I had fun yesterday nosing around my library's e-book collection for French mysteries. I came across a series by Cara Black starring her reluctant investigator Aimée Leduc. Aimée, whose father was a flic killed by a terrorist bomb, runs a computer security firm in Paris with her partner, a dwarf named René.
Th first book in the series is Murder in the Marais which I remember starting to read some time ago and putting aside. I couldn't get that one so I downloaded the second in the series Murder in Belleville. After reading quite a bit of it last night I remember why I put aside the first book. How could these books not be engaging? Paris...a female detective...a female author...what is not to like? Actually there is quite a lot not to like. Everything seems just a bit too forced. The characters, the dialogue, the action.
I am seriously disappointed.
It is always good to have a backup book and I came across a French writer, Daniel Pennac. He has quite a few mysteries out in translation (known as The Malaussene Saga) and my wonderful library had his first titled The Scapegoat (Au Bonheur des Ogres). I braved the heat today and I have that one in hand hoping it will make me laugh and present a pretty Parisian puzzle at the same time.
