dying. He was part of the group that framed her father's reputation and had him killed. She refuses to see him despite his pleas. Then out of the blue an old friend, Suzanne, who is part of an elite army organization asks for her help. She has seen a ghost - a Serbian murderer and rapist who was supposed to have been blown apart in a bombing. Her superior have consigned her to a desk job because they believe it is PTSD at work. She asks Aimee to find him. Aimee is sure that it is PTSD until other members of Suzanne's team start dying in odd ways. I guess the only complain I had was that the whole Suzanne end of the story was left dangling. Suzanne is supposed to be first in a desk job and then there are noises as if she is in some kind of operation. Then she's been sent to a rehab hospital where she is placed under wraps. It was an interesting storyline though. I recently read a mystery by a Canadian author that also uses the era of the Serbian conflict and disintegration of Yugoslavia as a backdrop for the story. Since this is a period I particularly remember as being so incredibly sad and really unnecessary, it's interesting to see it replayed in the form of fiction.

So I have two more: Murder On The Left Bank from 2018 and Murder In Bel-Air from 2019. She has a new one coming out called Three Hours In Paris which takes place in 1940 and features a new character. I wonder if that means the end of Aimee. I hope not. I've really come to enjoy Aimee's romps around Paris on her untrustworthy Italian motor scooter!

[Basil Zarahoff · Rating 2 out of 5]

Murder in Saint-Germain

There was a time not so long ago when I looked forward to each new Aimee story with great anticipation. That was before baby Chloe.

Now instead of traveling the dark byways of Paris, there is an endless string of babysitter woes.

Oh to be sure in between the custody battles and the feedings there is a faint scent of mystery, but gone are the fast and amazing stories which made this such a joy to read.

And Aimee’s callous disregard for her lifelong protector is beyond belief. What a juvenile temper tantrum. Grown people are supposed to take the ebb and flow of life in stride. This is clearly not true if you grew up in Paris.

There used to be a clever balance between the computer mysteries and the detective work, but not anymore. The tale is truncated so that baby Chloe isn’t left out of a page.

There were moments in this book when I was sure the story was going to bloom, the open window and the sounds of the street was straight out of the Third Man, a pretty good tale itself, but as soon as she gets in there is a turn and now she is running rather and hunting. Not a good way to handle detective work.

If you have followed Aimee this far I suppose reading so as not to get lost when the next and hopefully Chloe free book comes out, but if you want the old Aimee, collecting clues and fashion seconds in the markets of Paris, this isn’t it.

Makes me question whether Cara Black has grown tired of Aimee and is preparing to send her to the Reichenbach Falls.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Murder in Saint Germain, we find Aimee LeDuc with a new title to add to detective, computer whiz, wild woman and fashionista--maman. Yup, our heroine has an eight month old baby, courtesy of her old boyfriend, Melac, who remarried another woman shortly after Chloe was born.
Aimee's life is the usual chaos. Her godfather, Morbier, is in the hospital, dying, and asking for Aimee. She is wracked with guilt because several months earlier, Morbier was shot during an operation she had involved him in. She can't face him.
On the job as a computer specialist at the Ecole-des-Beaux Arts, Jules Dechard, a professor, approaches Aimee for work that requires discretion. Uh-oh. Dechard hands over a wad of francs (why is it always a wad of francs?) and says he wants her to find out who else on the faculty had received emails from a certain address. Aimee's partner, Rene, hates her working off the books, but that much money can pay for a lot of babysitting.
The same evening, Aimee is accosted by Suzanne Lesage, head of an elite undercover squad, and an old compatriot. Suzanne asks for Aimee's help. She needs a favor. Suzanne has seen a man from Bosnia, a vicious war criminal, who she saw blown to pieces in a tunnel in Bosnia. Yet, she saw him in a cafe on the Left Bank. Suzanne asks Aimee to track down the man, and reluctantly she agrees.
Here begins another great Cara Black page turner. Read it, but read the books in order. This is number 17.

[Viva · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are 17 books in this series but this is the first one I've read. Unfortunately this book refers a lot to past events, none of which I know anything about and which left me baffled. Because of this, I would strongly recommend any new readers read the earlier books first.

What I like about this book were the characters, the French setting and the style of writing. The writing was easy to read and follow and I got into the book right away. I loved the characters; the author did a great job of bring the main characters to life and I enjoyed following them. I also loved the Parisian setting and the little details that made the story background come to life.

What I didn't like that much was the plot. There were two plots, the one with the college and the one with the war criminal. I didn't think either one was that exciting and the college one kind of fizzled out at the end. I think the author would have done better with sticking to one plot and developing it better. And on top of that, there was the background life of the recurring characters, so it was a lot of story to fit into a shortish book.

I would read another one of this series because of the things I liked about it but it wasn't a great thriller or mystery story. I would give this book about 3.5 stars.

I got this book free as an ARC.

[Gloria Feit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recently, Paris has been under siege by Muslim terrorists, but in July, 1999, Aimee LeDuc faced a different danger: A Serbian war criminal supposedly blown up in an explosion years before. The man is sighted by her friend Martine in a local cafe, and when she reports the sighting she is told she is suffering from traumas resulting from what she witnessed while on an official mission on behalf of The Hague seeking war criminals. Martine calls in a favor and asks Aimee to verify the sighting.

Busy as she is (Aimee is conducting a huge case and is caring for her eight-month-old daughter while attempting to run her business) undertakes the request. Without leads, the going is rough, but Aimee continues doggedly, following clue by clue.

It is an exciting tale, and Aimee faces considerable danger from the former Yugoslavian war lord. While the author sprinkles various street names when describing Aimee’s cab or scooter rides, and the names of various buildings and institutions, somehow the flavor of Paris doesn’t show as colorfully as in previous entries in this long-running series. Whether it is Saint-Germain’s formidable history and architecture or something else, the beautiful area just doesn’t shine as other neighborhoods have to this reviewer. Nevertheless, it is an exciting story, and is recommended.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

To those who know Aimee from her past adventures, this "episode" is not much different. We still find her running across rooftops to avoid the notice of the Police having arrived at a crime scene by accident-she seems to have a knack for this. Even though she claims to be afraid of heights, she does not hesitate-actually she has no choice-all exits are already manned. In this edition, she is engaged with those who work for the International Crime Tribunal thanks to a favor she owes her friend Suzanne who assisted her to find Zasie the 14 year old daughter of the couple who live in her building and own the cafe below. Suzanne claims to have seen a Serbian thug in a Paris cafe who was said to have died in a Bosnia conflict of which she was a part. Aimee attempts to see if others have seen him as well and of his whereabouts. Two of Suzanne's work team are killed and she goes incognito ending up in a rehab facility for the Police with mental breakdowns.

In her personal life, a new sitter comes on board and fences are mended though we have to wait til the very end for one necessary reunion. All loose ends are almost sewn together leaving the reader fulfilled once again but with significant unfinished business hopefully revealed to all in book number eighteen, Murder on the Left Bank. I will definitely be checking in as will any others who complete number seventeen.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't help feeling that author Cara Black is getting tired of Aimee Leduc. After all, this is the 17th novel featuring the investigator ... and she seems awfully busy making her less interested in investigating than she is in settling down with baby Chloe.

This time, we find Aimee helping out her friend Suzanne, who keeps thinking she sees a ghost. The ghost in question is a man who allegedly died in Bosnia ... and all of this is happening at a time when the people who were investigating the incidents in the former Yugoslavia are either disappearing or turning up dead.

Aimee is constantly worried about her baby, which makes sense as a new mother. This doesn't stop her from running all over the place, climbing on roofs, and generally trying to investigate matters that both the police and her cybersecurity business partners would really rather she left alone.

I pretty much saw the "whodunnit" coming for miles this time, which hasn't often been the case in this series. That was a bit of a disappointment, to be honest.

I'll still look forward to more books featuring Aimee Leduc, but the overemphasis on Aimee's domestic worries is becoming wearing. Who knows how much longer I'll read this series (and I have read them all)? Only future books hold the answer.

[Nese · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this author’s unique writing style, the characters and the story are secondary to describing the landmarks, parks, museums, and the lifestyle of Paris. While the book is heavily focused on the physical environment, the character development and the inner world of the people are almost nonexistent. The story has a very fast pace, and the main character, who has a chaotic life, seems to be in constant motion from the moment she wakes up until she goes to bed without accomplishing much. She also doesn’t seem to have any emotional life or attachment to anyone, including her daughter she keep passing to other people like a package all day long. (Making her hard to like or relate to). On the other hand the writing style of the talented author is so unique in terms of describing the physical environment and spinning a complex tale. By the way, the book has descriptions of some very graphic violence describing war crimes in Eastern Europe in late 1980s that made me cringe and sick to my stomach.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best of the Aimée Leduc series! Lots of Paris in this one, to my delight, and the story, with its roots in the Bosnian war and its horrors, had the Cara Black trademark "threatening, nefarious foreign persons." With Aimée's baby now in the picture and pieces of her past--father, Morbier, Melac--as well as René (we didn't see enough of him but what we saw was quintessential), and just enough tech-geekiness to satisfy, this was a page-turner and a really good read. But I think I didn't read well enough, because a woman seems to have put the envelope in the dead drop while pretending to read Elle, and policeman Loïc Bellan seems to have recovered (and kept) it, but then Aimée says she saw "Sybille's assistant, Bette, pick up Dechard's envelope from his colleagues dead drop." Seems it was the assistant who put it in the dead drop and Bellan who picked it up--or am I reading this all wrong? Whatever … this was a good one, and in a quartier I know well, which added to the pleasure. The story chilled, though, and the cliff-hanger promises a new Leduc, but when?

[Dorothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm hoping that this story is NOT typical of the Aimee Leduc series because I really, really want to think I'm going to love the earlier books in this series. It would be lovely to have another 16 books to spend immersed in the culture and sights of Paris.

Unfortunately, this book feels as though the series has "jumped the shark". Let's face it, it's part of the genre to have small-time private detectives investigating serious murders and dangerous frauds, when in real life their most exciting cases involve cheating husbands. We're all used to that, and willingly suspense our disbelief. But Murder in Saint-Germain takes it one step further (and well beyond believability), because Aimee is up to her neck in James Bond-esque spy shenanigans. I had so much trouble believing the premise, it affected my enjoyment of the story.

One other, minor point: at first, I was charmed by the sprinkling of French words. As time goes on, I'm beginning to find it irritating. If a character says désolé one more time, I may just scream.

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aimee Leduc is now a single mother running a business that deals mostly with computer security. Her co-worker, Rene, wishes that she would concentrate on the business and avoid extra-curricular activities, but that seems never to be the case in this series set in Paris. On the business side, the company is working on improving security for the Ecole des Beaux Arts, but the chairman of the Art History Department and the director want her to investigate an attempt at blackmailing him on an alleged plagiarism charge. In addition she is approached by a highly regarded police woman, to whom Aimee is indebted, to unmask a man believed to be dead who was a war criminal during the civil wars in the former Yugoslavia. All this leads to numerous escapades for Aimee in the sixth arrondisement, including adventures over the roof tops, journeys into underground tunnels, and cloak and dagger taxi cab trips. What a ride.!

[Ken Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had this hard cover on my shelf for months, and finally stopped stalling - I've been a fan since #5, and have always enjoyed reading Cara Black's clever and educating stories. But I read them too quickly, instead of savoring them.
That said, this is another well plotted and edge-of-the-seat detective story, set on the Left Bank of Paris. Several months since the last edition, Aimee's baby Chloe is crawling, and hew business is doing well. Two men in her life, a dying Morbier, Sidney puts in an appearance. More flashes of brilliance in taking the story under the streets and buildings of Paris. A really bad guy, and deception as to who is on whose side.
The recurring characters now feel like family, and Black continues to flesh them out. We get less of Rene in this episode, and more of Saj, which is good.
The ending was almost a cliff hanger, and I smiled with the epilog. Great tale!

[Alisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

This is my first encounter with Aimee Leduc Investigations series, and I'm planning to go back and start the series at the beginning.

I imagine that this is a standard book in the series. While you don't need to read the series to get the gist of the book, I'm sure it would be helpful.

In Murder in Saint-Germaine, Aimee is asked by a friend to investigate the death of a colleague. This woman died recently, from a severe bee sting allergy. It looks like a straight-up death by misadventure, but is it? As Aimee is investigating this death, she's also looking into a blackmail case. An art professor has been threatened with exposure of a long ago case of plagiarism (does anyone care about that anymore?). With all of this, Aimee is still having to take care of Chloe and Miles Davis and sustain some kind of a love life.

Single mom, private investigator--it's a lot to juggle.

[Liz Krummell · Rating 3 out of 5]

These books used to be better. I so liked learning about different sections of Paris It used to be cute as she juggled a twenty something life now you just want her to get her act together. So many threads started and abandoned Rene not calling her back, Suzanne disappeared, who needs to sitter just hand off the child to whoever is handy, her Mom reappears and that is it We need to wait until the next book for Morbier to spill the beans. The book is set in the late 1990's - and they could skip the francs (just write I threw money on the table) they have a paying job to research 1999 to 2000 computer stuff - this distracts from the story. I don't really think they had facial recognition back then - people barely had work emails so the technology stuff goes back and forth

[Allison · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not impressed. Clunky, lacked flow and focus. It was hard and tedious to keep track of all the frantic goings on. Lots of extraneous information that didn't contribute anything to story or characterization, like fun facts were peppered throughout. I've never read about a character that had so much trouble with designer footwear. I was looking forward to the Parisian setting, but it didn't have a particularly strong sense of place. I suppose this is due to mediocre writing that didn't really bring the sights, sounds and smells of Paris to life. Also, the whole premise is totally unbelievable. What person with an epipen packs it in their checked bag?????? Absolutely no one.

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again I'm following my obsession with reading the Black investigations even though they are filled with mayhem and I end up skimming some of the book when I get exhausted with Aimee and her antics. However, I go back for more. I like the fact that Black is aways covering some kind of political situation and the setting is Paris, but her protagonist's ADHD personality (which can be endearing) drives me crazy.

i'd love to hear about Black's writing process in a workshop. It often seems like throw everything in the pot but the kitchen sink -- and yet she gets an actual edible dish in the end. It is definitely a wild and wacky ride.