A cultural history of one of Paris's most fascinating and variegated areas, whose history can be summarized as 'from riches to rags and back again.' From beating heart of fashionable Paris in the Middle Ages to run-down, largely Jewish neighbourhood and post-restoration chic gay habitat, the Marais has probably undergone more major changes in its identity than any other Paris quartier.

Meet Aimée Leduc, the smart, stylish Parisian private investigator, in her bestselling first investigation Aimée Leduc has always sworn she would stick to tech investigation—no criminal cases for her. Especially since her father, the late police detective, was killed in the line of duty. But when an elderly Jewish man approaches Aimée with a top-secret decoding job on behalf of a woman in his synagogue, Aimée unwittingly takes on more than she is expecting. She drops off her findings at her client’s house in the Marais, Paris’s historic Jewish quarter, and finds the woman strangled, a swastika carved on her forehead. With the help of her partner, René, Aimée sets out to solve this horrendous murder, but finds herself in an increasingly dangerous web of ancient secrets and buried war crimes.

In a knowledgeable, conversational style that conveys (and makes contagious) Karmel's love of his subject, A Corner in the Marais traces the architectural and social development of the City of Lights, from its origins as a Roman settlement, through major redevelopments brought about by Henri IV and Baron Haussmann, to the present renovation of old neighborhoods. Illustrated throughout with photographs and period engravings, A Corner in the Marais is ideal reading for anyone who loves exploring the hidden byways of vieux Paris and experiencing history from a very personal viewpoint.

Of estimates-- Review and conclusion. pp. 42.

FULLY REVISED NEW EDITION Danger and intrigue follow him wherever he goes. France, 1963. It's a time of great change, not least for Inspector Lucas Rocco. As part of a nationwide initiative to broaden police operations, he finds himself moved from the Paris metropolis to a small village. His new patch might be rural, but it's certainly not uneventful: on his first day, he finds a murdered woman wearing a Gestapo uniform, lying in a British military cemetery. When the body is removed by order of a magistrate from the police mortuary before Rocco can finish his investigation, he realises he's up against a formidable enemy. An enemy who will go to any lengths – even murder – to stop his investigation. A pulse-pounding historical crime thriller, perfect for fans of Martin Walker, Maigret and Mark Billingham.

A rare steakhouse well done.

Perfect for readers of The Secret Life of Bees and The Help, a perceptive and searing look at Apartheid-era South Africa, told through one unique family brought together by tragedy. Life under Apartheid has created a secure future for Robin Conrad, a ten-year-old white girl living with her parents in 1970s Johannesburg. In the same nation but worlds apart, Beauty Mbali, a Xhosa woman in a rural village in the Bantu homeland of the Transkei, struggles to raise her children alone after her husband's death. Both lives have been built upon the division of race, and their meeting should never have occurred...until the Soweto Uprising, in which a protest by black students ignites racial conflict, alters the fault lines on which their society is built, and shatters their worlds when Robin’s parents are left dead and Beauty’s daughter goes missing. After Robin is sent to live with her loving but irresponsible aunt, Beauty is hired to care for Robin while continuing the search for her daughter. In Beauty, Robin finds the security and family that she craves, and the two forge an inextricable bond through their deep personal losses. But Robin knows that if Beauty finds her daughter, Robin could lose her new caretaker forever, so she makes a desperate decision with devastating consequences. Her quest to make amends and find redemption is a journey of self-discovery in which she learns the harsh truths of the society that once promised her protection. Told through Beauty and Robin's alternating perspectives, the interwoven narratives create a rich and complex tapestry of the emotions and tensions at the heart of Apartheid-era South Africa. Hum If You Don’t Know the Words is a beautifully rendered look at loss, racism, and the creation of family.