13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Series' Absolute Best, May 12, 2006
For those who follow Linda Barnes' delightful Carlotta Carlyle series, be prepared to be blown away by this latest, absolutely brilliant, entry in the series. It truly marks a step up in talent, plotting, suspense and mystery, and is a page-turner from start to finish.
As fans of the series know, Carlotta has a "little sister," a hispanic girl named Paolina whom Carlotta befriended as a "big sister" when the child was 7. Through the years, their relationship has deepened, and now Paolina is in her very difficult early teen years--and a brat. But Carlotta loves her as much as her own child, and herein lies the plot of "Heart of the World."
Paolina is missing. Did she run away? Was she kidnapped? Did she meet with foul play? Carlotta is frantic, and can get very little information from Paolina's embittered mother, Marta. Obsessed with Paolina's safety, Carlotta pulls out the stops to find her--dead or alive. Her search takes her to the dangerous jungles of Colombia, where Paolina's birth father, a famous drug lord supposedly killed in a plane crash, holds the only possible key to the mystery.
Carlotta puts her own life on the line in a big way as she tries to unravel secret after secret, involving the Colombian government, clandestine American operations, underground business dealings with U.S. corporations, and various guerilla factions--all of whom seem to want her dead. The suspense keeps growing on every page, as the reader joins Carlotta in the steamy jungles with danger at every turn.
The ending is a cliff hanger, and a good one--and left this reader absolutely desperate for the next in the series. That's how good this book is...recommended not only for Carlotta fans, but for new readers as well. This book can stand alone.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Paolina disappears, September 2, 2006
Carlotta Carlyle has served as a big sister for Paolina for 8 years. Although Paolina has developed a teenager's disdain for adults, Carlotta still wants to remain close to her and fill in the gaps that her flirtatious and self-centered mother leaves in her life. When Carlotta discovers that Paolina has disappeared, she panics and uses every means at her disposal to try to track her down. Carlotta's search takes her from Boston to Miami to the hills of Colombia, and eventually threatens her life, but she does not give up her search. Her relationship with Sam develops throughout the course of the book, and her old friend Mooney is very much in evidence. Because of the variety of settings, this book is different from the usual Boston-based books in the series, and the fast pace definitely keeps the reader's interest.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Tale of Love and Loyalty, October 4, 2010
P.I. Carlotta Carlyle doesn't have a family, so she hangs close to those she calls friends and one person she's been very close to is her sort of adopted little sister Paolina. Paolina's got a mother who, well let's just say Mom has other things on her mind than raising her children, like men and good times. Carlotta has done everything she can to replace the love and affection the girl doesn't get at home. However, Paolina has grown up, she's a teenager now and she wants to meet the father she's never know. He's a Colombian drug lord.
When Paolina's mother calls Carlotta and tells her that her daughter has disappeared, Carlotta at first assumes she's run off with her boyfriend. Then it appears that maybe she's with some people who are taking her to her father. Carlotta is, of course, worried about the child's safety and this is going to propel her into the means streets of crime fueled by drugs to the jungles of Colombia in this tale of love and loyalty. As I said, Carlotta hangs close to those she calls friends.
This book is well into the series, but you can pick it up and start fresh even if you haven't read any of the books by Ms. Barnes. From the streets of Boston to the Colombian jungle, from her life of safety to her kidnapping by Paolina's father, you won't be able to put down this book. It'll grab you by the seat of the pants on Page One and keep you there right up to the end.
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