{"product_id":"murder-at-la-villette-isbn-9781641296724","title":"Murder at la Villette","description":"\u003cb\u003eParisian private investigator Aimée Leduc has been framed for the murder of her daughter’s father—now she’s on the lam, and must find the real killer to clear her name in this thrilling 21st installment of Cara Black’s \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling mystery series.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eParisian private investigator Aimée Leduc doesn’t know that her life is about to be upended. Her ex, Melac, has been hounding her to move their daughter, Chloé, to Brittany. Aimée is fed up with his threats to take her to court and has stopped answering his calls. Which is why she doesn’t know he’s waiting for her by the Bassin de la Villette as she leaves a client’s office late one night. When she finds him there, bleeding in the canal, he has just been stabbed by an assailant, who knocks Aimée unconscious and plants the bloody knife in her hands.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNow Aimée is in police custody, debilitated by a concussion, with overwhelming evidence pointing to her as Melac’s killer. She must figure out who murdered Melac—not an easy job, given the target on his back as a former homicide investigator. Cut off from her typical network and forced to operate under multiple layers of cover, Aimée must go deep into the underbelly of Paris’s 19th \u003ci\u003earrondissement\u003c\/i\u003e, where she rubs shoulders with biker gangs, paranoid journalists, grieving parents, and frustratingly tight-lipped ex-cops on her hunt for justice.\u003cb\u003e\u003cu\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cu\u003ePraise for\u003ci\u003e Murder at la Villette\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eA National Bestseller\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A tour de force of hide-and-seek through the alleys and dive bars of the 19th Arrondissement of Paris by private investigator Aimée Leduc . . . Besides a detailed tour of Paris, Cara Black has written a clever, fast-paced and exciting book I promise you will need to peel your fingers off.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eThe Durango Telegraph\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “A big plus for the Leduc series, [\u003ci\u003eMurder at la Villette\u003c\/i\u003e] bring[s] it fresh vigor and the page-turning intensity of sharp timelines and big stakes.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—New York Journal of Books\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Black shrewdly ups the stakes in the pulse-pounding 21st mystery featuring French PI Aimée Leduc . . . Black maintains expert suspense and keeps things fresh by separating the investigator from her typical allies. This will thrill series fans and newcomers alike.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e, Starred Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Features the requisite host of colorful characters who spill out of the biker bars and tattoo parlors of the 19th arrondissement, a bevy of chic disguises, and a few slick car chases. But as usual, the star of the show is the city Aimée loves. Vintage Black for fans of women’s empowerment and life in Paris.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The pace is relentless, and the plot thickens with each chapter. An odd assortment of crooked cops, biker gangs, drug dealers, grieving parents, and even a WWII Nazi keep the challenges and the clues coming. Best read with a café au lait in hand.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Booklist\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Cara Black’s Aimée Leduc novels are such powerful mysteries that this long-running series has become the standard for strong female protagonists and Parisian-based stories . . . \u003ci\u003eMurder at la Villette\u003c\/i\u003e is indeed one of the finest entries in this series as Aimée’s entire litany of friends and family are involved in the most personal and confounding case of her career.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Bookreporter.com\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003cu\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePraise for the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling Aimée Leduc series\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “The finest PI series now being written.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Mick Herron, author of \u003ci\u003eSlow Horses\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Black offers armchair travelers a whirlwind trip through the City of Light.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Black’s chatty style quickly transports the reader to the banks of the River Seine, and Leduc, as always, is an engaging heroine.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Marvelous . . . Boasts all of Black’s trademark charms, including deft plotting, sharp dialog and colorful sights and sounds.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eChicago Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Black creates rich, plausible characters, giving them individuality and depth.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Gate\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Cara Black’s Aimée Leduc is a gem: a stylish, brave private detective (and new mom) who zips around Paris on a scooter . . . Beguiling tours of some of Paris’ little-known corners.”  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eThe Seattle Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Chic and utterly charming.” \u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e —\u003ci\u003eThe Milwaukee Journal Sentinel\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eCara Black \u003c\/b\u003eis the author of twenty-one books in the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling Aimée Leduc series, the national bestseller \u003ci\u003eThree Hours in Paris\u003c\/i\u003e, and its follow-up, \u003ci\u003eNight Flight to Paris\u003c\/i\u003e. She has been awarded La Médaille d'Or du Rayonnement Culturel—the medal for distinguished service in sharing historic and cultural insights of Paris by the French Republic, received multiple nominations for the Anthony and Macavity Awards, and her books have been translated into German, Norwegian, Japanese, French, Spanish, Italian, and Hebrew. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and visits Paris frequently.\u003ci\u003eApril 2002 • 11:00 p.m. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e Monday, Avenue Secrétan, Paris \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e April in Paris rarely feels like the song, thought Aimée Leduc, shivering as she buttoned her leather jacket. Glocron’s cold, cavernous office, in a threadbare 1930s movie theater that had been chopped into workspaces, was embellished with faux rococo swirls and chipped plaster ceilings. It felt as aesthetically pleasing as an aircraft hangar. \u003cbr\u003e     Last time Aimée would take a job like this. Too much working overtime. It didn’t help that this whole consulting gig was fake—she was really here at this tech start-up on an undercover contract for the Ministry, trying to nail down evidence of a saboteur in the IT department in between her humdrum security work. Plus the added strain of constantly battling with her ex, Melac, the biological father of her daughter, over custody was taking its toll. \u003cbr\u003e      She hit save on her computer terminal and logged out of her security program.\u003cbr\u003e      To Aimée, this odd open office plan had only one redeeming feature—a view of the Marché Secrétan, a covered market where she used to go shopping with her grandfather, her hand in his, to buy rabbit from his favorite butcher. Now the dilapidated art nouveau covered market looked in need of some love. Just like her. \u003cbr\u003e      She packed up, rubbed her chilly hands. Thank God her workspace had an outlet for a portable heater. The other employees wore their coats indoors and huddled by the espresso machine for any kind of camaraderie. \u003cbr\u003e      Shouts and the scrape of chairs came from a terminal nearby. “Who cares about your disabled brother!” Pépe, the wiry Basque programmer, was yelling at Isabelle, the cleaner. He twitched in anger. “Clumsy \u003ci\u003esalope\u003c\/i\u003e, you spilled my coffee over my printouts!”\u003cbr\u003e      Isabelle, her long dark braid clipped up, paused mopping the floor. Her silver nose ring glinted under the harsh fluorescent light.\u003cbr\u003e      Before Aimée could stand up, Pépe’d taken a swing at Isabelle. \u003cbr\u003e      Isabelle ducked. Not soon enough. His blow knocked the mop she’d held in her tattooed arm clattering to the floor.\u003cbr\u003e      Was the fool jacked up on caffeine or wired on something else—like speed?\u003cbr\u003e     Aimée rushed over, catching Isabelle before she hit back, and shoved the programmer back into his chair. \u003cbr\u003e     “Are you all right, Isabelle?” Aimée asked, concerned. “Let me see your arm.”\u003cbr\u003e     “He barely grazed me,” said Isabelle, her eyes like daggers.\u003cbr\u003e      \u003ci\u003eL’idiote\u003c\/i\u003e—the programmer didn’t know who he’d bullied. \u003cbr\u003e      Isabelle, a biker \u003ci\u003efille\u003c\/i\u003e from up the canal, had gone to school with Aimée’s cousin, Sébastien. Both had been junkies who’d cleaned up, gotten straight. Staying clean was hard, but Aimée’s cousin had done it. Aimée sometimes wondered if Isabelle had gone back to her old ways. \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e     Once a junkie . . . No—think positive. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e     Isabelle looked healthier than Aimée had ever seen her.\u003cbr\u003e     Aimée turned to Pépe and summoned authority in her voice. “Since when do you hit women?”\u003cbr\u003e     She pulled her digital camera out of her purse and started snapping photos of the mark on Isabelle’s arm.\u003cbr\u003e     He sputtered, “Hey, you can’t do that.”\u003cbr\u003e     “Too late. I have.”\u003cbr\u003e     “They’ll fire you when I report this, \u003ci\u003esalope\u003c\/i\u003e,” Pépe said to Isabelle. He had spotty skin, potato ears, and a temper.\u003cbr\u003e     “Report what? You’re a lying weasel. I didn’t spill your coffee.”\u003cbr\u003e     “\u003ci\u003eEt alors\u003c\/i\u003e, aren’t you aware of the firm’s policies against violence?” said Aimée.\u003cbr\u003e     “This isn’t over,” Pépe said, grabbing his backpack and storming out. “You’ll never get that recommendation!”\u003cbr\u003e      Isabelle picked up her mop. Her hands were shaking. “\u003ci\u003eMerde!\u003c\/i\u003e”\u003cbr\u003e     “Isabelle, take a second. Calm down,” Aimée said. “Tell me about your brother. Is this about him? Is he okay?”\u003cbr\u003e     Isabelle took a deep breath. “Muscular dystrophy. It’s getting worse. He’s going downhill.”\u003cbr\u003e     Aimée vaguely remembered hearing Sébastien mention it.\u003cbr\u003e     “I need a recommendation from my employer to qualify for adapted housing. Pépe knows it, too.”\u003cbr\u003e     “I’m sorry,” said Aimée.\u003cbr\u003e     “Pépe pretends he cares, then attacks me. Just because I won’t go out with him.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e     Mean to the bone.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e      Aimée couldn’t believe the toxic work culture fermenting here.\u003cbr\u003e     After Sébastien had gotten clean, Aimée had guaranteed Sébastien’s business. He’d branched out as a building contractor and now owned several framing shops. Sébastien had been the one to steer Isabelle toward the program that matched her with this job—the tech start-up got tax incentives for hiring locals. The locals benefited from jobs and access to fast-track housing. It was a win-win.\u003cbr\u003e      Too bad the boss, Robért, a preening narcissist, had no management skills to speak of. Just last week he’d reduced the intern program and frozen the promotions of five programmers, who’d then quit. Isabelle would not be able to count on him to be sympathetic. \u003cbr\u003e     “I’ll report Pépe and back you up,” said Aimée.\u003cbr\u003e      “You shouldn’t,” Isabelle said. “The boss is a \u003ci\u003esalaud\u003c\/i\u003e, I don’t want you in trouble.”\u003cbr\u003e     Defending Isabelle would be thorny—Aimée couldn’t afford to rankle Robért if she wanted to keep her undercover Ministry job. But she had to help Isabelle with this second chance.\u003cbr\u003e      “\u003ci\u003eExcusez-moi.\u003c\/i\u003e” Robért was striding toward them. The hanging fluorescent lights reflected off his rimless glasses. He wore a tight bargain Monoprix suit and clearly thought it looked good on him. “Pépe’s filing a report against you,” he said to Isabelle. He probably didn’t even know her name. “Look, we can’t tolerate harassment from contract workers.”\u003cbr\u003e     Isabelle’s eyes welled. Aimée wondered if she’d break out in tears or slug him. Before either could happen, Aimée wedged herself between Isabelle and Robért.\u003cbr\u003e     “Harassment by whom?” She held up her camera for him to see. “I’ve recorded Pépe’s demeaning insults here and documented his physically assaulting Isabelle. She will be filing a complaint and charges against him. This will go all the way up to the board of Glocron.”\u003cbr\u003e     No company board relished dealing with a problem like this. Robért knew that could impact their funding. He looked deflated.\u003cbr\u003e     Isabelle’s eyes widened. She was scared but defiant. She needed this job.\u003cbr\u003e     “But,” Aimée added, thinking on the fly, “Isabelle might consent to continue working here if Pépe took anger management classes and she was transferred to a different floor and office.”\u003cbr\u003e      Too harsh? Would this get her fired? Working undercover, Aimée needed to stay under the radar.\u003cbr\u003e     Her handler in the Ministry was on her case every day.\u003cbr\u003e     But right now she couldn’t care less.\u003cbr\u003e     Robért steepled his fingers. “If we do that, she wouldn’t press charges or file a complaint?”\u003cbr\u003e     Isabelle’s jaw clenched but she nodded.\u003cbr\u003e     “I’ll get that in writing and have you sign it.”\u003cbr\u003e     With that, Robért hurried to his office. \u003cbr\u003e     “\u003ci\u003eMerci\u003c\/i\u003e, Aimée,” said Isabelle. “I owe you.” \u003cbr\u003e      “\u003ci\u003ePas du tout\u003c\/i\u003e,” Aimée said. “The creep can’t get away with what he did. And he won’t. What’s your number?” \u003cbr\u003e     She wanted to follow up and make sure Isabelle didn’t suffer a fallout.\u003cbr\u003e     “Can you remember nobodylu?” she said, then spelled it out: “N-o-b-o-d-y-l-u?” \u003cbr\u003e      Aimée nodded. “Why?”\u003cbr\u003e      “Easiest way to remember my phone number. 06 26 39 58.” She mimed typing it on a phone keyboard, which would spell the phrase. “Contact me any time.”\u003cbr\u003e      Aimée went back to her desk, logged back on, downloaded the photos from her digital camera—just in case—trashed her junk mail and powered off her computer. As she was reaching for her bag, she found an envelope with \u003ci\u003eAimée Leduc Détective Privé\u003c\/i\u003e typed on the outside—and \u003ci\u003eURGENT\u003c\/i\u003e written underneath in familiar hard-to-read scrawl. Looking over her shoulder to make sure no one was watching, she opened the envelope.\u003cbr\u003e      \u003ci\u003eWe have to talk. There’s something you need to know. It’s important. Last time, Aimée, and I won’t take no for an answer.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e      Melac, hounding her again. Chloé’s biological father wanted to move Chloé to Brittany. Melac also wanted to get back together, but that train had left the station long ago. Aimée’d let nothing jeopardize her new relationship—which was already tricky—with Bellan, a divorcé who cared part-time for his three children. \u003cbr\u003e      They’d already talked about this ad nauseam, including yesterday—a long conversation that had gone nowhere. She’d had enough. \u003cbr\u003e      Why had he left her a note at the office? Why not at home? The only thing she could think of was he was working nearby. \u003ci\u003eGreat.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e      Her phone rang. Melac. Again.\u003cbr\u003e      She hit the red button and sent him straight to voice mail where he belonged.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eMonday Late Evening • Quai de la Loire\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Melac clicked off his phone. Why wouldn’t Aimée answer? The tarnished spring moon filtered through a wispy web of clouds. Pale pewter lights reflected on the choppy canal’s surface farther down the lamplit quai. \u003cbr\u003e      He ground out his cigarette on the stone bank with his toe. The place felt dark as a witch’s \u003ci\u003ederrière\u003c\/i\u003e, as they said in Brittany.\u003cbr\u003e      He needed to stay alert. \u003cbr\u003e      \u003ci\u003eBrrr.\u003c\/i\u003e He rubbed his hands and paced in front of a weather-warped shed bearing a plaque with the Paris city motto, \u003ci\u003eFluctuat nec mergitur\u003c\/i\u003e, Latin for\u003ci\u003e It rocks but does not sink. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e      He didn’t like doing surveillance here—he was exposed. An open target. \u003cbr\u003e      He climbed over a fence to get better reception and finally found it by the old bridge crossing the canal. The pulleys that controlled the lift deck, opening and closing the bridge twenty-five times a day, cast rippled shadows on the quai.\u003cbr\u003e      He called his liaison on the surveillance job but only got voice mail. Irritating. He hated working with amateurs. As soon as he’d put his phone back down, it rang. Fuming, he looked at the tiny screen. \u003cbr\u003e      It wasn’t Aimée. It was the liaison whose line crackled and kept breaking up. This latest security contract was a pain, too. He hated surveillance and wished he were back working with his colleagues in counterterrorism. But surveillance work was the only way he’d get the steady paycheck he needed to guarantee shared custody of Chloé.\u003cbr\u003e     \u003ci\u003e “Allô?” \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e      “Abort . . .”\u003cbr\u003e      He couldn’t hear the rest and stepped out of the wind to shelter by the ancient hydraulic lift bridge’s toll house. \u003cbr\u003e      “Abort why?” he said. The job was still an hour off. Tense, he looked around, alert to what had gone wrong.\u003cbr\u003e      The bridge railings were cast iron and finished in light blue. On either side the two old warehouses stood like hulking sentinels, narrowing the Bassin de la Villette.\u003cbr\u003e     The call broke up. Static.","brand":"Soho Crime","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46303048630501,"sku":"NP9781641296724","price":18.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781641296724.jpg?v=1767733115","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/murder-at-la-villette-isbn-9781641296724","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}