Murder in the Rue de Paradis by Cara Black, a Mysterious Review.

Review: French private investigator Aimee Leduc looks into the murder of her fiancé of but one day in Murder in the Rue de Paradis, the seventh book in this series by Cara Black.

It's 1995, a time of turmoil around the world and especially in Paris. Terrorist attacks, Metro bombings, and assassinations, with the conflict between the Turks and Kurds taking center stage. Aimee is thrilled when a lover from her past returns safely from Turkey where he was on assignment. Yves Robert, an investigative journalist, not only wants to remain in Paris, he wants to marry Aimee. Thrilled, she agrees. But the next morning Yve's body is found in a nearby alley, his throat slashed. The police record the incident as a robbery gone wrong, but Aimee is convinced he was the victim of a political hit. Her subsequent investigation seems to support her conclusion, but she's met with resistance at every level of the police department who tell her in no uncertain terms to stop interfering.

Murder in the Rue de Paradis is a frequently bewildering mystery. The plot seems almost as convoluted as the back streets of Paris through which Aimee must navigate to pursue the truth. Contributing in no small part to the confusion is the author's frequent use of French colloquial terms. No doubt intended to lend an authentic flavor to the story, they instead tend to detract from the story. The setting itself already serves this purpose and is quite descriptive, even atmospheric.

It can be tricky constructing a credible mystery using as a backdrop the politics of the Middle East, and for the most part it works here. Still, Murder in the Rue de Paradis presents a bit more of a challenge than many readers may want to take on.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Murder in the Rue de Paradis.

Acknowledgment: Soho Press provided a copy of Murder in the Rue de Paradis for this review.

Murder in the Palais Royal
Soho Crime (Hardcover), March 2010
ISBN-13: 9781569476208; ISBN-10: 1569476209

Murder in the Rue de Paradis

An Aimée Leduc Investigation by Cara Black