Murder in Belleville

October 2, 2000
After a first-class debut in 1999's Anthony-nominated Murder in the Marais, sassy detective Aim e Leduc returns, offering an intriguing glimpse of Paris's gruff Belleville district, known for its high concentration of Arab immigrants. The suspense begins immediately with Aim e receiving a puzzling, urgent call from her friend Ana s. On arriving at their meeting spot, Aim e witnesses a car bombing--and soon learns that the bombing's victim was the mistress of Ana s's government minister husband, Philippe. By questioning locals, she discovers that the dead woman, Sophie, had an alias, Eug nie Grandet (not to be confused with Balzac's woeful character), and lived what looked like a dual life. Sophie's liaison with Philippe suggested elegance and exclusivity, but her life as Eug nie placed her in the middle of a tumultuous drama involving a secretive North African radical group. Some of Black's strongest writing is in her descriptions of Belleville's heady atmosphere. As Aim e searches deeper for clues, she attracts the attention of ruthless people who would rather she didn't snoop, while her findings reveal a dark side to immigrant politics that Philippe and the rest of the French government would prefer she left alone. But Aim e, never one to take non for an answer, smartly hones in to pull off a thrilling finale that nicely exhibits the author's creative skills.

October 15, 2000
When Paris private investigator Aimee Leduc agrees to help a friend's sister, whose husband is having an affair, she quickly finds herself ensnared in a politically charged case involving the deportation of illegal immigrants (" sans papiers"). The philandering husband is a diplomat who turns out to be in cahoots with Afghani-based terrorists who are using funds raised for the immigrants to purchase guns. The action takes place in Belleville, home to Paris' large Arab immigrant community. Black effectively captures the tension and energy of the area, as feuding political factions struggle for power, and the criminal underworld, undeterred by ideals, finds ways to profit from the turmoil. Leduc, a computer specialist, gets to the bottom of the mystery by following the money through cyberspace. It's doubtful that the clicking of a keyboard will ever pack the power of the rat-tat-tat of a .45, but Black generates genuine excitement as Leduc slices and dices databases with a gusto that Philip Marlowe would have admired. The Leduc novels make a natural pairing with Daniel Pennac's equally hip Malaussene series (also set in Belleville).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2000, American Library Association.)