Cara Black

Cara Black is an acclaimed American author, best known for her mystery novel series featuring Aimee Leduc, a private investigator based in Paris, France. She was born in Chicago but has lived in California's Bay Area since she was five years old. Black's love for French literature and culture was kindled at a young age by the French-speaking nuns at her Catholic high school. This early interest led her to study Chinese history at Sophia University in Tokyo, where she met her husband, Jun, a bookseller and amateur chef.

After obtaining her teaching credential at San Francisco State College, Black worked as a preschool director and then as an agent for the federally funded Head Start program, helping families in San Francisco's Chinatown secure early care and education for their children. These experiences have left their mark on Black's writing, enriching the Aimee Leduc series with diverse cultural perspectives and insights. Black's fascination with Paris and its unique history has led her to explore different arrondissements on each visit, immersing herself in the city's secret history and often going to great lengths to uncover hidden gems, such as posing as a journalist to gain access to closed areas and training with real Parisian police at a firing range.

Black's Aimee Leduc series has gained significant recognition within the mystery genre. She has won the Anthony Award for Best First Novel and Best Novel, and has been a three-time Anthony award-nominee and a Macavity Award nominee. Her work has been translated into several languages, including French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, German, and Hebrew. Black's deep appreciation for French culture was acknowledged with the Médaille de la Ville de Paris, an award given in recognition of her contribution to international culture. In addition to her successful series, Black has also written a standalone novel, THREE HOURS IN PARIS, which was released in April 2020. She currently resides in San Francisco with her husband and their dog, continuing to draw inspiration from her surroundings and weaving it into her captivating stories.