Murder on the Ile Saint-Louis, the latest offering in the series featuring detective Aimée Leduc, is a quick, fairly entertaining read, but not one of Cara Black’s best. The usual things happen: Aimee wanders into an intriguing plot that involves mystery and murder, she gets help from her business partner René Friant, she falls in love with a stranger who is a bad boy but also deep and romantic, she ticks off the police who are working on the case for real but manages to get important information that they can’t get themselves, and, of course, she saves the day. What is missing here is the atmosphere, which the earlier books are full of. There are barely any café stops for espresso or wine and talk with the locals, no real discussion of an important social issue in France (there is an issue, but it isn’t gone into very deeply) and there is little description of the different areas and locales in Paris. All of these are part of what made Black’s other books so entertaining and relevant. With this one, she (and Aimee, it feels like) is just going through the motions, like even she is tired of the same old story. So, while it’s still an enjoyable read, if just to catch up with Leduc, this book, like the Seine in the summer, sort of stinks. I recommend it, but start with the earlier books first. --Candice

From ICPL Staff Picks Blog