Linda Barnes, Heart of the World

Heart of the World

Linda Barnes

St. Martin's, May 2006, $24.95

ISBN 0312332874

Boston Private Investigator Carlotta Carlyle is worried about her teenage friend Paolina Fuentes, who apparently vanished without a word of warning. Carlotta loves Paolina as if the youngster was her offspring, so she visits the mother, who barely notices her child is gone. Instead the selfish distracted woman has a new boyfriend that requires special care from her.

Carlotta begins to wonder if perhaps Paolina's biological father, Colombian drug lord Roldon might have abducted his daughter, leaving her potentially in danger from some of his meanest rivals, and even associates. However finding the criminal is almost impossible as everyone believes he is dead. Still Carlotta travels initially to Miami, which leads to her flying to Bogot where she hopes to pick up the trail of an alleged dead man, who apparently came back from the grave to snatch Paolina.

The eleventh entry in the Carlotta Carlyle investigative series is a fantastic novel, as the near panicking sleuth searches for a teen she loves like a daughter who she believes is in trouble. The storyline captures Carlotta's fears and other deep feelings as the case takes her to South America. Also moving forward is her relationship with Sam, but to see where that goes means (hopefully) reading the next novel. Fans of the series will appreciate Linda Barne's strong entry.