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Murder at the Lanterne Rouge (Aimee Leduc Investigations #12)
by
Cara Black (Goodreads Author)
Aimée Leduc is happy her long-time business partner René has found a girlfriend. Really, she is. It’s not her fault if she can’t suppress her doubts about the relationship; René is moving way too fast, and Aimée’s instincts tell her Meizi, this supposed love of René’s life, isn’t trustworthy. And her misgivings may not be far off the mark: Meizi disappears during a Chinato...more
Kindle Edition
Published
(first published March 6th 2012)
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Aimee Leduc's partner, Rene, has fallen in love with a lovely young Chinese woman, Meizi. On the night when he is to meet her parents at a small dinner party in a Chinese restaurant, Meizi receives a phone call and bolts from the restaurant. An elderly woman rushes in and announces something in Chinese and the restaurant empties out. Aimee and Rene follow, Rene because he's worried about his girlfriend, and Aimee because she wants to know what's happened. She stumbles on one reason--a man has be...more
I usually love Cara Black's books about Aimee Leduc and her engrossing and exciting adventures in various Paris arondissements. She is a detective and security (not securities) expert with a taste for vintage designer clothes and "bad boy" partners. Her mother (an American) abandoned her and her father when she was a child, and her father, a Paris police detective, was killed in a bombing when she was a young adult.
The Cara Black style has Aimee leaping from one roof to another while complainin...more
The Cara Black style has Aimee leaping from one roof to another while complainin...more
This is the 12th in the series but my first read of Black's Aimee Leduc series. I've been to Paris three times, and it was great fun to read a mystery set there. Black takes great care with her Paris setting--not that I know enough about French policing or national security or Chinatowns to know whether she's got things right or not, but I know enough of Paris to be imagining my memories blended with her descriptions as I read. The city is a real character here, not just a setting.
Aimee Leduc is...more
Aimee Leduc is...more
The latest Aimee LeDuc mystery has one plot intertwined with two themes. To begin with, we are introduced to a young Chinese woman, Meizi, with whom Aimee’s business partner, Rene, is deeply infatuated. She turns out to be an illegal immigrant, and Aimee determines to find out more about the woman to protect Rene before it might be too late. At the same time, a young Frenchman is found murdered just outside the restaurant where Aimee, Rene and Meizi and her parents were dining.
During the dinner...more
During the dinner...more
If you’ve been dying to go to Paris but can’t afford the airfare, read Cara Black. Paris is a central character in her mysteries—you will be immersed in the sights, smells, and sounds so vividly you’ll be sure you’re there. Her latest Aimée Leduc mystery is set in the part of the Marais which holds the oldest Chinatown in Paris (there’s more than one), but also involves the only medieval Templar tower left, the Musée des Arts et Métiers, several delicious cafes, not to mention some gritty cobble...more
Remember all that brouhaha a number of years ago, when some people were trumpeting the wholesale abandonment of French cheese and telling us we should avoid Paris as a tourist destination?
Ya know what?
I have a suspicion that the people behind it secretly wore hair shirts and beat themselves with flails.
I mean, avoid Paris? Give me a break! If you aren’t a masochist, why would you want to torture yourself like that?
Okay, maybe you don’t like cheese, but surely you wouldn’t disagree with the immor...more
Ya know what?
I have a suspicion that the people behind it secretly wore hair shirts and beat themselves with flails.
I mean, avoid Paris? Give me a break! If you aren’t a masochist, why would you want to torture yourself like that?
Okay, maybe you don’t like cheese, but surely you wouldn’t disagree with the immor...more
Murder at the Lanterne Rouge takes on illegal Chinese immigrants and the snakeheads who control them, holding murder of loved ones back home and/or removal from the sweatshops in which they are employed to forced prostitution and similar fates. The story opens as Rene, who has fallen hard for yet-another young woman at his Dojo, asks Aimee to bring the birthday present he's forgotten at the office to him and his girlfriend who are celebrating her birthday at a restaurant in the couple-block Chin...more
Jun 05, 2012
Terri Lynn
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction,
mystery-suspense-thrillers
What am I going to do now? I discovered Cara Blacks's series about Paris private detective Aimee Leduc and now have just read the 12th book which was recently published (they come out one per year) and now will have to wait a year to read more.
In this book, Aimee is planning to go away on a vacation with the flic (cop) she is dating Melac to Martinique when Rene invites her to a Chinese restaurant for dinner with the Asian girl he has fallen in love with- Meizi. She is only slightly taller than...more
In this book, Aimee is planning to go away on a vacation with the flic (cop) she is dating Melac to Martinique when Rene invites her to a Chinese restaurant for dinner with the Asian girl he has fallen in love with- Meizi. She is only slightly taller than...more
I love being transported to Paris in each Aimee Leduc Investigation novel by Cara Black. Cara explores a different neighbourhood of Paris in each novel. In Murder at the Lanterne Rouge we are transported to one of Paris's Chinatowns. Very illuminating as I had no idea that illegal Chinese immigrants who were virtual slaves to those who brought them into the country.
I have read this entire series and this latest book is an excellent example of what makes this series by Cara Black exceptional. The...more
I have read this entire series and this latest book is an excellent example of what makes this series by Cara Black exceptional. The...more
I seem to be reading this series in reverse... it's an interesting way to discover a character and their backstory.
As with Murder Below Montparnasse this is set in an area of Paris I know but Black brings out odd corners and history that I didn't know; I'm starting to keep notes so on my next trip I can go to this church... that bistro. There's a little bit of Templar madness here, but it doesn't rise to Dan Brownian levels (yay!). The socially relevant parts revolve around Chinese snakeheads an...more
As with Murder Below Montparnasse this is set in an area of Paris I know but Black brings out odd corners and history that I didn't know; I'm starting to keep notes so on my next trip I can go to this church... that bistro. There's a little bit of Templar madness here, but it doesn't rise to Dan Brownian levels (yay!). The socially relevant parts revolve around Chinese snakeheads an...more
I am not sure how I came across this book; I think someone recommended it to me, possibly because I am originally from France.
I really disliked the novel because of the overabundance of cliches about France, Paris, French people etc... I am sure that Cara Black loves France, no doubt about it, and that she knows it well enough. However, too many details are off for me to be able to buy into the story. In addition, I became rapidly irritated by all those French words peppered throughout the text...more
I really disliked the novel because of the overabundance of cliches about France, Paris, French people etc... I am sure that Cara Black loves France, no doubt about it, and that she knows it well enough. However, too many details are off for me to be able to buy into the story. In addition, I became rapidly irritated by all those French words peppered throughout the text...more
In typical Aimee Leduc fashion, what should be a celebration as her partner, Renee, hosts a birthday celebration for his new love, turns into a disappearance, a murder and intrigue after intrigue. It all starts with the body of a young scientist/engineer found shrink-wrapped on the street. Soon Aimee is asked to investigate his death by his aunt, a former member of the French Resistance. It is soon obvious that Renee's new love is not what she seems including her name and the people she introduc...more
An ARC of Cara's upcoming Aimee Leduc book arrived and how could I not read it? We did Murder in the Marais with the Mystery group several years back and I've been following her ever since.
Another great outing with Aimee Leduc. I feel like I'm moving through Paris with my Baedeker in hand. I was fascinated by one aspect of the central mystery, the possible connection between medieval stained glass making and modern fiber optics. Having spent more than 20 years with a stained glass restorer and f...more
Another great outing with Aimee Leduc. I feel like I'm moving through Paris with my Baedeker in hand. I was fascinated by one aspect of the central mystery, the possible connection between medieval stained glass making and modern fiber optics. Having spent more than 20 years with a stained glass restorer and f...more
I feel terrible giving this book a low score. I was sort of "assigned" this book to read for an event I'm going to, and I really wish we'd been "assigned" the first book in the series. I floundered a bit trying to get a grip on the characters and the settings. I think if I had read the entire series, this entry would have meant much more to me. The main characters have lots of promise. I also wasn't crazy about all the French. It's set in Paris, everyone in it is speaking French, yet not all of...more
This is book twelve in the Aimee Leduc series, one that I have enjoyed from the start. Of course part of my interest is the books' settings in Paris, the details of the city and how life is lived there. But the plots are good too, fast-paced and inventive. Underlying them is Aimee's relationship to the police - through her father and her godfather. And there is the unanswered question of her mother's disappearance when Aimee was a child. The high-tech security firm she runs with her best friend...more
I think I've phased out of Aimee...désolé...I have a fine collection of the paperbacks but have gotten the this and the previous book from the library and don't intend to add them to my 'collection'. I'm sure its me - or the 'formula' is getting tired; but then, I'm still very happy w/ Sara Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski...!!
If I have to be specific - which I might as well be for my own reference - there are too many threads trying to be woven here and we return, AGAIN - to 'poor' Rene - his hips, h...more
If I have to be specific - which I might as well be for my own reference - there are too many threads trying to be woven here and we return, AGAIN - to 'poor' Rene - his hips, h...more
I thought this could have, and perhaps should have, been two books. I was involved at the beginning with the Meiji plot, but it then took second place to the fiber optic/stained glass/Templar thread. Connecting these two by means of one fascinating dead guy was ok, in theory, but so many characters and details were interwoven that by the end, I just got sick of it and kept reading just to be done. Interesting characters surfaced along the way (Pascal's mother) but they were never developed becau...more
I borrowed a Kindle from my local library and only started reading this because it was one of the titles loaded on the kindle. . I clearly had forgotten that I'd read the author's first mystery in the Aimee Leduc mystery series... and hadn't liked that one any better than this one. The story felt forced, and I never got to know the characters well enough to understand motivations, making the ultimate solution to the mystery... well, still mysterious! The one saving grace was the way Black made m...more
More Rene is always a good thing. As with many mystery series, it's the supporting characters who make the trip through the books worth it. Saj, Morbier, and Martine provide balance and perspective to Aimee's impulsive nature. Fortunately, Black avoids the temptation to make Aimee too perfect; she has problems finding and keeping the right man and makes mistakes in judgement.
My experience with bookclubs and these sorts of books is either you like the detective and supporting cast or you don't....more
My experience with bookclubs and these sorts of books is either you like the detective and supporting cast or you don't....more
The latest Aimee Leduc mystery. As always, I enjoyed them, but felt the plot was a bit forced and slightly unoriginal: another mystery involving ancient Templar secrets...really? I am also starting to tire of Aimee's lack of wardrobe preparation for detective work: why she consistently wears stilettos or expensive vintage coutoure when she must know she'll be running all over the city is beginning to wear on me. On the other hand, in this mystery, we learn (finally) something about her mysteriou...more
Some of us just don't learn. I knew I'd read another book in this series. It was actually two books and I didn't like either. You really have to be following the series for this entry (#12). She was running so many plot lines that you could tell would eventually connect that I felt like I was reading short stories. Finally my brain just gave up. I didn't care who killed the guy. Closed book. Made mental note to self not to pick up this series again. Warning: start from book 1 or don't start at a...more
I read one mystery novel per year, in March. That yearly mystery novel is the latest installment of Aimee Leduc's detective adventures in Paris.
As usual in this series, the plot is fast-paced, complex, and involves a number of subplots. While reading this book, I found myself more than usually aware of Aimee's bag. Always with her, it is a never-ending source of just what she needs to solve a problem, whether it be her lock-picking tools, a computer disc, an extra cell phone, or just her red li...more
As usual in this series, the plot is fast-paced, complex, and involves a number of subplots. While reading this book, I found myself more than usually aware of Aimee's bag. Always with her, it is a never-ending source of just what she needs to solve a problem, whether it be her lock-picking tools, a computer disc, an extra cell phone, or just her red li...more
A fun, quick read, set in Paris. The mystery was a bit convoluted, but that was just fine, like an old Hammett, or Gardner, which were also convoluted and almost impossible to follow. The main character does not quite command the room when she walks in, like Holmes, Bond, or Poirot, but she does okay, and the action was enough to keep me reading. My rating is a strong 3, almost 4. I will definitely try another one of these at some point, though my Kindle is already full of books to read right no...more
This was a more satisfying novel than some of the previous in the series, mostly because of some of the minor characters, such as the murder victim's aunt, Mrs. Samoukashian. As in the earlier books, though, it is annoying that the LeDuc character seems more interested in dressing stylishly than is strictly necessary, often with disastrous consequences. And as before, the technology references are way off the mark - see the conversation about the encrypted document as a glaring example.
In this adventure, Aimee Leduc takes on the mysterious Chinatown section of Paris in her second-hand designer clothes and on her faulty motor bike. She attempts to protect her partner, a genius dwarf computer guy, from the fallout of his engagement to a mysterious Chinese young woman who disappears almost as soon as Aimee is introduced to her and her (what turns out to be fake) parents. As long as she wears her Chanel skirt she will not get in much trouble....
Seems to me I tried an earlier title in this series and had the same reaction. The Paris is great and I enjoy learning about it. However, the title character is annoying and dresses all wrong for running around investigating (high-heeled boots? miniskirts?). Her partner, Rene, gets to be the noble lonely one, heart of gold, impulsive. If I don't like at least one of the main characters, I don't want to spend time with them. So I don't.
Fast-paced mystery featuring Aimee, a female computer investigator and ber business partner Rene (he suffers from the effects of dwarfism) who become involved in cases that often reflect social issues of past and present in Paris. Pluses also include danger, ingenuity, computer hacking and her collection of second-hand vintage designer wear. Recommended that series be read in order as personal issues also develop in each book. First is "Murder in the Marais."
Cara Black has the ability to pull you into Aimee Leduc's world within the first page. I loved the chance to see Aimee again and spend time with her in a different part of Paris-- in this case, one of the city's four Chinatowns. The attention to detail is so terrific that you feel you're right there with Aimee. The plot was intricate and yet believable, too. Can't wait for the next book!
While I enjoy Cara Black's Aimee Leduc series and this book as well, I find I'm getting tired of the non-resolution of several themes. This is the 12th book in the series and by the end I still wasn't sure about the fate of Aimee's mother. Her on-again off-again romances are getting predictable. I'll continue to read, because the mystery plots are intriguing and complex. I really need to pay attention when I read this series!
Picked this up to immerse myself in the sights, sounds, flavors and smells of Paris. Not disappointed. A good mystery that drags you along. I just found myself a bit confused at times, b/c this is apparently not the first book in the series, so I did not have the backstory of the protagonist. Well drawn characters, and a taste of the seamier side of Paris. Nice.
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Cara Black frequents a Paris little known outside the beaten tourist track. A Paris she discovers on research trips and interviews with French police, private detectives and café owners. She lives in San Francisco with her husband, a bookseller, and their teenage son. She is a San Francisco Library Laureate and a member of the Paris Sociéte Historique in the Marais. Her nationally bestselling and...more
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Apr 20, 2012 01:16pm