Always good fun to be back in Paris with Aimee. This one seemed more topical than some of the previous ones, and Aimee's attempts at motherly skills always make me laugh.

Cara Black celebrates 20 years of Aimee Leduc with Murder in Bel Air. Aimee and her detective agency is trying to find her mother who has gone off the grid, protect her daughter and maneuver in the murky world of French and American secret spy operations. A plot in Cote d'Ivoire has gone off the rails, French assets are compromised and Aimee is in the thick of it. Gritty story with interesting characters who live in the grey side of the law.

Parisian private investigator Aimée Leduc returns in her 19th foray into detecting, her most thrilling yet. She’s just about to present a conference keynote when she gets an emergency call about her daughter Chloe. Aimée’s mother Sydney was supposed to have picked her up from playgroup but never arrived.

Frantic, Aimée dashes off to get Chloe and as they leave, sees the body of a young woman being taken from a nearby convent. She learns the last person to speak to the deceased was Sydney.

Now she must investigate because the coincidence is too great. As she does, she finds beaucoup bucks among the deceased’s possessions. What connection did her mother, a former CIA agent, have to this woman and what kind of mess is she embroiled in?

The mystery heats up with global spies, Cote d’Ivore entanglements and secrets galore in the 12th arrondissement, Aimée racing through the City of Light in Chanel and Louboutins astride her trademark pink Vespa.

What can I say? It’s Paree chic, the freshest baguette with Brie, a Magnum of Dom, a pile of macarons, the Seine stretched out before you, la Tour Eiffel sparkling in the distance. C’est merveilleux! 5/5

Pub Date 04 Jun 2019

Thanks to the author, Soho Press and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.

#MurderInBelAir #NetGalley

Aimee Leduc is called out of a tech conference when she finds out her mother left her daughter at day care. While trying to find her mother, Aimee gets embroiled in a dangerous mess involving factions in the Cote D’Ivoire. Always a great mixture of mystery and politics, the Aimee Leduc mysteries is one of my favorite series. The usual characters, Rene, Saj,Martine are back, and all contribute to the continued saga. Recommended, thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.