Carlotta Carlyle Books in Order
Part ofLinda Barnes Books in OrderRead Linda Barnes's Carlotta Carlyle books in order, with case summaries and a starting guide to the mysteries featuring a Boston private investigator.
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Carlotta Carlyle books in publication order
16 books
A Trouble of Fools
by Linda Barnes
1987
Former Boston police officer Carlotta Carlyle takes a missing-person case from an elderly woman seeking her brother, an Irish cabdriver. An attack on her client complicates the search, drawing Carlotta toward organized crime and federal investigators.
The Snake Tattoo
by Linda Barnes
1989
Carlotta Carlyle investigates two disappearances: a schoolgirl has vanished, and a crucial witness could clear a police lieutenant accused of brutality. Searching Boston’s Combat Zone, she follows the distinctive tattoo that may identify the missing witness.
Coyote
by Linda Barnes
1990
A woman’s request for identification papers draws Carlotta Carlyle into a disturbing murder investigation. As the woman disappears and Carlotta’s young friend Paolina keeps secrets, the detective confronts the dangers facing undocumented immigrants in Boston.
Steel Guitar
by Linda Barnes
1991
A chance reunion with blues singer Dee Willis brings Carlotta Carlyle a job locating a former bassist who claims Dee stole his songs. Murder and blackmail complicate a case entangled with Carlotta’s own musical past.
Snapshot
by Linda Barnes
1993
Anonymous photographs of a little girl intrigue Carlotta Carlyle until the child’s grieving mother hires her. Investigating a seven-year-old’s death from leukemia, Carlotta questions a respected hospital while trouble involving her young friend Paolina adds pressure.
Hardware
by Linda Barnes
1995
Robberies against Boston cabdrivers threaten the company where Carlotta Carlyle works part-time. Hired to investigate, she acquires a computer and considers upgrading her weapon, then faces escalating violence that strikes people close to her.
Cold Case
by Linda Barnes
1997
New manuscript pages suggest that literary prodigy Thea Janis, presumed murdered twenty-four years earlier, might still be alive. Carlotta Carlyle investigates their origin as blackmail threatens Thea’s influential family during a fiercely contested political campaign.
Flashpoint
by Linda Barnes
1999
Carlotta Carlyle helps an elderly recluse secure her apartment, only to find the woman murdered soon afterward. Questions about inheritance, property development, and a past robbery turn the favor into an investigation that attracts an arsonist.
The Big Dig
by Linda Barnes
2002
Carlotta Carlyle goes undercover to investigate possible fraud involving Boston’s enormous construction project, the Big Dig. Working inside a contractor’s operation, she discovers that pursuing corruption can expose her to threats far beyond ordinary financial wrongdoing.
Deep Pockets
by Linda Barnes
2004
A Harvard professor hires Carlotta Carlyle to stop blackmail over his affair with a student who has died. Recovering the compromising letters proves only the beginning as further violence draws her toward university secrets and fraud.
Heart of the World
by Linda Barnes
2006
When her young friend Paolina disappears, Carlotta Carlyle follows her trail from Boston to Colombia. Paolina’s search for the father she believes is a powerful druglord leads both of them into a dangerous criminal world.
Lie Down with the Devil
by Linda Barnes
2008
Troubled by her lover’s disappearance, Carlotta Carlyle accepts a bride-to-be’s request to investigate suspected infidelity. When the client dies and her identity proves false, Carlotta becomes a murder suspect and must untangle a deeply personal deception.
Lucky Penny
by Linda Barnes
2013
Moonlighting as a Boston cabdriver, private investigator Carlotta Carlyle is robbed at gunpoint while waiting for a fare. With little help forthcoming from the police, she pursues the thief herself and investigates the peculiar crime.
Miss Gibson
by Linda Barnes
2013
A blues singer offers Carlotta Carlyle a treasured guitar once owned by Reverend Gary Davis in exchange for help. The private investigator must locate and stop a stalker whose unwanted attention has become increasingly threatening.
Stealing First
by Linda Barnes
2013
Carlotta Carlyle expects a pleasant afternoon watching baseball at Fenway Park. An encounter with a petty thief from her police days instead sends the Boston private investigator into a chase that interrupts the game with dangerous complications.
Further Adventures of Carlotta Carlyle
by Linda Barnes
2015
Three short mysteries follow Boston private investigator Carlotta Carlyle through an unusual cab robbery, a blues singer’s stalker problem, and trouble at Fenway Park. The collection includes Lucky Penny, Miss Gibson, and Stealing First.
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