'Murder in Passy': Cara Black investigates death in a wealthy French enclave

Wealthy Parisians, a kidnapped princess, violent Basque separatists, a network of aboveground reservoirs and a Vespa-riding private detective with a taste for high fashion — such are the basic ingredients of "Murder in Passy" (Soho, 273 pp., $25).

The book is author Cara Black's 11th mystery set in the City of Light. Black, a San Francisco resident, is on to a good thing: each of her novels is set in a colorful Parisian neighborhood — and there are a lot of them. The cumulative result of reading this addictive series is a sort of mini-tour of the city, as seen through a filter of fictional murder.

As in previous books, the central figure in "Murder in Passy" is Aimeé Leduc, that stylish private eye with the scooter. Here, she finds herself in the wealthy enclave of Passy, just across the river from the Eiffel Tower.

The time frame, as elsewhere in this series, is the mid-1990s. (Clues in this book: a passing mention of Princess Diana's recent death and the fact that Leduc pays for her many espressos in francs, not euros.

As the book opens, Leduc agrees to do anything possible for her godfather, a police commissioner named Morbier, with whom she has always been close. Morbier's lover, a wealthy Basque woman named Xavierre d'Eslay, has been strangled (with her own chic scarf) in her swank Passy home.

The favor Leduc promises? Evidence points strongly to Morbier, and he has become the prime suspect. Can Leduc look into the case, absolve her godfather and find the real killer?

The only possible answer is bien sûr — of course.

And so the detective — fully caffeinated and always well-dressed — begins the hunt. Aiding Leduc in the search is her clever partner, René , as well as some of the detective's extensive contacts within the police force (her late father was a cop).

The trail quickly leads to links between the murdered woman, her daughter and the (real-life) terrorist group ETA, which seeks to separate the Basque region from Spain. Subplots to this main theme focus on a suspected leak within the Paris police force and on Leduc's now-and-then relationship with a bad-boy cop. The book's climax is an exciting confrontation in a network of tunnels connecting Passy's hidden aboveground reservoirs.

Along the way, the detective demonstrates her resourcefulness and spirit. Case in point: anchoring a small video camera to a wall with cassis-flavored gum. And she may be a slave to fashion, but she's no wimp: Leduc shrugs off ruining a perfectly good pair of designer shoes (they get bloodstained) or soiling a chic outfit (while helping a little old lady clean house — the detective thinks she may be a valuable eyewitness).

Black's books are not as richly atmospheric as some others set in Paris (Alan Furst's spy novels come to mind, as do Fred Vargas' books about the enigmatic Commissaire Adamsberg). Nonetheless, Leduc is always a reliable and charming guide to the city's lesser-known corners.

Adam Woog's column on crime and mystery fiction appears on the second Sunday of the month in The Seattle Times.