Customer Reviews
I am very tired of Paolina - By: L. J. Roberts, 08 Oct 2008 
HEART OF THE WORLD (Priv. Inv-Carlotta Carlyle-Boston/Miami/Columbia, SA-Cont) - G
Barnes, Linda - 11thin 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 & former boss, Detective Captain Joseph Mooney. Sam has been drawn back deeper into the mafia & is more secretive than ever.
Carlotta's `little sister', Paolina, is now a teenager, has been receiving money & a gift from her Columbian drug-lord father who was thought to be dead. Paolina has disappeared, rather by running away or being kidnapped & Carlotta is determined to find her & 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 & Paolina, of whom I am more than tired, is not a teen, but Carlotta really hasn't changed much & is still dealing with the same relationship issues.
The best part of the story was the information on Columbia & its history & the sense of place she creates. The pace of the story picks up toward the end & there is some good suspense. However, I felt the climax was projected & obvious & the end is a segue to the next book. It's an invitation I'm not certain I'll accept.
Not world class - By: A. Mcleod, 25 Sep 2007 
I was very disappointed with this latest novel & have to admit I was even a little bored. I didn't feel it was up to the usual standard of story telling we expect & Paulina's fathers character wasn't believable. Nor did it seem likely that Carlotta would have become involved with him. I'm hoping the next novel will be morein line with previous. Worth reading only to keep up with the storyline.
Good, but... - By: gwensi, 27 Jul 2006 I love the Carlotta Carlyle series, but was so disappointed by Heart of the World. It's not that it's bad, it's just that it's very different from the others. It's mostly set away from Boston, so there's far too little of volleyball, TC, guitar playing, cab driving, Gloria, Mooney, Roz, Sam, ... which is such a shame because these are the things that make the earlier books so great. I hope Linda Barnes writes the next one soon - for me the really interesting thing about this story will be finding out what happens next. If you're new to the series, start with A Trouble of Fools, then The Snake Tattoo, Coyote, Steel Guitar, Snapshot, Hardware, Cold Case, Flashpoint, The Big Dig, & Deep Pockets.
Bravo for Linda Barnes! - By: Donald Mitchell, 06 Jun 2006 
While I've always liked Carlotta Carlyle as a character, the plots of the mysteries often leave something to be desired. There's usually a wonderful local color of beloved Beantown & crummy areas of Cambridge that make the stories enough fun to keep me coming back.
But with Heart of the World, Ms. Barnes arrives as a mystery writer. It was a great & pleasant surprise that left me hungry for more booksin this rich vein.
Paolina has been Carlotta's "little sister" for many years. In this role, Carlotta makes up for the baby she gave away for adoption at 14, & Paolina benefits from having a caring adult nurturing her. Paolina's mother is more interestedin finding a new boyfriend thanin being a reliable mother. Paolina's father is a remote if significant presencein her life through his involvement with Colombian politics & drugs.
All this goes terribly wrong when Paolina's mom discovers that Paolina isn't with Carlotta after Paolina disappears. From there, it's a Paolina hunt for Carlotta to locate Paolina before something terrible happens to her. Narrators alternate as we also follow what's happening to Paolina. That story-telling device works extremely wellin the story to heighten out anxiety & to provide relief from more of Carlotta obsessing on her own.
Carlotta is soon convinced that Paolina's been kidnapped . . . but isn't sure by whom? Is it her father? Is it an enemy? Is the kidnapping related to her boyfriend, Sam Gianetti, & his mob connections?
The story becomes even more intriguing as Mooney becomes extremely determined to help, making Carlotta wonder if he really cares about her.
With that as backdrop, Carlotta follows a thin & intriguing trail to Miami . . . & on to Colombia. But it's not the Colombia of today's newspapers. Instead, it's a timeless place where spirituality, politics, greed & drugs intertwinein unexpected ways. The action & story developmentin Colombia are marvelously well done. It's almost like an international spy novel at this point.
The book has poetry about itin its focus on what it means to be fully human that will intrigue you. The only downsidein this powerful story's journey is the seemingly gratuitous decision by Ms. Barnes to sanction the use of coca leaves for those who are undergoing arduous challenges.
I think this story will haunt you for years go come. Don't miss it!
