Murder In The Latin Quarter (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
This was once again another good read about Aimee Leduc. This time the theme was about illegal Haitian immigrants to France, which includes people making money on getting grants to help Haiti but not doing anything to clean lead and other poisons out of drinking water. At one point the author takes us to underground Paris to give the reader a taste of life down there (I would have liked more of this). I like Black's books, this being the second that I have read, more because of the setting, Paris, and the history that she weaves in to the story rather than the murder mystery. Aimee Leduc is a beautiful, smart, courageous, impetuous detective so she makes for an interesting character. I am not very good at putting together the various suspects and their relationships to the murders - it seemed as if there were simply too many 'leads' in this book and I had trouble keeping them sorted out. There was the gal claiming to be Aimee's half-sister (Mireille), Leonie Obin, Professor Benoit (murder victim) and his cohorts at the Natural History Museum (one is killed), Edourd (the handsome love interest and good guy) and all the intricate relationships of the World Bank, Hydrolysis (working to keep water clean and flowing in Haiti - or, is it just skimming off money?). I couldn't keep it all straight. Benoit's research on pigs and the tissue samples with the heavy metal evidence from the unclean water in Haiti - how it all integrated - plus, Aimee is constantly being chased and hurt and getting out of tight spots - I like the history: the Roman ruins, the Cluny museum, the streets and landmarks of Paris. I read it while in Paris so that was a major boost in my take on the book.
What do You think about Murder In The Latin Quarter (2009)?
A bit too simple for my taste. But the Parisian references were fun.
—cassidaymoriarity
long descriptions of Paris get in the way of the plot
—andrew
