Murder at La Villette

Black shrewdly ups the stakes in the pulse-pounding 21st mystery featuring French PI Aimée Leduc (after 2022’s Murder at the Porte de Versailles). In 2002 Paris, Aimée has been hired by a government ministry to identify a saboteur at tech startup Glocron. Given the assignment’s covert nature, she’s stunned to discover that an envelope addressed to her was slipped into her purse after a visit to Glocron’s offices. Inside is a letter from her ex-boyfriend, Melac—the father of her daughter, Chloé—who’s been harassing Aimée to pressure her and Chloé into moving nearer to him in Brittany. Melac has been keeping tabs on Aimée at Glocron, and after he has a harrowing encounter with a homeless man he recognizes near the company’s offices one evening, he leaves Aimée a frightened voicemail. The man then stabs Melac before slitting his throat; when Aimée happens on the scene, the attacker knocks her out, plants the bloody knife on her, and flees. Swiftly accused of murdering Melac, Aimée enters a seedy underworld of Parisian biker gangs and ex-cops to track down the real killer. Though Aimée’s innocence is never in doubt, Black maintains expert suspense and keeps things fresh by separating the investigator from her typical allies. This will thrill series fans and newcomers alike. Agent: Katherine Fausset, Curtis Brown, Ltd. (Mar.)