Murder in the Marais

An Aimee Leduc Investigation

De: Cara Black

Narrado por: 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

Reseñas de la Crítica

"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)

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.

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.

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.

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.

Good story - odd telling

It's unusual to have a compelling story that is not very well told. A murder mystery in present day involving WWII and contemporary Nazis, the persecution of Parisian Jews in the Marais, and a reluctant detective who would rather be solving computer crimes, provides for a rich landscape in which to tell the tale. The author, however, must not think the reader too clever, as she reminds us of clues she has already given and re-identifies her characters, as well as providing unnecessary explanations of feelings behind bits of dialogue. She throws in a bit of French to remind us that we are in Paris, but ony chooses the words that most people would already know, leaving us with the feeling that these people are all bilingual. The narrator does not help the author's style, as her Parisian French accent is good, which makes for a jarring juxtaposition with the Standard American Dialect of the rest of the story. An interesting group of characters in a unique story are worth the listen, but it could have been more satisfyingly told.

Cara Black's first and best!

Would you listen to Murder in the Marais again? Why?

Present with Aimee Leduc's investigation leads into the complex past and back to the complex present -- story well told and engrossing.

Set in 1993, dated but still good!

Set in 1993, a bit dated but still a good story. Looking forward to the next in the series.

Oh, and as I was living in Europe at that time, for conversion purposes , 5 francs = $1 USD (then). Heh, smoking on airplanes, that takes me back.

A bit simplistic and slow

I have already read several reviews that say pretty much what I would say about this book. One person said that this might appropriately be placed in the "young adult" section in a library. I might have said that it read like a young adult's first efforts at writing a book.

It just was awkward. I had thought perhaps it was a translation from the french, but I checked, and no, this is an American author writing in English. So, if you can accept that this has something of the feel of not-quite-polished writing about it, and manage the discomfort of the narrator, who speaks so maddeningly slowly that you want to jump in and say the next word for her, we are left with the story.

I'm a sucker for Paris. So that pulls me in, in the first place. And the subject matter of a mystery that deals with the sad, lingering aftermath of the Nazi occupation is compelling.
I felt a bit frustrated with Aimee herself, since the author tried to portray her as the unwilling detective who really only wanted to find computers hackers and such, but then accepted this job involving people (that she so proclaimed herself against working with) on the strength of a man she said had known her father. She didn't even press him on how, or to see if she was walking into danger, etc. Thus, in my mind, a bit of a weak beginning.

But if you love Paris, and can accept some distracting things about the writing and narration, the story has interest and a good mystery. Although one might not believe it based on what I've just written, for those two reasons I will probably venture out and try another. And hope the writing gets smoother with experience.

Coping with being blinded by an accident

The story was well-developed. The heroine is a strong female lead and her partner overcomes a multitude of obstacles arising from his short stature. Interesting storyline. Somewhat dark in nature.