Roxanne Livingston FSU and Law Library Intern Spring 2012

It all started with a promised trip to Paris. This of course lead to a search for books about Paris and as mystery novels are my second most favorite genre, I immediately took to this series that is set in Paris. The main protagonist is a very modern female private detective named Aimée Leduc. The plot involves solving murder mysteries with her partner, Rene, who happens to be a dwarf (don’t ask me why).

The beauty of this series is that the author takes you through the different arrondissements of Paris and each book highlights a different section of the City of Lights. Parisian History and architecture is deftly woven into the intricate plot. The book is the most fun you can have with a mystery/travel book.

The slight weakness of this series is that the Leduc’s detective agency specializes in computer forensics investigations that cross the border into illegal hacking and can be somewhat unbelievable. Aimée keeps being pulled into solving murders instead of pulling her weight with her partner.

This book, Murder in the Marais, is the first in a series, with 11 more in the series to read. Black‘s books feature literate prose, great plotting and interesting and complicated characters. In this book, Black uses historical detail such as Marais, the historic Jewish quarter, and a murder touching on war crimes. This book series is entertaining and leaves you with feeling that you have been to Paris.