Murder in the Marais

An Aimee Leduc Investigation

By: Cara Black

Narrated by: Carine Montbertrand

In Cara Black’s “accomplished, absorbing debut” (Kirkus Reviews), PI Aimée Leduc must decrypt a digitized photo from the 1940s. But when Aimée visits the historic Jewish quarter of Paris to deliver the picture, she finds its intended recipient murdered—and with a swastika carved in her aged forehead.

©1999 Cara Black (P)2010 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"In order to understand the true motive behind the killing, Aimée must delve into history, confronting older residents of the quarter - who'd prefer she leave the past alone - and doing some undercover work. The suspense is high as she fraternizes dangerously with the enemy, even becoming briefly involved with an Aryan supremacist. Black knows Paris well, and in her first-rate debut she deftly combines fascinating anecdotes from the city's war years with classic images of the City of Lights." ( Publishers Weekly)

“Literate prose, intricate plotting, and multifaceted and unusual characters mark this excellent first mystery. Strongly recommended.” ( Library Journal)

Great first book in series

Story is heartwarming, maddening and suspenseful. Reader is good, my only objection is the delay between chapter or time frames. That's most frustrating I kept wondering if my battery ran out or some other problem came up, then reading would begin again.

What a fun detective

I loved all of Aimee’s costume changes, the heels, the scene while she was getting a shampoo… there has never been a female detective like this. And sometimes it was unbelievable, but that was also part of the fun. I can see why this series continued with so many books. It was a pleasure to read this first one and meet her at the beginning.

For young female audience

When I ran a public library I would have put this in the "Young Adult" section (officially age 12-18). I would have been happy to see a girl age 12 to 15 check it out. It has geographical and historical information that would be informative. A reviewer (for another item in this series) complained about the narrator's slow speed. She goes slow in this one too. I think she wants to be sure a young adult can follow what is being said. For what it
is, this selection is not bad.

Riveting

Kept me 100% engaged on my daily 2 mile walks!! I am French so love this series — I can picture where the characters are based on my knowledge of Paris. Love thé interlaced humor

Love The Paris Locations

The best thing about the Aime Leduc mysteries are the locations. I found this story confusing and had to go back a few times to figure out what I'd miss. Still, I'd recommend it, because the settings are the best. It made me feel like I was back in Paris again.