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Carlotta Carlyle #11
Heart of the World
When private investigator Carlotta Carlyle is wakened by a late-night phone call, she discovers that her "little sister," Paolina, the child with whom she was paired years ago by a local mentoring program, is missing. Carlotta combs the Boston streets looking for Paolina, torn between anger at the thoughtless teenage runaway and anxiety that something has really happened to her.
Paolina is more than a sister to Carlotta. She's the daughter she never had, or never owned up to having. She's the one constant in Carlotta's life, more reliable than Sam Gianelli, her mob boss lover, a man whose always unpredictable behavior has become increasingly mysterious.
Heart of the World, Linda Barnes's most intense, personal, and suspenseful Carlotta Carlyle novel yet, follows Carlotta's trail from New England to Miami to Bogotá and beyond as she probes the connection between Paolina's disappearance and the corresponding disappearance of the Colombian drug lord father Paolina has never met.
A breathless and shocking read, Heart of the World is perhaps Barnes's best.
Paolina is more than a sister to Carlotta. She's the daughter she never had, or never owned up to having. She's the one constant in Carlotta's life, more reliable than Sam Gianelli, her mob boss lover, a man whose always unpredictable behavior has become increasingly mysterious.
Heart of the World, Linda Barnes's most intense, personal, and suspenseful Carlotta Carlyle novel yet, follows Carlotta's trail from New England to Miami to Bogotá and beyond as she probes the connection between Paolina's disappearance and the corresponding disappearance of the Colombian drug lord father Paolina has never met.
A breathless and shocking read, Heart of the World is perhaps Barnes's best.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
72 people are currently reading
348 people want to read
About the author
Linda Barnes
79 books224 followersLinda Barnes is an American mystery writer, born and raised in Detroit, and graduated from Boston University"s School of Theater. She is best known for her series featuring Carlotta Carlyle, a 6'1" redheaded detective from Boston. Carlotta Carlyle is often compared to the hard-boiled female detectives created by Sue Grafton and Sara Paretsky. Her new novel, "The Perfect Ghost," which will be published in April, 2013, is her first stand-alone mystery.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
March 27, 2024
3.5 Perhaps starting with #11 in a mystery series is not the best idea but enough background was given that I could follow the story. Main character is Boston private detective (former police, former part-time taxi driver), a 6'1" red headed woman who was very good at her job.
Setting is important to me & I thought I would be getting Boston background but instead the story switched to Colombia early on when Carlotta is trying to find her 15 year old "little sister" (Big Sister/Little Sister program) who has either run away to find her father there or been kidnapped.
This was the most jarring part of the novel -- the intensity of Carlotta's feelings and Paulina's character were never explained well.
I don't know how authentic the Colombia story might read to someone who actually knew something about the country but I enjoyed the descriptions of tropical & jungle places, of the Bogota Gold Museum, the Lost Stone Cities on the Colombia coast, and some of the Colombian recent history.
This was fast-paced, short paragraphs and coming in at 300 pages, I read it quickly, in just a couple of days so a nice break from longer books. Seems I have started with the next to last book in the series, not sure if I will read any of the earlier ones but definitely want to see how the series resolves.
Setting is important to me & I thought I would be getting Boston background but instead the story switched to Colombia early on when Carlotta is trying to find her 15 year old "little sister" (Big Sister/Little Sister program) who has either run away to find her father there or been kidnapped.
This was the most jarring part of the novel -- the intensity of Carlotta's feelings and Paulina's character were never explained well.
I don't know how authentic the Colombia story might read to someone who actually knew something about the country but I enjoyed the descriptions of tropical & jungle places, of the Bogota Gold Museum, the Lost Stone Cities on the Colombia coast, and some of the Colombian recent history.
This was fast-paced, short paragraphs and coming in at 300 pages, I read it quickly, in just a couple of days so a nice break from longer books. Seems I have started with the next to last book in the series, not sure if I will read any of the earlier ones but definitely want to see how the series resolves.
April 8, 2018
My second Carlotta Carlyle adventure, and indeed that is what it is in spades. This one takes her a long way from the hallowed streets of Boston. Her "sister"(Paolina) is kidnapped and Carlotta sticks with her gut that the young teen is being taken to Colombia where her father, a former drug lord lives.
Obstacles? Nothing that will stop her though there are many attempts. Think "I am woman, hear me roar." The hoops Carlotta manages to jump through keeps the action rocking, and yes - she makes it to the mountaintop where Paolina's father Roldan dwells.
Pro: Colombian scenes are of interest when Carlotta and Roldan scale to the heights to the holy site ("heart of the world") that had been recently raided.
Con: The chapters with Paolina's voice were uncomfortable for me as I have never cared for victim voices, found in so many contemporary books.
Obstacles? Nothing that will stop her though there are many attempts. Think "I am woman, hear me roar." The hoops Carlotta manages to jump through keeps the action rocking, and yes - she makes it to the mountaintop where Paolina's father Roldan dwells.
Pro: Colombian scenes are of interest when Carlotta and Roldan scale to the heights to the holy site ("heart of the world") that had been recently raided.
Con: The chapters with Paolina's voice were uncomfortable for me as I have never cared for victim voices, found in so many contemporary books.
December 19, 2011
Oh how I missed the Carlotta Carlyle mysteries! (And the writing of Linda Barnes). Sometimes it just happens you forget all about a particular author you enjoy, and then after years, out of the blue you come across another book of theirs in a TO-READ stack and you remember how much you like them.
Carlotta Carlyle is definitely one of my all-time favorite female PI. She’s gutsy but not reckless, she strong but not heartless. She’s also very wise but never a know-it-all. There's so much more to her than what's written on the page. I think she’s one terrific lady. She’s lucky to have a few great friends too, who are very likeable recurrent characters of the series. In my opinion, recurrent characters often give more depth to a crime story and also give it a more human face.
There’s a lot of subtlety to Barnes’ writing. I wouldn’t say that Heart of the World is the best installment in the Carlotta Carlyle series, but it’s certainly the most exotic, and maybe the most emotional one I’ve read so far. I liked how the author was able to give the reader a pretty good idea of life in Columbia, in Bogotá and in the jungle of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta without going overboard on the descriptive.
Linda Barnes is definitely one of my favorite crime writers, together with Robert Crais, Harlan Coben, Faye Kellerman and Michael Connelly.
Carlotta Carlyle is definitely one of my all-time favorite female PI. She’s gutsy but not reckless, she strong but not heartless. She’s also very wise but never a know-it-all. There's so much more to her than what's written on the page. I think she’s one terrific lady. She’s lucky to have a few great friends too, who are very likeable recurrent characters of the series. In my opinion, recurrent characters often give more depth to a crime story and also give it a more human face.
There’s a lot of subtlety to Barnes’ writing. I wouldn’t say that Heart of the World is the best installment in the Carlotta Carlyle series, but it’s certainly the most exotic, and maybe the most emotional one I’ve read so far. I liked how the author was able to give the reader a pretty good idea of life in Columbia, in Bogotá and in the jungle of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta without going overboard on the descriptive.
Linda Barnes is definitely one of my favorite crime writers, together with Robert Crais, Harlan Coben, Faye Kellerman and Michael Connelly.
April 14, 2015
I had a hard time getting into this story--kept falling asleep as I read, generally not a good sign! As in the other Carlotta Carlyle novels, the characters are deeply flawed. Perhaps I was feeling the flaws more this time and wondering a bit about why i should even care about them. At some point though, I decided to just go with and interesting story.
November 10, 2019
I was very disappointed in this book. After devouring the first three books I read in this series, I started this one with great anticipation. It soon turned into an adventure that was totally unbelievable. Carlotta ‘s venture through Columbia and other South American countries stretched my imagination to its breaking point. Way too much macho for me.
April 1, 2008
not the best book in the series; I prefer the Carlotta Carlyle mysteries that are set in Boston
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January 12, 2026“marriage and motherhood, marriage and motherhood. Nothing wrong with that dream, it was all the things that vision did not include, like success in school, a good job, stretching yourself, using your talent. Go ahead and marry, I told her, but first be a whole person, a complete package, so that when you find a partner, it’s not a matter of molding yourself into the person he wants you to be, but a blending of souls. Don’t be the one who compromises all the time.”
October 8, 2008
HEART OF THE WORLD (Priv. Inv-Carlotta Carlyle-Boston/Miami/Columbia, SA-Cont) – G
Barnes, Linda – 11th in 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 and former boss, Detective Captain Joseph Mooney. Sam has been drawn back deeper into the mafia and is more secretive than ever.
Carlotta’s ‘little sister’, Paolina, is now a teenager, has been receiving money and a gift from her Columbian drug-lord father who was thought to be dead. Paolina has disappeared, rather by running away or being kidnapped and Carlotta is determined to find her and 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 and Paolina, of whom I am more than tired, is not a teen, but Carlotta really hasn’t changed much and is still dealing with the same relationship issues.
The best part of the story was the information on Columbia and its history and the sense of place she creates. The pace of the story picks up toward the end and there is some good suspense. However, I felt the climax was projected and obvious and the end is a segue to the next book. It’s an invitation I’m not certain I’ll accept.
Barnes, Linda – 11th in 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 and former boss, Detective Captain Joseph Mooney. Sam has been drawn back deeper into the mafia and is more secretive than ever.
Carlotta’s ‘little sister’, Paolina, is now a teenager, has been receiving money and a gift from her Columbian drug-lord father who was thought to be dead. Paolina has disappeared, rather by running away or being kidnapped and Carlotta is determined to find her and 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 and Paolina, of whom I am more than tired, is not a teen, but Carlotta really hasn’t changed much and is still dealing with the same relationship issues.
The best part of the story was the information on Columbia and its history and the sense of place she creates. The pace of the story picks up toward the end and there is some good suspense. However, I felt the climax was projected and obvious and the end is a segue to the next book. It’s an invitation I’m not certain I’ll accept.
December 19, 2009
I think I am officially sick of brazen female PIs who seem to stumble in and out of leads and successes with almost no ability to think or plan or research. It would be nice to see skill, creativity, or intelligence given as much attention as temperamentality. The resolution of the book was fine, and there was one plot twist that was actually surprising, but all and all, I think I'm going to quit this genre for a while. It's the sort of thing that might appeal to those looking for a vampire-free and more chaste Anita Blake.
July 21, 2015
#11 in the Carlotta Carlyle series. Carlotta is a 6', red-headed, Boston P.I., volleyball player, part-time cab driver and half-hearted landlady. She is a "Big Sister" to Paolina, whose mother is hostile to Carlotta. The Paolina episodes are my least favorite of Carlotta's adventures.
Carlotta Carlyle is searching for her "little sister" Paolina. The trail leads to Colombia where her supposed drug lord father may still be alive.
Carlotta Carlyle is searching for her "little sister" Paolina. The trail leads to Colombia where her supposed drug lord father may still be alive.
January 25, 2017
A difficult read for me because Carlotta and Paolina were not on their home turf and were fighting some nasty criminals. It was also difficult to read knowing that only one more book will come. What will happen to Paolina? What will happen to Carlotta and Sam? What will happen to Mooney? What will happen to all the other wonderful characters? What will happen to the other hints she has been dropping?
December 24, 2007
I had forgotten all about this series when I picked this up...I read the first few to like 4 or 5 and then just stopped having an interest in them. This was a good story in the private eye Carlotta's life. Her "little sister" goes missing and she tracks her down in S.America. I forgot how much I enjoyed the characters, and will now reup the reading of the series ;)
May 9, 2008
Linda Barnes' Carlotta Carlyle books are fantastic - who wouldn't love a tough Boston ex-cop ex-cabbie who's sleeping with a hot mafioso? This installment, however, pales in comparison to prior books. Too much of a focus on the "little sister" story line, which has always bored me. Still, if you're a Barnes fan, it's worth reading.
March 25, 2011
This time Carlotta Carlyle - PI and part time Boston cabbie - finds herself in Columbia searching for her
sister. I like the characters and the insight into Columbia was interesting. The story was a bit far fetched.
sister. I like the characters and the insight into Columbia was interesting. The story was a bit far fetched.
April 15, 2020
The book was mediocre but actually became implausible toward the conclusion. The Roldan character was too unrealistic in my view. The whole plot to steal gold was same. I actually had trouble even finishing the book.
June 14, 2022
As fan of the Carlotta Carlyle novels I found this an unbelievable tale. It's not even the plot, I just internal monologue of the main two characters irritating to a point where I would portions of the audio. The most disappointing Linda Barnes book I've read.
May 16, 2016
I found it boring. I'm not sure if I grew out of Linda Barnes, or the same old, same old is just that...boring.
June 27, 2019
The premise supports the plot,but......
The plot is lost in the narrative. The story needs lots of old fashioned work. It is a lot of work to read.
The plot is lost in the narrative. The story needs lots of old fashioned work. It is a lot of work to read.
November 28, 2020
Probably one of the silliest, convoluted attempts at a story that I have read in a long time. I suppose the best thing that Barnes achieved is she got the two men in Carlota's life out of her life.
July 1, 2025
Four stars is generous. This didn't get off to a very good start, in my opinion, but became a page turner as the story developed farther in. It did deal more with Carlotta Carlyle's attraction to her rebellious and even obnoxious "Little Sister," Paolina, which has always been difficult to identify with, as is her attachment to Sam Gianelli, a wonderful guy who just couldn't say no to taking over his father's mob business, and their on-again off-again relationship.
The fascination in this tale began when Paolina ran off, thinking that she was being taken to help nurse Carlos Roldán Gonzales, her Colombian drug lord of a father (someone she had never met and who had been reported as killed), but, in fact, had been taken by kidnappers who wanted to extort precious Colombia gold artifacts through him. Carlotta's search for Paolina followed paths and clues until she ended up in Colombia, eventually making her way to Roldán and venturing with him to the territory of the indigenous Kogi, located in El Corazon del Mundo, "Heart of the World," in Colombia's Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range. In the world's highest coastal mountain range, a place where indigenous knowledge and nature's wisdom converged, Roldán demonstrated to Carlotta the non-monetary value of their treasure and beliefs.
The fascination in this tale began when Paolina ran off, thinking that she was being taken to help nurse Carlos Roldán Gonzales, her Colombian drug lord of a father (someone she had never met and who had been reported as killed), but, in fact, had been taken by kidnappers who wanted to extort precious Colombia gold artifacts through him. Carlotta's search for Paolina followed paths and clues until she ended up in Colombia, eventually making her way to Roldán and venturing with him to the territory of the indigenous Kogi, located in El Corazon del Mundo, "Heart of the World," in Colombia's Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range. In the world's highest coastal mountain range, a place where indigenous knowledge and nature's wisdom converged, Roldán demonstrated to Carlotta the non-monetary value of their treasure and beliefs.
July 24, 2021
It's been many years since I first read Carlotta Carlyle, and I remember why I used to enjoy these books so much. Unlike Kinsey Millhone or V.I. Warshawski, her contemporaries, she doesn't just throw herself at trouble, and unlike a lot of the female PI's I'm reading about nowadays, she's a fully-developed, well-written character with plenty of weaknesses and plenty of strengths.
I missed her familiar setting of Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston, and because she's off her home turf, we don't see as much of her cast of minor characters. I miss them too.
I have to wonder what either a Latina or a Kogi from Colombia would think of this book, and how accurately and respectfully Barnes has treated the setting and the culture. I am not in a position to know. There is a mystical element to the plot, but it does not require that you buy into it for events to make sense.
I missed her familiar setting of Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston, and because she's off her home turf, we don't see as much of her cast of minor characters. I miss them too.
I have to wonder what either a Latina or a Kogi from Colombia would think of this book, and how accurately and respectfully Barnes has treated the setting and the culture. I am not in a position to know. There is a mystical element to the plot, but it does not require that you buy into it for events to make sense.
November 16, 2024
I tried checking this book out 4 different times. I would read 1%-2% and then just let the checkout lapse. Then a couple weeks late I'd try again with the same results. I made it up to 17% read and gave up.
I've always hated Paolina and found the "little sister" super annoying and there was just no way I could read a book all about Paolina being missing. I read reviews online and when I saw that Carlotta actually followed them to Colombia I was really glad I bowed out early. That sounds so stupid and definitely not what I'm looking for in a mystery series.
I've always hated Paolina and found the "little sister" super annoying and there was just no way I could read a book all about Paolina being missing. I read reviews online and when I saw that Carlotta actually followed them to Colombia I was really glad I bowed out early. That sounds so stupid and definitely not what I'm looking for in a mystery series.
December 1, 2019
This is my first Carlotta Carlyle mystery. I am out of order, but I did like this book.
Carlotta gets a call in the middle of the night saying her mentee Paolina is missing. Carlotta does not feel she is a runaway, as she would have come to her. This leads on a trek through most of the east coast and into South America searching for Paolina and brings her to terms with her own lineage.
I did enjoy this book and would like to read another Carlotta Carlyle mystery.
Carlotta gets a call in the middle of the night saying her mentee Paolina is missing. Carlotta does not feel she is a runaway, as she would have come to her. This leads on a trek through most of the east coast and into South America searching for Paolina and brings her to terms with her own lineage.
I did enjoy this book and would like to read another Carlotta Carlyle mystery.
September 12, 2023
Even C. J. Critt’ s wonderful narration could not make this audio book an enjoyable experience for me. The plot was far too dark and the Colombian setting and drug theme were unappealing to me. I hope the author redirects her talents to writing a more traditional private investigator story in Boston.
August 16, 2025
Complex and suspenseful. Barnes never disappoints.
This has been the most complex and detailed of Barnes books. She already was a fabulous writer, this book took it up another notch! It has tied up loose ends from previous books and brought relationships to surprising conclusions. I very much enjoy the complex suspense and emotion.
This has been the most complex and detailed of Barnes books. She already was a fabulous writer, this book took it up another notch! It has tied up loose ends from previous books and brought relationships to surprising conclusions. I very much enjoy the complex suspense and emotion.
August 4, 2018
This page-turner features Carlotta Carlyle on a hair-raising adventure as she tries to find her little sister Paolina, who has decided to go to Colombia to find her father. Threats, violence, kidnapping, and ultimately murder keep the reader on edge all the way to the last page.
October 1, 2023
Loved the quick pace. How she rescues her daughter of the heart. The nitty gritty life that a lot of people live. Not the pampered and indulged life so many people I know live. Yet they complain and ask for more. Like the birth mother.
July 7, 2024
One of Barnes best stories
This mystery/thriller is one of Linda Barnes best books to date. The characters and locales were enthralling and detailed. It was nice to have a bit more of Paolina that we have seen in recent books. I wonder what the next one will bring
This mystery/thriller is one of Linda Barnes best books to date. The characters and locales were enthralling and detailed. It was nice to have a bit more of Paolina that we have seen in recent books. I wonder what the next one will bring
March 1, 2018
This book was interesting, with all the traveling she did to get to a foreign world and all the things she had to do to find a missing child
August 31, 2019
Carlotta Carlyle is a fascinating protagonist - a wonderful combination of tough and oh-so-tender. I thoroughly enjoy her stories.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews