Customer Reviews

Heart of the World: (Center Point Platinum Mystery (Large Print))

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

HEART OF THE WORLD (Priv. Inv-Carlotta Carlyle-Boston/Miami/Columbia, SA-Cont) - G

Barnes, Linda - 11th in series

St. Martin's Minotaur, 2006, US Hardcover - ISBN:0312332874

First Sentence: The small man wore white from the tip of his pointed hat to the rolled-up cuffs of his baggy trousers.

Boston PI Carlotta Carlysle has reunited with her on-again, off-again lover San Gianelli, much to the disapproval of her friend and former boss, Detective Captain Joseph Mooney. Sam has been drawn back deeper into the mafia and is more secretive than ever.

Carlotta's `little sister', Paolina, is now a teenager, has been receiving money and a gift from her Columbian drug-lord father who was thought to be dead. Paolina has disappeared, rather by running away or being kidnapped and Carlotta is determined to find her and bring her back.

I'm beginning to have the same problem with Carlotta as I have with Sue Grafton's character of Kinsey Millhone; neither character seems to really grow. With Carlotta, you know time has passed as she now has a cell phone and Paolina, of whom I am more than tired, is not a teen, but Carlotta really hasn't changed much and is still dealing with the same relationship issues.

The best part of the story was the information on Columbia and its history and the sense of place she creates. The pace of the story picks up toward the end and there is some good suspense. However, I felt the climax was projected and obvious and the end is a segue to the next book. It's an invitation I'm not certain I'll accept.

Linda Barnes is again spinning a good story. For those looking forward to Boston-based scenes the transition to other parts of the world might be a detraction, but it is well worth a read. I did find the plot less believable than other Linda Barnes mysteries.

Yes, I'm on a Carlotta Carlyle kick... and this book was a perfect follow-up to Deep Pockets. While DP kept Carlotta and crew in the Boston metro area, Heart of the World takes the show on the road to Miami, Bogota, and beyond.

As usual, the plot is intricate and waterproof. The characters are vivid and unforgettable. And the relationships between Carlotta, Sam, Mooney, and others are progressing to critical inflection points. Something has got to give, and in this book, you'll find out what does.

Carlotta traces Paolina, apparently kidnapped by her drug lord father and taken out of the country. She has to face tough questions about her morality, her relationships, and her past as she tracks Paolina around the world, from the projects of Boston to the highest mountains of Colombia.

Another must-read for mystery fans.

Boston Private Investigator Carlotta Carlyle is worried about her teenage friend Paolina Fuentes, who apparently vanished without a word of warning. Carlotta loves Paolina as if the youngster was her offspring so she visits the mother, who barely notices her child is gone. Instead the selfish distracted woman has a new boyfriend that requires special care from her.

Carlotta begins to wonder if perhaps Paolina's biological father Colombian drug lord Roldon might have abducted his daughter, leaving her potentially in danger from some of his meanest rivals and even associates. However finding the criminal is almost impossible as everyone believes he is dead. Still Carlotta travels initially to Miami, which leads to her flying to Bogot? where she hopes to pick up the trail of an alleged dead man who apparently came back from the grave to snatch Paolina.

The eleventh entry in the Carlotta Carlyle investigative series is a fantastic novel as the near panicking sleuth searches for a teen she loves like a daughter who she believes is in trouble. The story line captures Carlotta's fears and other deep feelings as the case takes her to South America. Also moving forward is her relationship with Sam, but to see where that goes means (hopefully) reading the next novel. Fans of the series will appreciate Linda Barne's strong entry.

Harriet Klausner

I love this series and the character of Carlotta, but I was really disappointed to find yet another installment that centers on the annoying Paolina, a character I got tired of several books ago when she really started turning into a selfish, spoiled brat.

This installment was worse than usual, since Carlotta seemed to be coming across as obsessed with the kid, almost using her as a substitute for the baby she gave up. I realize she was worried and scared for her life, but it's almost like she forgot that this kid has a mother and it's not her. And she came across as very stupid and reckless, as well as obsessive, from telling Sam that Paolina would live with her when she was found to traveling to the jungles of Colombia without so much as backup, a weapon or any means of communication.

I also found this one very difficult to read with all the filler -- Colombian art, Colombian history, Colombian folklore. If I wanted to read all that, I would've picked up a book on Colombia, not a mystery novel.

I hope the next installment stays in Boston, which I find a lot more interesting. And I hope it doesn't focus on Paolina, who I just wish would go away.

This was my first book in Linda Barnes' Carlotta Carlyle series and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Carlotta is similar in ways to Stephanie Plum. In this book she follows her "little sister" Paolina to Colombia where she believes Paolina's Father may have taken her following Paolina's disappearance from Boston. I was totally taken in by Carlotta's adventures and the unravelling of mysteries. I look forward to Linda Barnes' next book to see what happens to some of the enticing characters she introduces us to.

This is possibly the best in an excellent series featuring Cambridge detective Carlotta Carlyle. It is riveting and gripping and unusually passionate. A difficult book to put down

though you really don't want it to end......