Murder in Clichy

Aimee Leduc Investigations #5

by Cara Black

Aimée Leduc, private investigator specializing in computer security, has been introduced to the Cao Dai temple in Paris by her partner René Friant. He urges her to learn to meditate: she could use a more healthful approach to life. The Vietnamese nun Linh has been helping Aimée to attain her goal, so when she asks Aimée for a favor—to go to the Clichy quartier to exchange an envelope for a package—René prompts Aimée to agree. But the intended recipient, Thadée Baret, is shot and dies in Aimée’s arms before the transaction can be completed, leaving Aimée with a wounded arm, a check for 50,000 francs, and a trove of ancient jade artifacts.

Whoever killed Baret wants the jade. The RG—the French secret service; a group of veterans of the war in Indochina and some wealthy ex-colonials and international corporations seeking oil rights are all implicated. And the nun, Linh, has disappeared.

Since the incident in which she was temporarily blinded (Murder in the Bastille), Aimée has promised to avoid danger. But somehow, it continues to seek her out.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, France, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Detective, Audiobook

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

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

[Lewis Weinstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aimee Leduc gets in more trouble in a page and a half than any other character I can remember. You keep saying, "Aimee, don't do that. It's too dangerous." But she always plunges through a dark passageway, climbs a wall, slides down the garbage chute, hangs from a bridge, or attacks killers when armed only with aerosolized Chanel #5. There is no down time, except for Black's glorious descriptions of Paris, and who would call that down time.

Yet the book is not perfect. I found it absolutely impossible to actually follow all the connections between the characters, or even the plot. Which brings me to recognize a major difference in the way I read different kinds of books. What would drive me nuts (and did) in "Wolf Hall," I simply let pass in "Murder in Clichy." There's a different standard and different expectations.

Perhaps it has to do with the fact that Leduc is a compellingly interesting character, and she is generally as confused carrying out the action as I was reading it, and so we went on the ride together. Or maybe I read this kind of book to relax, so I can just let the complexity roll over me without having to strain to put it to order. A book with higher pretensions needs to deliver a more coherent product.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

As an avid mystery fan, I relish finding a new series to explore (if one book is good, ten or twenty more might await me!). So, I held out great hope for Black's young Parisian detective, Aimee Leduc.

The one-sentence raves quoted on the book's cover heightened my expectations, but something just didn't click for me. The plot was very complex and I'll confess that I hadn't sorted out who the characters were as I reached the book's final pages. Maybe I wasn't an attentive reader, but I never was engaged in the mystery, just bogged down by the puzzle. I was a bit more interested in figuring out how Aimee could be so lucky as to stumble upon a couture jacket in a cast-off bin just as she was trying to shed her soiled coat after tumbling down a garbage chute. Get my drift?
How nice that she was able to put herself together again before stumbling on to her next meeting.

As another reviewer suggested, maybe the answer is to start with book #1 in the series; if we bond with Aimee at the beginning it might all make more sense. Or not.

[Terri Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fifth Aimee Leduc mystery by Cara Black that I have read and I have already got the rest of the series here waiting to be read.

In the last book, Aimee had been injured and left temporarily blind. When this new book begins, she is at a Cao Dai Temple with her business partner the computer genius dwarf Rene Friant. He is trying to help her lead a more calm life and has encouraged her, with the help of Vietnamese nun Linh, to learn to meditate.

Aimee needs SOMETHING to help her calm down when Rene impulsively accepts the nun Linh's simple request to carry an envelope to a man Thadee Baret and pick up a knapsack. This results in Aimee being shot in the arm during the exchange while Thadee is shot to death and dies in her arms. She has to keep hold of the knapsack and the envelope (which contains a check for 50,000 francs) while running away from the crowd who accuse HER of killing Baret, the flics (cops) and an assortment of bad guys who will kill for the contents of the knapsack. Rene himself pays a high price by being kidnapped and kept bound up by abusive men who tell Aimee that if she does not get the contents of the knapsack to them, they will start sending her parts of Rene!

Unfortunately, Aimee took the knapsack with her to Dr. Guy Lambert's office to get the bullet removed from her arm, hid it there, and his office was ransacked and the knapsack stolen. So, if the bad guys don't have it- who does?

This story involves a lot of detective work, secretive strangers, the RG (French secret police), ridiculous women making bad life choices, a group of vietnam vets, an Interpol agent, and a love affair gone wrong. These stories always feature a lot of excitement and plenty of atmosphere.

Aimee has been dating the eye doctor Dr. Guy Lambert who treated her eye. He is trying to get serious in a hurry and of all things, wants for Aimee to move in with him in the countryside and become a doctor's housewife. Anyone who has even a vague knowledge of Aimee would know this would never work. Just say no, Aimee!

Another thing that bothers me is that Aimee needs some male and female friends who are not so damned sexist. Every single person she encounters carries on with her that she should just do computer work instead of dangerous jobs. Well, SOMEONE has to do the dangerous jobs and Aimee is a private detective! This is the work she and her dad did, her chosen field, and it is more about brains and quick action than brute strength. What do people think female cops and soldiers do-sit all day eating bon bons and watching soap operas? Having a penis does not give quite the same advantages in detective work that a good Baretta and a head full of logic, brains, and street smarts do. It's not like they'll have to whip the penis out to pistol whip the bad guys and a clever detective will generally not need brute strength (the international language of the gun helps with that.). I just wish the other characters would appreciate Aimee's skills and abilities and quit, as one character did in this very book, suggesting she " get married, make babies, and change diapers." That is sexist and offensive.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

BEWARE of spoilers. I don't hide my reviews, but I don't promote them, either.

This was my second installment of Aimee Leduc. (I'm reading them out of order).

Nice interplay between private eye Aimee and her business partner, a dwarf who has the hots for Aimee, but sublimates because he cares for her so much. This time, the action revolves around people either of Indochine origin or descent, and white Frenchmen who have a connection to the former colony.

Sometimes Black is a little too cryptic for me. I like that she doesn't go to great lengths to explicate when a dotted line of info will do. Either I was tired when I read this, or I'm just plain stupid, or sometimes she needs to fill in a bit more.

Anyway, on this second run with Black, I'm starting to feel that maybe her work is formulaic after all. Besides taking her own front jacket scenic photo, supplying a map of the quartier or arrondissement involved, she always a precisely measured romantic relationship for Aimee, and a series of antics-mishaps. Sometimes Aimee has to extricate herself from the unplanned. Other times, she willingly enters into them.

An interesting sub-theme is Aimee's yearning to know more of her American, long-skedaddled mom, who met up with Aimee's French dad through the mom's onetime job at the U.N.

Maybe it fits with the sedate-and-yet-madcap nature of the books that Aimee lies and deceived with abandon to accomplish her crime sleuthing. I can't imagine an authentic computer expert could get away with all the false pretence. (Her business is focused more on computer security than on the street crimes she ends up investigating either as a favor to someone, or by happenstance.)

[Greg Jolley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ms. Black’s done another excellent job, taking us into the lights and shadows of Paris, where a curious and compelling mystery unfolds. The author has the rare writing ability to draw this somewhat jaded author in, by her well-honed craft and empathy with the lovely city and her new and returning characters, who she clearly cares for and draws with a realistic, colorful touch. Murder in Clichy moves at a steady, quick walking pace with many surprises and interesting, realistic surprises and twists.
As an aside, I admire Ms. Black’s decision and handling of the time frame of this series of books. Rather than moving quickly through the years, the collection of what I think of as the Aimee stories run smoothly along Aimee’s life, so that books written over a span of years tell a series of tales that move no further than a few. Again, I applaud Ms. Black’s craft.

[Celeste Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I approached this book with skepticism after stumbling upon it while shelving books at my volunteer job at the Multnomah County Library (it's practice -- I'm going to library school next fall. YAY NERDS!), and I was pleasantly surprised. After my initial snarky reaction to reading the book jacket -- an American? Writing a mystery novel set in France? With a (half) French heroine? Oh, ce n'est pas vrai! Quel horreur!

But actually, it was quite enjoyable. Fast-paced, engaging, with (mostly) believable characters. This Clichy is not the suburb, but a section of the 17th arrondissement of Paris, and one not many visit. Of course, I've started with the last Aimee Leduc mystery, but no matter. I'm going to plow through these things like they're Babysitters Club books. Who's with me?

[Concetta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! Another murder mystery in Paris. I could see, taste, hear and smell everywhere Aimee went. C. Black knows how to weave a mystery that keeps my attention. I had to finish reading this one in my car in the park/ride this evening before I could drive home!

[Max · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t really know what sort of expectations I had going into this, beyond the hope that I’d finally be reading a good book for my mystery book club again. Unfortunately it seems I’m destined for disappointment since this just wasn’t very good. I mean it’s not as bad as some of the worst stuff I’ve read in the mystery world, but I never found Aimee all that engaging and the mystery feels like a muddled mess that never quite gets explained enough.

Maybe I would have liked Aimee as a character a bit more if I’d read any of the previous books. On the other hand, I do feel like this one did an okay job of getting me up to speed on who she is, the various mysteries in her past, and some of her key relationships. But since this is just one book out of a long series, there’s no real movement on the major mysteries and much of the relationship drama the book tries to have is deeply stupid. Her business partner is in love with her, but I have no way of telling how long that’s been going on or whether this subplot will ever go anywhere. And even worse, the stuff with Aimee’s boyfriend pulls out the worst cliche in the book with her spotting him with a blonde woman who is, of course, his sister. I have to doubt the intelligence of the supposed detective if she can’t see that one coming.

The actual plot is alright in theory but ends up with too many players and thus is rather muddled. Aimee gets recruited by a nun to retrieve a package, which proves to be jade looted from Vietnam. The man who was holding the jade is killed, providing the necessary murder of the title. But the question of who killed him generally feels incidental to the plot as the book actually is focused more on getting the jade back since it’s quickly stolen from Aimee.

There seems to be a bunch of different groups of people interested in the jade and it’s not always clear who wants it for what reason or how important any one person is. And that sort of confusion is alright, but it makes it hard to know how much to care about any of the parts of the story that deviate from Aimee’s point of view. And by the end of the novel I was left feeling like none of them had really mattered and the whole thing had been a somewhat muddy mess. There’s some degree of denouement but it doesn’t feel like it really explains enough for the plot to not be muddled. Also, it’s an interesting idea to have Aimee be a computer expert but I was never convinced that the author really knows what she’s talking about and so much of the action is more typical mystery PI fair that I’m not sure what the point is.

So overall this isn’t the worst mystery I’ve had to read but this just wasn’t very enjoyable. I never really got a good feeling for the Parisian setting and I wasn’t given enough reason to care about the characters or the plot. Clearly this is a success with some people given that the author is still publishing these, but I don’t see any reason for me to try further installments.

[Colin Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story revolves around carved jade figures looted by French soldiers during the Vietnam conflict the various factions that are vying for them. Aimee Leduc is caught up in the middle of everything while trying to keep her business in computer security going and find out more about the events surrounding the death of her father. As frustrating as ever as she climbs over walls and through windows in a tight skirt and hobbling on damaged high heels.

The character of Aimee is far fetched but the slippery agents of the RG and former detectives are quite believable. Her partner Rene Friant remains her devoted sidekick.

I was frustrated on page 49 of the edition to read a reference to cockleburs falling from the row of Chestnut trees. As far as I know, the cocklebur comes from the Xanthium plant and not any form of Chestnut. Niggled me throughout the book.

All said and done this is a good read. 4stars.

[Eadie Burke · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Vietnamese nun, Linh, asks Aimee if she will go Clichy to exchange an envelope for a package. Recipient Barat is shot and dies in Aimee's arms. The RG - the French secret service; a group of veterans of the war in Indochina and some wealthy ex-colonials and international corporations seeking oil rights are all implicated. The nun, Linh, has disappeared. Aimee has promised to avoid danger. But somehow, it continues to seek her out. I find Cara Black's books to be easy reading and atmospheric. I've enjoyed this one the best so far. Paris is definitely a character in her books and Aimee DeLuc and Rene are enjoyable too. Looking forward to reading the next book and recommend if you enjoy reading about Paris.

[Gerry Connolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cara Black’s fifth in her Aimee Leduc mystery series takes us on a journey whose origins stem from the French defeat in Dien Bien Phu and an antique heist of ancient jade figurines. The plot is convoluted mixing French police forces, Interpol and Chinese and Vietnamese intelligence agents. There is also an oil drilling plot, and the suppression of the Cao Dai sect in Vietnam. People are murdered for their suspected connection to the stolen jade figures. Leduc seems confused until the very end and like all of her previous novels, Black rushes the solution knitting the myriad dramatis personae into an unsatisfying solution. Leduc is a clever heroine and well developed as a character. She deserves a better denouement from her creator.

[May · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this fast paced murder mystery. It has been awhile since I have read a Cara Black novel. So glad I found her, again. Still enjoying her Paris murders!!

[Cris · Rating 3 out of 5]

My error in reading this book was to interrupt it. I lost the plot a bit and I think, because of it, I enjoyed the denouement a lot less. Loved all the Paris environment and details. Coincidentally Vietnam related plot made it more enjoyable also.

[Don Weston · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this for my Mystery Book group and I'd have to say Skip It. The twelve people in our group were all disappointed and confused. A couple of fans were shaking their heads.

I was afraid I was the only one who didn't like it. When I read reviews online there were two camps: Those that hated it saying it needed major revisions and those who loved it because of the Paris environs. My feeling: If you want Paris, save your money on this book for a trip there.

Started out good for a while but there were parts less than a quarter way through where I felt I was slogging through the narrative and descriptions. Many characters weren’t memorable and when Cara Black referred to them later and in the wrapup I often didn’t remember the person or conversations.

In the climatic scene, the description on the bridge at was hard to visualize. Was she climbing down? What happened to Gassot? I thought he fell against Aimme and then he was gone until after Regnier let go of her. Parts were pieced together in the wrap up chapter, leaving the reader to wonder, where did that come from (out of the blue). The wrap up chapter–second to last chapter--happened so fast my head was spinning. All I could do was go along and let her explain it.

My chief complaint was the author doesn’t play fair with the clues. Everything is unexplained. You don’t know how many different gangs there are and I was lost on who some of the chief characters and the various police services were. Even her Godfather is vague and doesn’t seem sympathic to Aimee, the heroine. And in step with the book, he was left hanging at the end--What ever happened to him?

I would not read another book by Cara Black. I think the Paris environs might be interesting to people who have been there often, but that leaves a lot of us out. It just detracts from the story after a while.

There were some obvious typos on my Kindle and two different people speaking in the same paragraph without a sentence ending, but I’ll chalk that up to the Kindle formatting issues.

One thing that didn’t surprise me was Guy, the Aimee's boyfriend subplot. It was a Huge cliché you've probably witnessed on television a dozen times.

Hated Day and time headings in place of chapter numbers? How do you know how far you’ve read or how close you are to being finished on a Kindle?

My advice, run don't walk, from this book. I learned Cara Black goes to Paris twice a year to research her stories in each of Paris's districts. I think staying home and paying a little more attention to story detail, creating likeable and memorable characters, and a less cumbersome plot and story arc might be preferable to making any more trips to Paris for a while.

By the way, several of the members in my Reading group finished the afternoon of our get-together-- and a few never finished it. It was that laborious of a task.

[Mal Warwick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aimee Leduc, half-American, half-French, daughter of a Paris policeman, runs the Leduc Detective Agency with her partner Rene Friant, a genius computer hacker who is a “handsome dwarf.” Though the agency purports to work only on computer security for corporations and turns away more traditional detective work, Aimee and Rene somehow manage to find themselves mixed up in devilishly complex investigations that involve skullduggery and violence of a high order. In the process, they face near-death experiences at the hands of the malefactors they’re pursuing. With alarming regularity.

A flawed novel

Those all-too-frequent near-death experiences are only one of the problems I have with the Aimee Leduc series, of which Murder in Clichy is the fifth. I’m also troubled by the clumsy dialogue that appears throughout the book. Again, and again, and again, characters in conversation address others by name — at the beginning of what seems like every other remark. Naturally, in the course of a typical conversation between friends, you or I might call the other by name to get attention, to convey disapproval, or to plead for one thing or another. But to start every other snatch of dialogue with the other’s name? No. That doesn’t happen — except in fiction, where the author hasn’t found some more artful way to convey to the reader who’s speaking to whom. As an editor, this grates on me. A lot.

It’s not all bad

The great strength in Murder in Clichy — like that in its four predecessors — is the story behind the story: the historical facts on which the plot hangs. In this book, it’s the fascinating Cao Dai sect, a monotheistic Vietnamese religion that borrows elements from Buddhism, Taoism, and other belief systems and venerates a long list of familiar figures, including Gautama Buddha, Jesus Christ, Muhammad, Moses, Lenin, and Victor Hugo. Yes, Lenin and Victor Hugo. And others. Many others. (I did say fascinating, didn’t I?)

Of course, if you’re a Francophile and love Paris and everything Parisian, you’ll find other rewards in the Aimee Leduc series. These novels reek of detail about the city, each one set in a different neighborhood. But I’m no Francophile, and I have no fond memories of my brief stopovers in Paris.

About the author

Cara Black is a bestselling mystery writer who lives in San Francisco. To date, she has written 14 novels in the Aimee Leduc series.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe I need more female friends, but LeDuc is starting to grow on me and I missed her the other day and thought about getting the next book in the series just to see what she is up to now. And I am not a crazy cat lady yet, so I'd like to claim that the way the character was written--consistent, with some interesting interior dialog--which has created this sense of familiarity and longing. Or maybe it is the dearth of female lead characters who have a strong point of view which rated three stars. At any rate, it was not the plotline, because once again it was a bit of a repeat from the other murders in French neighborhoods. And as another reviewer mentioned, it was muddy at some points. It's sort of like watching TV, in fact a lot like the show "Moonlighting". Probably the mystery isn't the point and there is a lot of repetition of certain schticks: Aimee shouldn't put herself in danger so much but there she goes again, the firm is solely focused on computer investigation but now they're roped into another non-computer investigation, there may or may not be more to the partnership than business on the horizon but will Aimee's crazy love life allow her to see what is in front of her face...stay tuned for the next episode. Like most TV, I'll buy in just to see if the writing gets any better since it moves fast and is rather painless.....and has a strong central character who is female.

[Julie H. Ernstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not having book #4 ready at hand, I boldly skipped ahead to Murder in Clichy, With the exception of two significant plot develoopments in my absence, jumping in a book ahead didn't prove too bad an idea.

Holy cow--Rene has a last name. Finally! I was growing very weary of him simply being introduced as "Rene the dwarf" as he crossed our path for the first time in each book. Such treatment seemed equally as insensitive as the barbs and physical abuse so frequently lobbed his way by many of the baddies across the pages of these cases. Plus, as Aimee's business partner, a ridiculously talented computer researcher (i.e., hacker), and someone she's known since her days at the Sorbonne, I felt Rene merited better treatment. And low and behold, he gets to kick some butt on this outing, too. Well played, indeed, Ms. Black.

Murder in Clichy is a cleverly-layered mystery involving a bit of philosophy, post-colonial politics, industrial espionage, art crime, the strange bonds among veterans, and the usual suspects of drugs, dirty cops, and the restorative power of a well-timed espresso. Onward to Murder in Montmartre!

[Elli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable and worthwhile. All the Aimee Leduc mysteries have a certain recurring theme of Aimee trying to find out more about her lost parents and each new mystery provides another clue. Radical movements of another time; how deep was each parent involved? Her mother simply disappeared one day when she was a small child, but there is some concern about details, and is she alive? This one has given a clue through another old acquaintance of her father's offering potentially more about his life and the circumstances leading to his death. The particular plot of this mystery involves a priceless Vietnamese jade collection, a national treasure that was stolen years ahgo. Aimee has gone into meditation techniques with her partner to try to calm down and to gain some holistic health techniques. And she becomes familiar with the situation and gets involved. I didn't appreciate the way she dutifully followed the search inspired by a harangue by one of the figures in the meditation temple... the ideal, someone else's, much to her own disadvantage. That didn't set right with me. But all in all, it was a good book and excellent read!

[Richard Brand · Rating 3 out of 5]

Black seems to love to have the conclusion of her mysteries having her Leduc detective hanging from some dangerous place. It seems to be a consistent pattern. The bad people fall to their death and she is hanging around. This story manages to have more bad guys than most movies sell tickets. There are drug addicts, art dealers, oil tycoons, vietnamese spies, China operatives, and french soldiers and they are all trying to profit off stolen jade. Aimee's sight continues to be an issue. Her love life continues to flounder although hope springs eternal at the end, and she does amazing things with her arm sewed up with a gun shot wound. One does have to have sympathy for Rene as the answer to his question about how they are going to pay the bills never gets answered. The computer security business never seems to be the primary concern of Aimee. I don't know anything about Paris and so it is useless for me to comment on that, but the locations always seem to be decaying, rotting, smelly and the rain seems to always be falling. There are a lot of french words thrown in which does nothing for me in terms of the story.

[LJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

MURDER IN CLICHY (Private Investigator-Paris-1990s) – Ok
Black, Cara – 5th in series
SOHO, 2005- Hardcover
Aimée Leduc is a Paris computer security expert with a partner, René. Aimee agrees to do a favor for a Vietnamese nun and deliver an envelope to Thadée Baret. Thadée gives Aimée a bag of precious jade. Thadée is then gunned down and René kidnapped with the jade being the required ransom. When a government surveillance team threatens Aimée, she knows someone more is involved than just the jade.
*** The risk one always runs in picking up a series with the latest book is not having the back story and knowing the identity of the characters. I very much felt that which this series. I appreciated the descriptions of the city, and the intricacy of the plot and having it unfold to me as it did the characters. But I also found it hard to relate to the characters and felt the story was very slow. It was easy for me to put the book down and hard to pick it back up. The writing is very good but I would recommend starting the series at the beginning.

[Phoebe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good installment. As usual, the geographical, historical and cultural insights into Parisian life are interesting. This book reminds us of the French colonization of Vietnam and the effects of the Vietnam war beyond our US borders. How Aimee and Rene get involved in this particular storyline at the start is somewhat questionable but good enough. Guy isn't as attractive to me in this one as he is in the last.

Aimee is the type of character who has these amazing, violent experiences more frequently than a normal person should; the series is 12 books long, so this really is just the beginning of her adventures. In addition to the particular crime/neighborhood focus of each installment, there's an ongoing storyline about uncovering the mystery behind her father's death. This book further confirms how much I like Aimee as a character... still rooting for her!

Format: Kindle AZW, San Francisco Library

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aimee and Rene are back in the 5th in this series and Paris again comes alive in this complex mystery set in the Clichy neighborhood. French involvement in Indochina may have been decades ago but old crimes resurface and valuable historic jade is the prize. Absolutely everyone wants the missing jade – Indochina war veterans, the French secret service, wealthy ex-colonials, drug runners, and international oil companies – and Aimee reluctantly but desperately must find it.

Readers new to the series may be slightly confused by some missing back story and there may have been one too many suspects in the theft but overall this is a solid mystery with interesting history in a fascinating city. I look forward to my next visit.

[Catherine Mustread · Rating 3 out of 5]

Indo-China war vets, missing and valuable jade, politics, and murder--and the accidental involvement of Aimee in several different aspects, made this fifth book in the Aimee Ludec Investigations series an exciting page-turner. In an attempt to keep the characters straight, I made a list as new characters were introduced (30+) as Black tends to change narrators and offer different points of view. Glad that I did as many of the characters were interconnected, and one of the clues involved an unnamed character which I missed. I do like Black's style and her ability to focus on different aspects of French politics and history. Love her dwarf side-kick Rene.

[Monty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book, maybe a little more than the others in the series so far. I think I am getting to know Aimee Leduc better in each book and I am liking how, in spite of her being brilliant, she has so many human frailties. As usual, there are many characters, an evolving story line, poorly matched love life, needing to heal from injuries from the last book, getting new injuries in this book, and more. There is a map of the Clichy district in Paris in the front of the book. I have never been to Paris, but I would think that anyone who has would have fun following the map as the the story enfolds.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only have the odd-numbered books in the series, but I didn't feel too disjointed, despite the occasional references to the previous story. For someone who's supposed to be taking things easy, Aimée sure gets into some hot water. This one was replete with drug dealers and users and even kidnapping. An uneven love story and multiple suspects were almost too distracting, but I will most likely finish the series.

[Soho Press · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fifth installment in the Aimee Leduc mystery series, set in Paris. In this book, Aimee is trying to do a favor for a Vietnamese nun at the Buddhist temple where she's learning to meditate when she ends up with a priceless cache of jade that a lot of dangerous people seem to want. I love this book because of the post-colonial themes in it.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series. Sure, there are too many things going on and maybe the characters aren't that well developed but I still can't put them down!

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aimee Leduc is a complex character who almost seems to swirl in these books--they are very atmospherically written and wonderful to read

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best installment yet in Aimee Leduc's courageous escapades. The light comic breaks and romantic interludes round out this page turning mystery. I think I'm picking up a little French too.

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read by this author but the fifth crime novel written by Cara Black, all set in Paris. I read many crime/mystery novels. Most are set in the U.S. U.K., Canada, even Botswana. I thought it would be interesting to read one set in Paris because the justice system would be different, the locations would be new to me, although I have visited Paris a couple of times so I could visualize the settings. This novel is set in Clichy in the 17th Arrondissement. It is an interesting area, encompassing the railway lines, the underbelly of Parisien life, immigrant communities, but also mansions of the wealthy and areas which are becoming gentrified by younger people. Black's main character is Aimee Leduc, a tough, persistent, resourceful computer-savvy detective who is familiar with Clichy. She unwittingly becomes embroiled in art theft, international espionage, murder, and kidnapping, among other less savoury aspects of the criminal element in Paris. I enjoyed the twists and turns of the plot, the variety of characters, and the historical background of the events. Black includes a map of Clichy to orient readers to Leduc's travels throughout the district. However, I found the map to be much too detailed and difficult to read, making it almost useless. This is the fault of the editor or printer, however,rather than Black's. The number of characters was somewhat overwhelming at times, especially when they were identified by their association with various French criminal investigation branches. A glossary explaining the function of the various organizations would have helped. Other than these minor quibbles, Murder in Clichy is a gripping, can't-put-it-down crime/mystery novel.