Steel Guitar: A Carlotta Carlyle Mystery - Hardcover

Barnes, Linda

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0385300131 ISBN 13: 9780385300131

Publisher: Delacorte Pr, 1991

Synopsis

Several years ago, private eye Carlotta Carlyle's husband, Cal, ran off with Carlotta's college chum, Dee Willis, and now the successful blues singer Willis has asked Carlotta to help her locate the missing Cal

About this title

Review

Her first person prose is well-honed, and her touch is sure enough to float her fast-paced narrative while still allowing for sharp development of an intriguing cast of characters...best of all, Barnes can turn a phrase well enough to make even Paretsky and Grafton jealous. -Houston Chronicle COYOTE DEEP POCKETS THE BIG DIG THE SNAKE TATTOO "Her first person prose is well-honed, and her touch is sure enough to float her fast-paced narrative while still allowing for sharp development of an intriguing cast of characters...best of all, Barnes can turn a phrase well enough to make even Paretsky and Grafton jealous." --Houston Chronicle"Linda Barnes is once again brilliant. Coyote is damned good." --Robert B. Parker on Coyote"Carlotta Carlyle is better than ever and Coyote is the perfect vehicle." --Sue Grafton on Coyote"Linda Barnes has another winner in Coyote...a great, only-in-Boston climax." --Jeremiah Healy on Coyote"[There's] plenty to keep a reader chasing after the delightful Carlyle while she chases after the bad guys." --Entertainment Weekly on Deep Pockets"Barnes weaves an intricate web with a pleasingly poisonous spider at its center...Barnes makes superb use of the town-grown tensions...the twists and turns in this nail-biter are at once startling without ever becoming absurd." --Publishers Weekly on Deep Pockets"With Deep Pockets, Barnes locks in her position as one of the foremost practitioners of middle-of-the-road, character-based mystery...I suppose I could have put it down. But I didn't want to." --Orson Scott Card on Deep Pockets"Pure pleasure." --Kirkus Reviews on The Big Dig"A true page-turner...nobody knows Boston like Linda Barnes's red-haired private investigator Carlotta Carlyle...Barnes's knack for crisp, snappy dialogue, and devising a mystery that has both timeless and contemporary appeal is a winner." --Boston Herald on The Big Dig"Like the best of the new detectives, V.I. and Kinsey, [Carlotta Carlyle] is a woman of wit and gravity, compassion and toughness, a heroine worth spending time with.... [Those of us] who yearn for whodunits with character as well wrought as plot, can only thank Linda Barnes." --The New York Times Book Review on The Big Dig"Barnes grabs the detective genre by the throat but rarely lets style overtake substance. The plot is thick and original and sure to surprise." --Washington Times on The Big Dig"Carlotta Carlyle combines the sensitivity of Robert Parker's Spenser with the stubbornness of Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski and she's rapidly carving out a place of her own." --Chicago Tribune on The Big Dig"A shrewd piece of writing, well researched and smartly told." --Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review on The Big Dig"Carlotta is an engaging narrator with a brisk, easygoing style...a worthy competitor in the private eye business." --The Washington Post on The Big Dig"A rivetingly well-told story." --Publishers Weekly on The Snake Tattoo"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 on The Snake Tattoo"Move over Spenser, make permanent room on the streets of Boston for another sleuth who's big (six feet one), strong and tough as nails but soft at the core." --Entertainment Weekly on The Snake Tattoo"It's always a pleasure to spend time with this zesty detective...Carlotta has class and spirit to spare." --Baltimore Sun on The Snake Tattoo Her first person prose is well-honed, and her touch is sure enough to float her fast-paced narrative while still allowing for sharp development of an intriguing cast of characters...best of all, Barnes can turn a phrase well enough to make even Paretsky and Grafton jealous. "Houston Chronicle" Linda Barnes is once again brilliant. Coyote is damned good. "Robert B. Parker on Coyote" Carlotta Carlyle is better than ever and Coyote is the perfect vehicle. "Sue Grafton on Coyote" Linda Barnes has another winner in Coyote...a great, only-in-Boston climax. "Jeremiah Healy on Coyote" [There's] plenty to keep a reader chasing after the delightful Carlyle while she chases after the bad guys. "Entertainment Weekly on Deep Pockets" Barnes weaves an intricate web with a pleasingly poisonous spider at its center...Barnes makes superb use of the town-grown tensions...the twists and turns in this nail-biter are at once startling without ever becoming absurd. "Publishers Weekly on Deep Pockets" With Deep Pockets, Barnes locks in her position as one of the foremost practitioners of middle-of-the-road, character-based mystery...I suppose I could have put it down. But I didn't want to. "Orson Scott Card on Deep Pockets" Pure pleasure. "Kirkus Reviews on The Big Dig" A true page-turner...nobody knows Boston like Linda Barnes's red-haired private investigator Carlotta Carlyle...Barnes's knack for crisp, snappy dialogue, and devising a mystery that has both timeless and contemporary appeal is a winner. "Boston Herald on The Big Dig" Like the best of the new detectives, V.I. and Kinsey, [Carlotta Carlyle] is a woman of wit and gravity, compassion and toughness, a heroine worth spending time with.... [Those of us] who yearn for whodunits with character as well wrought as plot, can only thank Linda Barnes. "The New York Times Book Review on The Big Dig" Barnes grabs the detective genre by the throat but rarely lets style overtake substance. The plot is thick and original and sure to surprise. "Washington Times on The Big Dig" Carlotta Carlyle combines the sensitivity of Robert Parker's Spenser with the stubbornness of Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski and she's rapidly carving out a place of her own. "Chicago Tribune on The Big Dig" A shrewd piece of writing, well researched and smartly told. "Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review on The Big Dig" Carlotta is an engaging narrator with a brisk, easygoing style...a worthy competitor in the private eye business. "The Washington Post on The Big Dig" A rivetingly well-told story. "Publishers Weekly on The Snake Tattoo" 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 on The Snake Tattoo" Move over Spenser, make permanent room on the streets of Boston for another sleuth who's big (six feet one), strong and tough as nails but soft at the core. "Entertainment Weekly on The Snake Tattoo" It's always a pleasure to spend time with this zesty detective...Carlotta has class and spirit to spare. "Baltimore Sun on The Snake Tattoo"" "Her first person prose is well-honed, and her touch is sure enough to float her fast-paced narrative while still allowing for sharp development of an intriguing cast of characters...best of all, Barnes can turn a phrase well enough to make even Paretsky and Grafton jealous."-Houston Chronicle COYOTE"Linda Barnes is once again brilliant. Coyote is damned good."-Robert B. Parker "Carlotta Carlyle is better than ever and Coyote is the perfect vehicle."-Sue Grafton "Linda Barnes has another winner in Coyote...a great, only-in-Boston climax."-Jeremiah Healy DEEP POCKETS"[There's] plenty to keep a reader chasing after the delightful Carlyle while she chases after the bad guys."-Entertainment Weekly "Barnes weaves an intricate web with a pleasingly poisonous spider at its center...Barnes makes superb use of the town-grown tensions...the twists and turns in this nail-biter are at once startling without ever becoming absurd."-Publishers Weekly "With Deep Pockets, Barnes locks in her position as one of the foremost practitioners of middle-of-the-road, character-based mystery...I suppose I could have put it down. But I didn't want to."-Orson Scott Card THE BIG DIG"Pure pleasure."-Kirkus Reviews "A true page-turner...nobody knows Boston like Linda Barnes's red-haired private investigator Carlotta Carlyle...Barnes's knack for crisp, snappy dialogue, and devising a mystery that has both timeless and contemporary appeal is a winner."-Boston Herald "Like the best of the new detectives, V.I. and Kinsey, [Carlotta Carlyle] is a woman of wit and gravity, compassion and toughness, a heroine worth spending time with.... [Those of us] who yearn for whodunits with character as well wrought as plot, can only thank Linda Barnes." -20The New York Times Book Review "Barnes grabs the detective genre by the throat but rarely lets style overtake substance. The plot is thick and original and sure to surprise."-Washington Times "Carlotta Carlyle combines the sensitivity of Robert Parker's Spenser with the stubbornness of Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski and she's rapidly carving out a place of her own."-Chicago Tribune "A shrewd piece of writing, well researched and smartly told."-Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review "Carlotta is an engaging narrator with a brisk, easygoing style...a worthy competitor in the private eye business."-The Washington Post THE SNAKE TATTOO"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 "Move over Spenser, make permanent room on the streets of Boston for another sleuth who's big (six feet one), strong and tough as nails but soft at the core."-Entertainment Weekly "It's always a pleasure to spend time with this zesty detective...Carlotta has class and spirit to spare." -Baltimore Sun

From the Back Cover

WHEN YOU STAND NEAR A STAR
They say you meet all kinds when you're driving a hack. That's certainly the case for Boston PI Carlotta Carlyle, who gets an unexpected fare while moonlighting behind the wheel. It's singer Dee Willis, Carlotta's ex-friend and former band mate, who stole Carlotta's man before clawing her way up the charts.

THE GLARE CAN BE DEADLY
Dee's made the leap from Southie's barrooms to the cover of People magazine, but now she's back in Carlotta's life, bringing with her a load of trouble. She hires Carlotta to track down a mutual friend who's fallen on hard times, but Carlotta soon finds that there's a far more menacing tune being played. Someone is blackmailing Dee, claiming she stole songwriting credits-and the money and fame that came with them. As the spotlight's glare turns as cold as the corpse that turns up in Dee's hotel room, Carlotta's past is about to catch up to her...with a vengeance.

"Nobody knows Boston like Linda Barnes's red-haired private investigator Carlotta Carlyle."
-Boston Herald

About this edition

• Publisher: Delacorte Pr
• Publication date: 1991
• ISBN 10: 0385300131
• ISBN 13: 9780385300131
• Binding: Hardcover