Polished Off [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Barbara C. Colley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2004

There's a bad case of spring-cleaning fever going around New Orleans's historic Garden District, and it's keeping Charlotte LaRue-proprietor of Maid-for-a-Day-plenty busy. Especially when what's supposed to be a simple housecleaning job ends in a grim discovery-and things start to get real dirty real fast...Charlotte has just about had it with her sister Madeline. She's put up with her simpering sibling's selfish demands and snide comments for years, but when Maddie turns on her own son and his new bride, Charlotte's really steamed. She thinks Daniel and Nadia make a beautiful couple-and Nadia's little boy is just as cute as can be. And now that Nadia's abusive ex-boyfriend is out of the picture-no one's seen the cad in ages-the new family's future seems bright. But years of polishing, scrubbing, and dusting have taught Charlotte that it's only a matter of time before things get messy. Sure enough, when she pays a visit to a wealthy client's lavish mansion, an urn breaks open-and human bones spill out. A little snooping turns up a driver's license belonging to Nadia's no-good ex. Could the bones be his, too? It would certainly explain why he's been MIA for such a long time. Charlotte's suddenly got a lot more than cleaning on her mind-like how to get Nadia and Daniel off the short list of suspects that also includes powerful mayoral candidate Lowell Webster, as well as Charlotte's own client, spoiled socialite Patsy Dufour. And before she knows it, Charlotte's up to her elbows in the kind of dirty business that doesn't pay the bills...

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Amateur sleuth Charlotte LaRue will dust her way into readers' hearts in this auspicious debut...Colley has created a sensible, likeable sleuth whom readers will want to put on a long-term contract." --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Center Point Publishers (October 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585474800
• ISBN-13: 978-1585474806
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,197,095 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bones are discovered. Can Charlotte discover the truth?, February 14, 2005

By 

Dawn Dowdle "Mystery Lovers Corner reviewer" (Lynchburg, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Polished Off (Charlotte LaRue Mystery Series, Book 3) (Hardcover)

When Nadia, Charlotte's employee and now her niece by marriage, calls in sick, Charlotte does the cleaning job herself at Patsy's. Patsy is having an ornamental pot moved by two men when it breaks and human bones are discovered. Worse than that, they are believed to belong to Ricco's, Nadia's ex-boyfriend.

Nadia disappears. Charlotte's nephew, and Nadia's new husband, Daniel, is arrested. He and Ricco did not get along. Charlotte takes in Nadia's little son, Davey, so that he won't have to go to a foster home. And to help get Daniel out of jail, Charlotte takes it upon herself to do some investigating.

The detective in charge of the case, Will Richeaux, recently had an affair with Charlotte's niece, Judith, and he is not very friendly, let alone helpful. This hampers Charlotte in getting needed information about the case. Judith is a policewoman and tries to assist Charlotte, but there's only so much she can do.

Charlotte's sister, Madeline, has not accepted Nadia as a daughter-in-law, and now she feels she was right all along. Thus, she doesn't offer to help with Davey. Charlotte has to juggle her cleaning jobs and caring for him. Then there's her neighbor Louis, a retired detective, who Charlotte has feelings for. But he always frustrates her with his ways. Things just aren't going so well for Charlotte.

Can Charlotte find the real murderer and unravel all the pieces related to this murder and get Daniel out of jail? Will Nadia return? Will life ever return to normal?

I love this series. Charlotte is a very likeable character. I'd love to have her be my maid! New Orleans is a terrific setting for this series. So many interesting characters and locations.

Ms. Colley has a winning series! I highly recommend this book, and the whole series.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars superb clean cozy, January 31, 2004

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Polished Off (Charlotte LaRue Mystery Series, Book 3) (Hardcover)

In New Orleans, Charlotte LaRue, owner of Maid for a Day cleaning service, feels really good that her "favorite" (and only) nephew Daniel married her best worker Nadia and plans to adopt the young son of his new wife as his. Only, Daniel's mom Madeline acts irate over the elopement. When Maddie fails to hide her odious opinion, Charlotte becomes angry with her sibling, who never has a good thing to say about anyone.

At the mansion of client Patsy Dufour, workers drop a large urn revealing human bones inside it. These are the remains of Nadia's former boyfriend and father of her son Ricco Martinez. The NOPD immediately go after Nadia as the prime suspect because Ricco was abusive and sired her son so eliminating him got him out of the way for her to marry Daniel. Charlotte does not believe for one nanosecond that Nadia POLISHED OFF her odious ex. Since the police refuse to look elsewhere, she begins her own inquiries.

The latest Charlotte cleaning service amateur sleuth tale is a fine story that fans of the series and the sub-genre will enjoy due to a strong cast headed by the heroine, her less cantankerous neighbor and her extended family. The story line reads like a clean cozy with Charlotte retaining her Ms. Clean label by tidying up deaths by murder as only a maid can.

Harriet Klausner

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Polished Off is Pure, Clean Fun, October 11, 2008

By 

R. Fort "Rhodawriter" (New Orleans, LA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Polished Off (Charlotte LaRue Mystery Series, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

I greatly enjoyed this book as I have enjoyed the first three in the series before it. Of all the Charlotte Larue mysteries I have read so far, this is the best. As Ms. Colley continues to develop her main characters, they grow more interesting. Louis is the difficult, but intriguing next-door neighbor and former partner of Charlotte's niece. I like the way he hides his great heart under a thick layer of crustiness. In the overlying arc of the plot, his relationship with Charlotte continues to mature. I cannot wait to read the other books in this series to see what becomes of it. I also like the fact that people from Charlotte's own family are seemingly involved in the murder of Ricco. Charlotte has a more personal stake in the outcome of her "investigation" when her nephew and his family's welfare are at risk.

Probably the best thing I like about Charlotte Larue mysteries is the setting of the New Orleans Garden District. I lived in the New Orleans area for six years and can say that Ms. Colley has successfully captured the flavor and personality of this beautiful, historic neighborhood. I have met and read about many local people who remind me Patsy and Bitsy and even Lowell Webster. Since New Orleans is well known for its corruption, it is no stretch of the imagination to consider the existence of a detective like Will Richeaux. Ms. Colley puts in little details of St. Charles Ave. that are distinctive. I loved the reference to the puple, green and gold Mardi Gras beads hanging from the trees. I don't live in the New Orleans area anymore, but when I want a reminder about the place where I enjoyed so many fond memories, I will gladly read her books. I also love the other small details of the book such as the parakeet. Pets always add something special to a novel.

The book reads smoothly and is well-written. The characters all have their own distinct voices and personalities that have so far been consistent with each book I have read. This book also has a good, crisp pace. I finished it way too fast. Though I was grateful to see the mystery solved, I was sad to have the story end. The good news is that I am midway through the series and the story of Charlotte Larue and her family and friends continue on in subsequent books.