Product Description

Carlotta Carlyle, ex-cop, struggling private eye, and 6'1" of long tall redhead, takes any case that walks through the door. This time the door opens twice. First in is her old partner, Lieutenant Mooney of the Boston police, unfairly charged with brutality, suspended, and desperate. The witness who can clear him is a hooker with a snake tattoo...and she's vanished.

The second client is a teenager with a missing wallet and a split lip. He's been roughed up on the Boston streets while searching for his runaway girlfriend. He's too young to be a client, and Carlotta should have turned him down. Shoulda, woulda, coulda...didn't.

Both investigation send Carlotta into Boston's Combat Zone and the dark alleys of the human heart. Hookers don't disappear and kids don't take off with good reason. Now Carlotta is coming face to face with the evil that men do, and what is she going to do about it? Tackle it head on....

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #429258 in Books
• Published on: 2004-02-16
• Released on: 2004-02-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 320 pages

From Publishers Weekly
The award-winning author of A Trouble of Fools rekindles her 61 redheaded female private eye, Carlotta Carlyle, in a rivetingly well-told story. Her old friend, Lieutenant Mooney of the Boston police, is under investigation for excessive brutality and Carlyle is trying to track down the lone witness who can clear his name, a blonde hooker with a snake tattoo. While on surveillance in Boston's Combat Zone, Carlyle (who drives a cab to make ends meet) accidentally gets a fare and a second case; a troubled teenage boy, freshly rolled for his wallet, tumbles into her cab and involves her in his search for a missing classmate. The boy's case takes Carlyle to the Emerson School, a mini-Harvard prep school, whose putting-green grass and stately buildings seem worlds removed from the Combat Zone's alleys and three-story flophouses. But after she discovers the body of Emerson's drama teacher, Carlyle realizes the spotless image is a facade. There are surprises at the finish, made all the more potent by the novel's unforced paced and charm. Mystery Guild main selection.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Redheaded, free-spirited private detective Carlotta Carlyle returns ( A Trouble of Fools) for another unforgettable Boston excursion. Simultaneously juggling two cases, Carlotta searches for a 14-year-old runaway girl and a blond hooker with a snake tattoo on her leg. Because of a mother's seeming indifference to her daughter's plight, the runaway's fate preempts most of the skillfully interwoven plot, even though a policeman's career depends on the hooker's testimony. The narrative moves right along, however, featuring sprightly dialogue, offbeat characters, upbeat action, and Combat Zone surroundings. Bright, witty, and a touch sarcastic.-- REK
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"The most refreshing, creative female character to hit mystery fiction since Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone."--People

"A rivetingly well-told story."--Publishers Weekly

"Barnes' crisp writing and winsome cab-driving detective make this a smooth ride from start to stop...Carlyle earns rave reviews and a plea for encores." -Cincinnati Post
-- Review

Customer Reviews

Carlotta Needs a Bathtub
In this gritty, quick, and amusing sequel to "A Trouble of Fools," no-nonsense PI Carlotta Carlyle has her hands full every way she turns. Her dear friend Mooney is all over the Boston tabloids, accused of being a cop on the take. Her beloved Little Sister, a spunky hispanic child named Paolina, is stuck in Colombia with no way home. A missing persons case involving a teenaged rich girl is beginning to smell like big trouble at Boston's preppiest high school. And to top it off, Carlotta's bathroom is being remodeled in deep brown and day-glo orange by The Twins, shady brothers who divide their time between the job and Carlotta's roommate Roz.

All in all, Carlotta wants a long, hot, uninterrupted bath. But the only person she can think of who has the bathtub of her dreams is Sam Gianelli, her currently off-again passionate lover who also happens to be the son of Boston's Godfather.

The plot is fast and furious, and the mysteries are satisfying in this 1990 outing. Carlotta's real concern for Mooney, a stalwart and dedicated cop who's been framed, is shared by the reader. And her palpable disdain for the rich-kids' tony prep school is equally shared. But this doesn't mask the real essence of the book: Will Carlotta's bathroom ever be finished?

A fun read. Highly recommended.

Cops on the Take!
Carlotta Carlyle from A TROUBLE WITH FOOLS, gets stuck with a none functioning bathroom, her little sister in Columbia, a mentor who makes the papers as a crooked cop and a young teen who finds life on the streets preferable to home.
A fine continuance for a budding detective who knows no other way than to keep plugging away until all the layers of Boston sleaze are stripped away. Into her life comes Sam, an old flame but balanced by Lt. Mooney who needs a friend against his own kind who intend to destroy his testimony before Internal Affairs. Complicated personal relationships move this second entry and make a smooth read. Enjoy Charlotte and The Brothers who owe her roommate a favor.
Nash Black, author of TRAVELERS and SINS OF THE FATHERS.

This writer is FUNNY
A good rainy-day author. Here's an excerpt "I had the strong feeling that [they] were in a Plymouth Reliant motoring toward some southern state where you could marry your first cousin provided you were both over the age of eight." Such wry wit permeates the book and makes for a fast, fun read. I'm glad she's written so many other books. I can't wait to read them all.....