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. I firmly believe that these books are at their best when the plot deals with Aimée on a personal level. No story to date is more personal than this 21st and latest entry, MURDER AT LA VILLLETTE.

It is 2002, and Aimée is on an undercover assignment at a company in Paris. While there, she finds a manager abusing one of the hired cleaning staff and promptly intervenes. Aimée promises to stand up for Isabelle as a witness to protect her job and ensure that the actions against her are properly punished. She has no idea at this time how valuable an ally she has made in Isabelle.

"MURDER AT LA VILLETTE 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."

Meanwhile, Aimée continues to be harassed by calls from her ex-lover, Jérome Melac, all concerning a nasty custody battle involving their three-year-old daughter, Chloé. She is reluctant to even listen to the messages, but for some reason she decides to play the most recent one. It is quite cryptic as Melac, a police detective, claims that he has “just seen a ghost.” She calls him back, and he answers with a gurgle before the call cuts off. She fears he’s in serious trouble and happens to spy along the canal by the drawbridge what looks like a figure floating in the water.

It turns out to be none other than Melac, an obvious victim of an attack as his throat has been slashed. No sooner does Aimée make this gruesome discovery than she is accosted from behind by someone with an authoritative tone who sounds like a policeman. He subdues her, sticks a bloody knife in her hand, and bashes her over the head so she would be found with the murder weapon that was used on Melac.

Aimée wakes up in the hospital and has difficulty seeing. Years earlier on a prior case, she sustained serious damage to her ocular nerve that nearly cost her her eyesight. Following examinations, she will be interrogated by the police as the prime suspect in Melac’s murder. She contacts her godfather and mentor, Commissarie Morbier, to be there with her and use whatever influence he can to get her freed and back to Chloé as she knows she did not commit this crime.

When the interrogation, as well as the lack of assistance from Morbier, does not seem to make for a rosy outcome, Aimée finds the first opportunity to flee. Now on the run and wanted for Melac’s slaying, she must attempt to work the case herself to clear her name so she can return to her precious daughter. The first guardian angel she runs into is the very same Isabelle she helped out earlier. It turns out that Isabelle works with a local biker gang and has a side gig pedaling wholesale cigarettes. They take Aimée in and provide her cover. They also are the eyes and ears of the neighborhood and will assist with any evidence they can uncover about the case.

Aimée begins her private campaign to obtain freedom by speaking with those who might be able to help. A young research assistant makes her aware of the decades-old case involving the serial killer known as le Belafre, who raped and murdered both young women and grandmothers in ritualistic fashion from 1986-1994. Since he was never brought to justice, word has it that he might be back at work again. Could he have been the “ghost” Melac saw the night of his murder? If so, might he be a current or former police officer, which could explain why Morbier backed off when Aimée told her story about someone else being at the scene of the crime?

As the situation gets more dire and deadlier, Aimée realizes that she does not know who she can trust. Even her current boyfriend, who works with the police, refuses to assist her --- making her believe that the “blue wall of silence” is indeed working against her and that she truly is alone. She turns up both good and bad clues and/or red herrings and receives unexpected help along the way. Even with some sort of assistance, Aimée is still in constant peril, and Cara Black continues to throw one roadblock after another her way straight through to the surprising conclusion.

MURDER AT LA VILLETTE 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.