A P.I. in Paree

Cara Black, whose seventh Aimée Leduc detective novel, Murder on the Ile Saint-Louis, was recently published by Soho Crime, submits to Elaine Flinn’s “bubble”-style interrogation at Murderati. During the course of the interview, Black says she would most like to book-tour with Raymond Chandler and Jean-Patrick Manchette; recalls her research trips to Paris; and concedes that she’s had some trouble convincing her publisher to let the charming Ms. Leduc tackle crime beyond the French capital:

I’d like to take Aimée out of my Paris to Marseilles or Lyon for the weekend. There’s lots of crime there, but every time I mention it, my editor shakes her head. So I guess a new series is in order. Or a standalone. People always ask me why I don’t write about San Francisco, where I live--but it feels too close. I don’t feel removed enough to write about it ... at least now. During several years spent traveling--I’ve got experiences to draw on: living in Switzerland and working in a train station, riding a motorcycle across North Africa--Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco--later running out of money and sleeping in a Bangkok temple. It’s all fodder. And there’s an incredible part of London with canals--they call it the London Venice--and it’s so cool and ... I really need to explore.

You can catch their full exchange here.