Prime Suspect

Cara Black (Author)

 

Cara Black writes a thrilling crime series set in Paris in the 1990s. Her sleuth is a private investigator and computer security expert named Aimee Leduc. Aimee along with her partner, a dwarf named Rene, solve murders and kidnappings and other crimes in the seedier neighborhoods of Paris. Each novel takes place in a different section of Paris's 20 arrondissements. She expertly weaves the mystery with the history of the neighborhood and its current multicultural character. The stories are firmly set in the 1990s and deal with issues like immigration, terrorism, the legacy of Nazism in Paris from WWII, and even the death of Princess Diana. These too are woven into Cara's mysteries to make them grander and give a more universal scope to her novels.

Cara's 10th Aimee Leduc Mystery, Murder in the Palais Royal, was published on March 1, 2010. I am in the middle of reading #5 Murder in Clichy.

I have to confess, I always thought Cara Black was a resident of Paris. Her knowledge and description of the City of Lights is so detailed, I thought only a native could write like this. But, no. Cara lives in one of my other favorite cities, San Francisco. However, she visits Paris frequently on research trips (one of the joys of being a writer!).

Cara Black is a featured author at the Tucson Festival of Books this weekend in my hometown. She along with Libby Fischer Hellmann, Shilpa Agarwal, and Suzanne Arruda will discuss mystery writing in foreign lands in a forum called "Other Countries, Other Crimes." On Sunday, Cara and Libby will talk about the emergence of the female private investigator in mysteries in a forum called "Good Girls and Bad Guys."

Visit Cara Blacks website for much more on Aimee Leduc, Paris, and her book tour. http://www.carablack.com/

Aimee Leduc Mysteries

1. Murder in the Marais (1998)
2. Murder in Belleville (2000)
3. Murder in the Sentier (2002)
4. Murder in the Bastille (2003)
5. Murder in Clichy (2004)
6. Murder in Montmarte (2005)
7. Murder on the Ile Saint-Louis (2007)
8. Murder in the Rue de Paradis (2008)
9. Murder in the Latin Quarter (2009)
10. Murder in the Palais Royal (2010)

Publishers:

• Soho Press, New York

www.sohopress.com

Young James Bond (Spy)

Charlie Higson, a British actor, comedian, and author, was commissioned by Ian Fleming Publications, to write 5 books that chronicle Young James Bond while he was a student at Eton.

The series' huge success can rightly be attributed to Higson's writing. The stories have all the familiar hallmarks of Ian Fleming's novels. The action is fast. Young Bond is completely believable and the villains are wonderfully diabolical. The plotting complex and as fun as anything the grown-up Bond encounters. 

But best of all, Charlie appreciates his younger audience but never panders to them. The novels
are captivating and highly intelligent (like Bond himself). Charlie doesn't write down to his readers. Instead, he forces them to think and learn while enjoying 5 riveting tales that slyly foreshadow the Fleming novels. 

Much more can be learned at the Young Bond website.

Young Bond

1. Silverfin (2005)
2. Blood Fever (2006)
3. Double or Die (2007)
4. Hurricane Gold (2007)
5. By Royal Command (2008)

Publishers:

• Disney - Hyperion Books, New York.

 

Rimington, Stella (Author)

 

At Risk is a fast-paced thriller hitting on every global hot topic. Written by Stella Rimington, the former head of UK’s MI5 (the internal security force), the story takes us from the desolate borders of Pakistan and Afghanistan to the desolate marsh lands of Norfolk, England as we follow two terrorists as they execute their plan to blow up a target in England.

MI5 Agent Liz Carlyle is in charge of the counter-terrorism investigation. She’s smart, devoted, and strong. She is able to collate disparate chatter into a firm conclusion that the terrorists have made their way into the country. With each new piece of information, it is fascinating to see how the security forces work together (and at times against each other) in order to stop a terrorist attack. Rimington admits that Liz is mostly autobiographical. As a reader, it is nice to know that what we are reading is (most likely) what really happens – mistakes and all.

The story is filled with many great characters including the slimy MI6 Agent Mackay, the Englishwoman turned Islamic Jihadist, and Wetherby, Liz’s surprisingly kindly boss. Even smaller characters are well developed. Particularly Denzil Parrish, a quiet, shy college kid who hates to admit he likes birdwatching because he thinks it might hurt his chances with the ladies.

In Secret Asset, after recovering from her last case (you have to read At Risk to find out what I mean), Liz gets information from her informant that there is a new terror attack in the works. But before she gets involved in following up on the info, she is given a new assignment and a new partner. The partner is a young go-getter named Peggy Kinsolver and the assignment is to find an IRA mole working for MI5. While working the case, Liz realizes that she has to uncover the mole fast because what she really needs to be doing is stopping the terror threat that is spiralling out of control.

This book is more polished than the first which is good. Fascinating tidbits about spycraft and memorable characters are also plusses. On the downside, it is also a little too much “inside baseball” which is bad.

Illegal Action Liz is given a simple assignment: infiltrate a Russian billionaire’s household and make sure he isn’t assassinated by the Russian government. This plot is based on a true “ripped from the headlines” story: Alexander Litvinenko, an real ex-Russian agent and a fierce critic of Putin was poisoned in London. Once Liz gets into the house, she soon finds that her job isn’t going to be that simple. Everyone, it seems, in the house isn’t who they say they are. So Liz along with her team do lots of intelligence gathering. Liz finds the assignment sort of boring and lets her guard down, which almost gets her killed.

But in the end, Liz and her team (well, almost all of her team) are successful in keeping their Russian alive. But was that the real assignment? Or was it all a ruse (pun intended) for something even more villainous? You’ll have to read it to see.

Stella gives us lots of interesting insights into the sometimes monotonous assignments that MI5 agents must contend with. But she has a way of making the most boring surveillance or information gathering seem so fascinating and suspenseful. Much improved writing and plotting in her third outing.

Liz Carlyle MI5 Spy Novels

1. At Risk (2004)
2. Secret Asset (2007)
3. Illegal Action (2008)
4. Dead Line (2008/UK, 2010/US)
5. Present Danger (2009/UK, ????/US)

Publishers:

• Hutchinson, Random House UK, London. (2004-2008)
• Quercus, London. (Current)
• Knopf, Random House, New York.