Murder in the Latin Quarter
(Libby/OverDrive eBook, Kindle)

Black returns to two of her favorite themes in this latest Aimée Leduc novel: immigrants in Paris and the family history of her heroine. As usual, Aimée, a computer-security analyst forever entangled in murder investigations, finds herself balancing paying clients against freelance sleuthing, and this time the mystery involves a Haitian woman who claims to be Aimée's sister. Is Mireille really the offspring of a long-ago liaison between Aimée's late father and a Haitian woman, or is she somehow part of a scam connected to Paris' Haitian community? The body count grows as Aimée follows the trail through the Latin Quarter and the Sorbonne to what may be an international scandal involving aid to Haiti. Black's ability to combine the landscape of Parisian neighborhoods with the intricate politics of the city's many immigrant communities is what gives this series its appeal, despite the somewhat formulaic plot structure. Aimée's ongoing search for her father's murderer and any trace of her vanished mother adds depth to the stories, and that family angle is heightened here with the possibility of a sibling. A solid outing in a dependable series.--Ott, Bill Copyright 2008 Booklist

Two weeks after Princess Diana's death in Paris in 1997, an illegal Haitian immigrant named Mireille walks into Aimee Leduc's office, claiming that Aimee's late father was also her father. Before Aimee can learn more, Mireille disappears, leaving only a cryptic note with an address in the Latin Quarter, the setting for Black's twisty ninth Aimee Leduc investigation (after 2008's Murder in the Rue de Paradis). At the address, an old building housing a comparative anatomy research facility, Aimee finds the corpse of a well-dressed black man with his ear cut off. The complex plot, which involves Haitian politics, history and culture as well as world trade and geopolitical corruption (not to mention Aimee's quest to discover if Mireille is really her half-sister), at times threatens to overwhelm the book. Still, Black creates an indelible portrait of a Parisian neighborhood as she explores how the past continues to collide with the present, with unpredictable and far-reaching results. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Aimee Leduc is waiting for an important client when a Haitian woman enters and announces that she is Aimee's half-sister. Quel choc! Aimee agrees to meet her at a cafe but misses her, then follows a trail that leads to a dead man surrounded by a circle of salt. And so Black launches Aimee's ninth mystery (Murder in the Rue de Paradis), and it's every bit as good as the preceding eight. Like its predecessors, this work is infused with both sharp political/historical commentary and a strong sense of Aimee's messy but affecting emotional life. Even as she uncovers what happened to the murdered man-his work, relevant to a French water project and the parlous state of Haiti's water supply, interests both Madame Obin of the Haitian trade delegation and her radically opposed nephew-Aimee opens up in her typically heartfelt way to the idea of having a sibling, evidently born of a liaison her father once had with a woman who subsequently returned home to Haiti. Is Mireille really Aimee's sister? Perhaps. To save her life, will Aimee crawl through the worst tunnels under Paris? Mais, bien s r. Another pitch-perfect read from Black; highly recommended. [See Prepub Mystery, LJ 11/1/08.]-Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Postcolonial politics and global commerce ignite the murder of a Haitian academic in Paris's bohemian Left Bank. Still recovering from the death of her fianc (Murder in the Rue de Paradis, 2008), Aime Leduc wants nothing more than to help partner Ren Friant land a fat contract for Leduc Detective to handle Arospatiale's computer security. But she's distracted by Mireille, an illegal immigrant from Haiti who claims to be Aime's half sister, born of a liaison between Jean-Claude Leduc and her mother, Edwige, more than a year before Edwige's murder by Duvalier's tonton macoutes. A note from Mireille leads to Professor Azacca Benot's office in the Latin Quarter's Ecole Normale Suprieure, where Aime finds his body, minus an ear, inside a circle of salt. His file has disappeareda file sought with equal urgency by Madame Lonie Obin of the Haitian trade delegation and her radical nephew Edouard, who stand on opposite sides in Haiti's negotiations with Hydrolis, their French water supplier. Aime's search for Mireille becomes all the more pressing when Darquin, the night watchman at Benot's Osteologique Anatomie Compare lab, is pushed to his death into traffic, and Huby, Benoit's research assistant, is thrown from a window, leaving Aime frantic at the thought of losing the sister she never knew she had. Black at her peak, with rich historical background and a vivid sense of place supporting her compelling narrative. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Black returns to two of her favorite themes in this latest Aimée Leduc novel: immigrants in Paris and the family history of her heroine. As usual, Aimée, a computer-security analyst forever entangled in murder investigations, finds herself balancing paying clients against freelance sleuthing, and this time the mystery involves a Haitian woman who claims to be Aimée s sister. Is Mireille really the offspring of a long-ago liaison between Aimée s late father and a Haitian woman, or is she somehow part of a scam connected to Paris Haitian community? The body count grows as Aimée follows the trail through the Latin Quarter and the Sorbonne to what may be an international scandal involving aid to Haiti. Black s ability to combine the landscape of Parisian neighborhoods with the intricate politics of the city s many immigrant communities is what gives this series its appeal, despite the somewhat formulaic plot structure. Aimée s ongoing search for her father s murderer and any trace of her vanished mother adds depth to the stories, and that family angle is heightened here with the possibility of a sibling. A solid outing in a dependable series. Copyright 2008 Booklist Reviews.

After her successful Murder in the Rue de Paradis, San Francisco-based Black pens her ninth Aimee Leduc mystery, in which a long-lost sister resurfaces. National tour. Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

Aime Leduc is waiting for an important client when a Haitian woman enters and announces that she is Aime's half-sister. Quel choc! Aime agrees to meet her at a caf but misses her, then follows a trail that leads to a dead man surrounded by a circle of salt. And so Black launches Aime's ninth mystery (Murder in the Rue de Paradis), and it's every bit as good as the preceding eight. Like its predecessors, this work is infused with both sharp political/historical commentary and a strong sense of Aime's messy but affecting emotional life. Even as she uncovers what happened to the murdered man—his work, relevant to a French water project and the parlous state of Haiti's water supply, interests both Madame Obin of the Haitian trade delegation and her radically opposed nephew—Aime opens up in her typically heartfelt way to the idea of having a sibling, evidently born of a liaison her father once had with a woman who subsequently returned home to Haiti. Is Mireille really Aime's sister? Perhaps. To save her life, will Aime crawl through the worst tunnels under Paris? Mais, bien sr. Another pitch-perfect read from Black; highly recommended. [See Prepub Mystery, LJ 11/1/08.]—Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal

Two weeks after Princess Diana's death in Paris in 1997, an illegal Haitian immigrant named Mireille walks into Aime Leduc's office, claiming that Aime's late father was also her father. Before Aime can learn more, Mireille disappears, leaving only a cryptic note with an address in the Latin Quarter, the setting for Black's twisty ninth Aime Leduc investigation (after 2008's Murder in the Rue de Paradis). At the address, an old building housing a comparative anatomy research facility, Aime finds the corpse of a well-dressed black man with his ear cut off. The complex plot, which involves Haitian politics, history and culture as well as world trade and geopolitical corruption (not to mention Aime's quest to discover if Mireille is really her half-sister), at times threatens to overwhelm the book. Still, Black creates an indelible portrait of a Parisian neighborhood as she explores how the past continues to collide with the present, with unpredictable and far-reaching results. (Mar.)