Scan barcode
book_concierge's review
2.0
2.5**
Private Investigator Aimée Leduc is asked to help the sister of her friend, who suspects her husband of having an affair. The meeting takes place in an unusual setting for a powerful minister’s wife; Bellevillle is a working class neighborhood that is home to many Algerian immigrants. Aimée arrives just in time to witness a car bombing and barely gets the woman out and back to her husband’s mansion. But the woman wants to hire Leduc to investigate the car bombing, and she is quickly embroiled in a situation that has international ramifications.
This is the second book in the series, and I find that I like the premise of the series, better than I like the books so far. Aimée Leduc is a strong, intelligent, capable woman who doesn’t rely on a convenient strong man to help her (most of the time). I like her partner, Rene, a dwarf with a gift for computer science and surveillance, and I wish Black would give him more to do in the books. I also really enjoy learning about the various neighborhoods of Paris – the chic, and not-so-chic.
But Black seems to get lost in her intricate plots. There are so many threads to follow, so many suspects, so many different dangerous situations, and somehow they don’t really mesh well. Still, I see promise. This second book was a bit better than the first (though I still rate it only 2.5*), and I’d be willing to read another.
Private Investigator Aimée Leduc is asked to help the sister of her friend, who suspects her husband of having an affair. The meeting takes place in an unusual setting for a powerful minister’s wife; Bellevillle is a working class neighborhood that is home to many Algerian immigrants. Aimée arrives just in time to witness a car bombing and barely gets the woman out and back to her husband’s mansion. But the woman wants to hire Leduc to investigate the car bombing, and she is quickly embroiled in a situation that has international ramifications.
This is the second book in the series, and I find that I like the premise of the series, better than I like the books so far. Aimée Leduc is a strong, intelligent, capable woman who doesn’t rely on a convenient strong man to help her (most of the time). I like her partner, Rene, a dwarf with a gift for computer science and surveillance, and I wish Black would give him more to do in the books. I also really enjoy learning about the various neighborhoods of Paris – the chic, and not-so-chic.
But Black seems to get lost in her intricate plots. There are so many threads to follow, so many suspects, so many different dangerous situations, and somehow they don’t really mesh well. Still, I see promise. This second book was a bit better than the first (though I still rate it only 2.5*), and I’d be willing to read another.
karinlib's review against another edition
3.0
I don't know why I keep reading this series, except that I think the author is getting better, so the 2nd book should have 3 1/4 stars.
lisanussd's review against another edition
3.0
This was a enjoyable read. I read the first one in the series a few years ago.
cruzsg23's review against another edition
2.0
I’ve come to the conclusion that this series is just not for me. Which is fine. I know I’m an outlier here in regards to this very popular series. I’ve read the first two Aimée Leduc mysteries and found them to be pretty unsatisfying. These two novels are more like thrillers than murder mysteries, with healthy doses of fantastic spy novel derring-do (fairly unbelievable). Leduc doesn’t so much solve mysteries as stumble across answers. Her lack of subtlety and inability to not blurt out her half-baked theories to the villains should have gotten her killed by now. Coincidence and lucky breaks (e.g., a convenient hole in the ground which trips up a villain) often appear just when she needs them. I like the Paris settings but they aren’t enough for me to try another installment.
tonythep's review against another edition
3.0
the second Aimee LeDuc mystery from Cara Black is another good read, but does, again, feature a somewhat complex plot and sometimes dizzying array of characters. at times I found myself paging back to clarify a name or some other point in the plot, this time involving Algerian immigrants and car bombings. but Black keeps the tension high, and once she gets things rolling I had a hard time putting it down.
attytheresa's review against another edition
4.0
Set in April, 1994, Aimée is asked for help by her best friend's sister, Anaïs, something to do with her husband Philippe's infidelity. Reluctantly, Aimée agrees to meet her and help, only to witness a car bombing that nearly kills her and Anaïs. It does kill Philippe's mistress and embroils Leduc Detective Agency into a complex web of government corruption, illegal arms, the legacy of the Algerian civil wars and the pied-noirs, and ongoing immigration demonstrations and hunger strikes though this time it is the new harsh policies deporting the sans-papiers - those primarily African immigrants with expired visas. All is centered on the 20th Arrondissement, adjacent to the Marais and the Canal St. Martin, brought to vibrant life. This area in the early 90s was just starting to gentrify from a working class immigrant community.
Written in early 2000s incorporating a political climate in France in 1994, it was chillingly similar to the US from 2016 through 2020. It also taught me a lot about the contemporary relationship between Algeria and France, and a tiny bit about Algeria's modern history, just enough to expose my vast sea of ignorance.
This time I rounded my 3.5 star rating up. Black very skillfully carries you along with Aimée, leaving you befuddled at time as Aimée herself as she scrambles to figure out what is happening, who is trying to kill her to stop her investigation, and how this all involves her best friend's sister and also keep her safe. Yet Black pulls it all together by the end in a way that satisfies without all being pretty and tied up with a bow. She also sows a few seeds for the next in series, hopefully far enough in the future for Aimée's latest collection of injuries to heal. After all, there is a high action thriller side to these murders set in Paris.
Written in early 2000s incorporating a political climate in France in 1994, it was chillingly similar to the US from 2016 through 2020. It also taught me a lot about the contemporary relationship between Algeria and France, and a tiny bit about Algeria's modern history, just enough to expose my vast sea of ignorance.
This time I rounded my 3.5 star rating up. Black very skillfully carries you along with Aimée, leaving you befuddled at time as Aimée herself as she scrambles to figure out what is happening, who is trying to kill her to stop her investigation, and how this all involves her best friend's sister and also keep her safe. Yet Black pulls it all together by the end in a way that satisfies without all being pretty and tied up with a bow. She also sows a few seeds for the next in series, hopefully far enough in the future for Aimée's latest collection of injuries to heal. After all, there is a high action thriller side to these murders set in Paris.
bexwat's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
cheryl6of8's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting exploration of Paris and the parts of the city where Algerian and other Muslim peoples live. This is a smidgen dated because it is set in the 1990s, but I bet a lot of the same problems exist. The mystery was good and probably would have been better if I had been able to keep the characters of potential villains safe. And there was at least one aspect of the motivation of people that could have been explained better, because I am still not sure what Yves' was writing his story about. Still, Aimee Leduc remains a great kick-ass heroine and I will continue to follow her adventures and try to better understand the city she calls home.
lisaarnsdorf's review against another edition
3.0
For all it's faults, Black kept me reading. I really wanted to know how all of the pieces came together.
However, I was confused through the entire read. The book starts off in the middle of the action and I felt like I had missed the first 20 pages. I needed more background on relations between France and Algeria - I think it was assumed that I would understand the conflicts, politics and factions. I will suggest that anyone who reads this Wikipedia French-Algerian relations first.
Lastly, it's been several years since I read the first Leduc book. I wish Black had recapped the characters and set up. I found myself grasping at straws to remember how all of the people fit together and what their history was.
However, I was confused through the entire read. The book starts off in the middle of the action and I felt like I had missed the first 20 pages. I needed more background on relations between France and Algeria - I think it was assumed that I would understand the conflicts, politics and factions. I will suggest that anyone who reads this Wikipedia French-Algerian relations first.
Lastly, it's been several years since I read the first Leduc book. I wish Black had recapped the characters and set up. I found myself grasping at straws to remember how all of the people fit together and what their history was.