Murder at la Villette

Parisian private investigator Aimee Leduc has been framed for the murder of her daughter's father-now she's on the lam, and must find the real killer to clear her name in this thrilling 21st installment of Cara Black's New York Times bestselling mystery series. Parisian private investigator Aimee Leduc has been framed for the murder of her daughter's father-now she's on the lam, and must find the real killer to clear her name in this thrilling 21st installment of Cara Black's New York Times bestselling mystery series. Parisian private investigator Aimee Leduc doesn't know that her life is about to be upended. Her ex, Melac, has been hounding her to move their daughter, Chloe, to Brittany. Aimee is fed up with his threats to take her to court and has stopped answering his calls. Which is why she doesn't know he's waiting for her by the Bassin de la Villette as she leaves a client's office late one night. When she finds him there, bleeding in the canal, he has just been stabbed by an assailant, who knocks Aimee unconscious and plants the bloody knife in her hands. Now Aimee is in police custody, debilitated by a concussion, with overwhelming evidence pointing to her as Melac's killer. She must figure out who murdered Melac-not an easy job, given the target on his back as a former homicide investigator. Cut off from her typical network and forced to operate under multiple layers of cover, Aimee must go deep into the underbelly of Paris's 19th arrondissement, where she rubs shoulders with biker gangs, paranoid journalists, grieving parents, and frustratingly tight-lipped ex-cops on her hunt for justice.

About the Author :
Cara Black is the author of twenty-one books in the New York Times bestselling Aimee Leduc series, the national bestseller Three Hours in Paris, and its follow-up, Night Flight to Paris. She has been awarded La Medaille d'Or du Rayonnement Culturel-the medal for distinguished service in sharing historic and cultural insights of Paris by the French Republic, received multiple nominations for the Anthony and Macavity Awards, and her books have been translated into German, Norwegian, Japanese, French, Spanish, Italian, and Hebrew. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and visits Paris frequently.

Review :
Praise for Murder at la Villette

A National Bestseller

“A tour de force of hide-and-seek through the alleys and dive bars of the 19th Arrondissement of Paris by private investigator Aimée Leduc . . . Besides a detailed tour of Paris, Cara Black has written a clever, fast-paced and exciting book I promise you will need to peel your fingers off.”
—The Durango Telegraph

“A big plus for the Leduc series, [Murder at la Villette] bring[s] it fresh vigor and the page-turning intensity of sharp timelines and big stakes.”
—New York Journal of Books

“Black shrewdly ups the stakes in the pulse-pounding 21st mystery featuring French PI Aimée Leduc . . . Black maintains expert suspense and keeps things fresh by separating the investigator from her typical allies. This will thrill series fans and newcomers alike.”
—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“Features the requisite host of colorful characters who spill out of the biker bars and tattoo parlors of the 19th arrondissement, a bevy of chic disguises, and a few slick car chases. But as usual, the star of the show is the city Aimée loves. Vintage Black for fans of women’s empowerment and life in Paris.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“The pace is relentless, and the plot thickens with each chapter. An odd assortment of crooked cops, biker gangs, drug dealers, grieving parents, and even a WWII Nazi keep the challenges and the clues coming. Best read with a café au lait in hand.”
—Booklist

“Cara Black’s Aimée Leduc novels are such powerful mysteries that this long-running series has become the standard for strong female protagonists and Parisian-based stories . . . Murder at la Villette is indeed one of the finest entries in this series as Aimée’s entire litany of friends and family are involved in the most personal and confounding case of her career.”
—Bookreporter.com

Praise for the New York Times bestselling Aimée Leduc series
 
“The finest PI series now being written.”
—Mick Herron, author of Slow Horses

“Black offers armchair travelers a whirlwind trip through the City of Light.”
—USA Today
 
“Black’s chatty style quickly transports the reader to the banks of the River Seine, and Leduc, as always, is an engaging heroine.”
—Financial Times
 
“Marvelous . . . Boasts all of Black’s trademark charms, including deft plotting, sharp dialog and colorful sights and sounds.”
—Chicago Tribune
 
“Black creates rich, plausible characters, giving them individuality and depth.”
—San Francisco Gate

“Cara Black’s Aimée Leduc is a gem: a stylish, brave private detective (and new mom) who zips around Paris on a scooter . . . Beguiling tours of some of Paris’ little-known corners.”  
—The Seattle Times

“Chic and utterly charming.”
—The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel