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Cara Black’s Occasional Newsletter
January 2010




  

Happy 2010 and Bonne Année Everyone,

I missed the December snow in Paris by two days. A good thing since I didn’t have the right boots or coat. Part of me misses seeing narrow cobbled streets covered by a crust-like granulated sugar snow - another part misses the glacial cold not one bit.

Hope you’re warm and welcoming the new year and have a good book in your bag, your coat pocket, or on your Kindle. Mais oui, Aimée’s on Kindle.

Here’s a few quick highlights of my recent trip:
touring the Commissariat in Paris and
following the haunts of Inspector Maigret at 36, Quai des Orfevrés the Paris Police Prefecture. On a tour of the Crime Scene Unit. The Crime Scene techs spent four hours taking my friend Anne and I around and I couldn’t thank them enough. See Commissaire Eric showing us fingerprint cards.




             
Maigret’s ‘office’ is behind up five flights.

     


tasting Macaroons at Laduree




finding my book Meurtre dans le Marais in French (Murder in the Marais)  in the Marais bookstore Comme un Roman, a great indie bookseller on rue de Bretagne.





Going to the Druout auction house and staring at a Renoir...



no I couldn’t afford it
nor the letter by Baudelaire that went on the auction block for 2000 Euros.











And climbing into the sewers via the
manhole



The big news is that MURDER IN THE PALAIS ROYAL is coming out on March 1.
Aimée Leduc’s 10th (hard to believe I know) investigation takes her to the decayed aristocratic Palais Royal and back to a crime she discovered in Murder in the Marais, her first investigation.

In a way, Murder in the Palais Royal, comes full circle for Aimée. The secrets, the past and hidden lies surface. I’m excited and have wanted for a long time to write about the Palais Royal, where Colette and Jean Cocteau lived. This beautiful arcaded garden tucked away and surrounded by the Comedie Francaise, the Ministry of Culture is in the center of Paris.

Colette called the Palais Royal a ‘village’. And if you saw Charade with Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant the shootout with Walter Mathau took place right there under the shadowy arcades. And Didier Ludot sells wonderful vintage little black dresses.

In March I’m going on book tour. A good old-fashioned travel which would not be worth doing, believe me, if I wasn't lucky enough to have you come out to see me! (So please do!) The tour starts March 1st.

I’ll update you soon on the tour schedule and contest info, yes, we’re having a contest.
Grand Prize:  a signed set of all nine books in the Aimée Leduc Investigations, 2nd Prize a signed copy of Murder in the Palais Royal, 3rd Prize French Macaroons, 4th Prize 2 books from the Aimée Leduc series - one you chose, one I chose for you that I think you might like.  Of course those bonus questions could earn you nail polish!
We’re doing it on Twitter, Facebook and my website so please visit http://www.carablack.com for contest details,

Meanwhile come visit me on Facebook - I’m posting more Paris photos and Paris related all the time, Or on Twitter @carablack or Tuesdays on our blog with crime writers from different corners of the world on http://murderiseverywhere.blogspot.com

Or read The Detective I want to be - Newspaper article about the Aimée Leduc
at http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=886314&category=life&TextPage=1
If you’re looking for Noir, my friend Denise Hamilton, who edited and picked wonderful short stories for LA Noir 1 - which I saw in French in Paris! - does it again with LA Noir 2 coming out in April from Akashic Books. Who says women can’t write noir?

And if you’re going to Paris stop by the turn of the century bakery Aimée goes by in Murder in the Rue de Paradis near the canal Saint Martin...the bread is amazing.
http://www.dupainetdesidees.com/amidupain.html

Don’t miss Ladurée (famous for macaroons)16 rue Royale, Paris 75001
http://www.laduree.com  PS Macaroons figure on pg 167 in Murder in the Palais Royal.




A la prochaine and wishing you the best,

Cara

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