Rating: 
Summary: Another (welcome) Carlotta Carlyle
Review: Carlotta Carlyle is another old friend. I first listened to her on tape; this is probably only the first or second time I've read this author in print. The fact that it is just as enjoyable means that it isn't merely the talents of the voice actor.
In a way it is strange. Carlotta isn't someone I'd normally find sympathetic. Her politics are far to the left of mine, she loves driving, sports and a few other things that leave me cold. But there are some points of similarity, and more importantly, Barnes does such a masterful job of describing Carlotta, and communicating her inability to let a puzzle rest. There's a line in the middle of the book where she describes Carlotta as unable to sleep because she can't let go of the mystery, "like a sore spot in your mouth where your tongue can't reach" - she uses three or four other similes, just to show how frustrated Carlotta is, but that one pegged it for me and bridged the gap between myself and Carlotta. Carlotta is also a non-traditional parent figure, and her description of seeing her little sister, and simultaneously seeing the five year old, the ten year old and the fifteen year old were also spot on and insightful. In short, Barnes is a writer who studies people and tries to portray both Carlotta and the characters in her environment with a sympathetic but critical eye. I'd read her just for that.
Took me till noon today to spot a flaw in the plotting of this book - and I'm not sure that if I went back I wouldn't discover that I'd just missed a solution. Writing a mystery is damm tough. I've tried it once or twice. Trying to plant convincing red herrings, making sure that the plot evolves organically and inevitably from the motivations and resources of the characters, and then making sure that the protagonist doesn't solve it too fast or too slow. Those are some pretty formidable challenges. On top of that is the craft of writing; you have to draw the reader forward through the story. Barnes succeeds in all but one of these (Carlotta ignores a clue that should have rung bells in her head immediately). I confess that the solution I constructed was a bit more complex than what was originally discovered, but the simpler solution allowed for the exposition of some rather nice features of minor characters.
I haven't read all the Carlyle books, but there have been quite a few. And Carlotta still seems fresh. She grows and changes with each book, but the growth is appropriate. She doesn't suddenly solve her issues, but she does circle around them, examining them from new perspectives each time. Much the way real people do, unable to make progress till they've completely examined the problem.
Read them all.
Rating:
Summary: good
Review: A Harvard professor hires Boston private investigator Carlotta Carlyle to track down a blackmailer. The married professor, Wilson Chaney, has had an affair with a young student. His reputation and everything he he holds dear in his life is on the line. The student that Wilson had the affair with had been burned to death a month earlier. It was declared a suicide, but was it? Letters to Wilson started shortly after demanding money. After making a payment, the demands still do not stop so Wilson wants Carlotta to find the blackmailer and reclaim the love letters he had written to the student. The more Carlotta digs into the case the more complicated it becomes including another suspicious death. This is the tenth in the Carlotta Carlyle series. Linda Barnes does a good job of telling enough of Carlotta backstory to make this book totally stand on its own. I enjoyed the tall, red-haired, independent, strong, stubborn, and oddly vulnerable character of Carlotta. The story really grabbed me from the first page. It seemed to drag a bit in the middle, but really had a suspenseful ending with an unexpected twist. There was a nice balance between Carlotta personal story and the case she was working on. The plot was not overly complicated and easy to follow. Linda Barnes fans won't be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Fabulous detective story
Review: Boston area private investigator Carlotta Carlyle noticed the mark trailing her throughout Harvard Square. She pulls a magician's trick and accosts her tracker. He insists he was not stalking her, but instead working up the courage to consult with her in a professional capacity. He explains that "his friend" is being blackmailed and paying failed to end the nightmare. Tenured Harvard Professor Wilson Chaney admits he had an affair with a freshman student Denali Brinkman. Realizing that revelation of his taboo indiscretion would end his career Wilson hires Carlotta to uncover the identity of his blackmailer so he can persuade the person to stop. Though Carlotta literally (only slightly that is) and figuratively (totally) looks down at her client especially over the age of his lover, she accepts the case. Carlotta digs deep into the background of her client and his former teen lover. She searches for threads at the University and in Wilson's personal life, finding a vehicular death link. Unable to resist, Carlotta goes down the side path that this death takes her not realizing how dangerous her detour will soon prove as there is much more to this case than simply a blackmailed cheating husband In her tenth appearance, Carlotta remains an invigorating private investigator. Her latest case DEEP POCKETS is a fabulous detective story that starts rather differently, but quite exhilaratingly before turning into a suspense thriller. Carlotta deals with ethics issues throughout the tale beginning with her odious client and continuing when she chose a lane that might not be in the best interest of the professor. This six foot one former police officer still kicks butt as one of Boston's finest. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: An affair, murder and deception
Review: Carlotta Carlyle, PI and sometimes cab driver, notices someone following her throughout Harvard Square. She hides and then confronts him. He swears he wasn't going to hurt her. He says he was trying to work up the courage to talk to her. He wants to hire her.
"His friend" is being blackmailed. He paid once and now they're asking for more. He finally admits that he, not his friend, had an affair with freshman student Denali Brinkman. He is a tenured Harvard Professor Wilson Chaney. If his affair is made public, it will ruin his career. He wants Carlotta to uncover the identity of his blackmailer so he can then persuade him to stop.
When Carlotta starts digging, she finds Denali recently committed suicide in a fire in the boathouse at Harvard. She was a rower. She tries to interview Denali's roommate and an ex-boyfriend. The more she digs, the more she questions everything her client has told her. Plus she finds more pieces to investigate the deeper she gets.
Plus Carlotta is dating Leon, an FBI agent she met on her last job. Carlotta isn't sure where this relationship is going. She doesn't have much time to devote to it either due to her investigation.
I really like Carlotta. She is a great PI. I don't feel that she puts herself in dangerous situations without the proper tools like in many mysteries. This is very believable. I like the way that she is able to find out the needed information without just calling someone else to find out everything. Her roommate is a great asset as well.
I also like the Boston setting for this series. The author has done a great job of creating the characters and location in the book. I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Harvard professor hires Carlotta
Review: Carlotta's new boyfriend Leon recommends her as a PI to his friend Wilson Cheney, a Harvard professor. Cheney's problem is that he is being blackmailed by someone who has possession of love letters which he wrote to a female student with whom he was having an affair. Wilson and the girl broke up and she was subsequently killed in a fire. Carlotta agrees to find out the identity of the blackmailer and try to get the love letters back from him, before Cheney is exposed. In the course of her investigation, Carlotta encounters some interesting information concerning a drug company Wilson has started plus the fact that his marriage is very shaky. Gradually the seemingly simple blackmail case turns into something much more, and Linda Barnes skillfully twists and turns the plot into a very interesting story. I agree with some of the other reviewers who enjoy Carlotta's supporting cast and it was good to see a return of Sam and Paolina in this book.
Rating:
Summary: A smooth ride featuring an ex-cabbie
Review: Deep Pockets opens with a classic PI ploy: a mysterious client doesn't want to reveal his name, but reluctantly admits he's in big trouble. A Harvard professor, he's being blackmailed about an affair with a student. Soon we realize there's something out of the ordinary about this student. And soon the client, Wilson Cheney, has a lot more to worry about. He could be facing trial for murder. Unlike other reviewers, I enjoyed Deep Pockets and wasn't tempted to skip to the end. I didn't anticipate the plot twist and enjoyed following heroine Carlotta as she systematically followed clues to learn the truth. Author Barnes serves up some of the smoothest, easiest to follow writing of the series. The subplots of Carlotta's personal life were easy to skip over. Barnes does a good job of communicating the lack of chemistry with her FBI agent lover, but I'd like to see more sparks. And Carlotta's "little sister" Paolina is ready to go up and fly the nest. As a minor character, she doesn't add anything to hold our interest. Barnes needs to give this teenager some faults to add conflict or let her disappear into boarding school, the way Parker moved Paul Giacomin offstage after Early Autumn. The motive for the plot, relating to some research miracle drug, is handled well. Personally, my eyes glaze over when I read about drug discoveries and old manuscripts turned up in attics. But that's just me. And I think Barnes is a little too rough on Harvard -- she comes across almost as resentful. Robert Parker, the other Boston author, managed some sardonic quips about an imaginary university. And Susan Conant humorously compares Harvard to dog training schools. Barnes is too heavy-handed and the school scenes could have been placed anywhere -- she hasn't picked up the Harvard aura. Could this Denali character have gotten past admissions? Maybe. . But I think Harvard would have taken it in stride. They'll be around a long time.
Rating:
Summary: A smooth ride featuring an ex-cabbie
Review: Deep Pockets opens with a classic PI ploy: a mysterious client doesn't want to reveal his name, but reluctantly admits he's in big trouble. A Harvard professor, he's being blackmailed about an affair with a student. Soon we realize there's something out of the ordinary about this student. And soon the client, Wilson Cheney, has a lot more to worry about. He could be facing trial for murder. Unlike other reviewers, I enjoyed Deep Pockets and wasn't tempted to skip to the end. I didn't anticipate the plot twist and enjoyed following heroine Carlotta as she systematically followed clues to learn the truth. Author Barnes serves up some of the smoothest, easiest to follow writing of the series. The subplots of Carlotta's personal life were easy to skip over. Barnes does a good job of communicating the lack of chemistry with her FBI agent lover, but I'd like to see more sparks. And Carlotta's "little sister" Paolina is ready to go up and fly the nest. As a minor character, she doesn't add anything to hold our interest. Barnes needs to give this teenager some faults to add conflict or let her disappear into boarding school, the way Parker moved Paul Giacomin offstage after Early Autumn. The motive for the plot, relating to some research miracle drug, is handled well. Personally, my eyes glaze over when I read about drug discoveries and old manuscripts turned up in attics. But that's just me. And I think Barnes is a little too rough on Harvard -- she comes across almost as resentful. Robert Parker, the other Boston author, managed some sardonic quips about an imaginary university. And Susan Conant humorously compares Harvard to dog training schools. Barnes is too heavy-handed and the school scenes could have been placed anywhere -- she hasn't picked up the Harvard aura. Could this Denali character have gotten past admissions? Maybe. . But I think Harvard would have taken it in stride. They'll be around a long time.
Rating:
Summary: Deep Pockets
Review: Harvard professor Wilson Chaney is being blackmailed over his indiscretions with a precocious undergraduate, Denali Brinkman, a star rower who killed herself in Harvard's boathouse shortly after their affair ended. With his already failing marriage and, more importantly, his position at the University on the line, Chaney turns for help to Carlotta Carlyle, a private investigator and part-time cabby and the protagonist of nine previous mysteries by Linda Barnes. Carlotta, a likeable enough character, calls on a variety of friends--boyfriends and cabbies and web-savvy tenants--for help in identifying and stopping the blackmailer. It is a simple enough assignment, but as it happens, blackmail is only the most obvious element of a more complex latticework of crimes. The mystery of Deep Pockets is reasonably satisfying, but the book as a whole never fully engaged me. That is, I never cared very much about any of the characters--Wilson Chaney in particular was never more than two-dimensional--nor was I ever made to sit on the edge of my seat while the plot advanced. Barnes' writing is transparent, which is okay, but the prose thus does nothing to raise the book from an okay read to a more memorable reading experience.
Rating: 
Summary: Decent, but a bit disappointing
Review: I'm a huge Linda Barnes/Carlotta Carlyle fan and perhaps my expectations were too high after her last book, "Big Dig." This was definitely a solid story, but it seemed a bit rushed (as opposed to Big Dig which took longer to come out, but was well worth the wait). There are a few interesting developments - the relationships with Sam and Paolina continue to evolve - but the story itself was a bit flat (despite some good twists and turns). I'll gladly wait a bit longer for the next one!
Rating:
Summary: Linda Barnes's Best Mystery!
Review: Mystery readers vary in what they look for in their stories. I love great mysteries that are hard to solve. Ms. Linda Barnes has written a very fine one here that is the best mystery in the Carlotta Carlyle series.
As the book opens, Carlotta finds that she is being tailed inexpertly by a well-dressed, middle-aged African American male. Finally, she braces him . . . and he knows her name. Gradually, it turns out he has a problem . . . but cannot decide whether or not to hire her. It's hard for him to trust a white person. It turns out that the man, Dr. Wilson Cheney, is a professor at Harvard and has a delicate problem. He cannot decide whether or not to share the problem.
Eventually, Carlotta decides to help him after she finds out that he is a friend of her FBI lover, Leon Wells. But she doesn't like the story he tells very much. Cheney had had an affair with a student. Although the student is now dead, Cheney had sent the student some incriminating letters. Cheney fears that he would get the boot from both Harvard and his wife if the letters were made public. A blackmailer has already sold him one of the letters for $1,000 . . . and wants $5,000 for a second one. Cheney wants Carlotta to get those letters back.
In the course of her investigation, Carlotta learns that the good professor has not been very candid about the details of his relationship with the student or his own situation. As she uncovers more facts, she wishes she had never heard of him. But she continues on the case . . . which soon takes an unexpected turn after she tracks down the blackmailer. From there, hold onto your seat, for the action takes many unexpected directions in a fine detection story.
In the background, Carlotta's relationship with Leon has its ups and downs, her little sister (Paolina) decides to dress in a trampy way to go to a party, and Sam Gianelli keeps coming up in her yearnings. Carlotta finds herself only partially able to handle all these issues.
Much of the story occurs in and around Harvard Square in Cambridge. Those who know the area will delight in the many details of the locale and people. Fond memories will be evoked for those who love this area.
Harvard plays the role as heavy in many ways in the story, but not in any way that's unrealistic in my opinion. So if you went there, stay cool.
After you finish this story, think about what your priorities should be to create a better life for your family, you and your community.
| 
