Aimée Leduc, the private detective star of 13 previous books by Cara Black, is almost six months pregnant as Murder in Pigalle begins. She still hasn't told the baby's father, but she's distracted from her personal problems when her young friend Zazie tells her that several of her classmates have been raped.
Aimée is appalled to learn the police hadn't yet realized a serial rapist is targeting 12-year-old girls--and becomes even more focused when Zazie goes missing. On a quest to save Zazie and catch the rapist, Aimée will stop at nothing, engaging in shoot-outs with suspects, snooping around police headquarters, even going on a sleazy tabloid television show to get the word out.
Murder in Pigalle brings the red light district of Paris to the forefront as Aimée's search takes her through dodgy bars, old theaters and swanky houses. Although the text is occasionally choppy (perhaps reflective of Aimée's hormonal thought processes?), the pace is brisk, the plot intriguing; Black effectively captures the essence of the titular neighborhood. Aimée personifies fashion-conscious Paris, as she treks across the city in her high-heeled shoes, unfraid to bend the law when it suits her, desperate to find Zazie. Murder in Pigalle showcases both a memorable detective and an unforgettable city. --Jessica Howard, blogger at Quirky Bookworm