A Trouble of Fools by Linda Barnes

Carlotta Carlyle Mysteries

This book introduces us to Carlotta Carlyle, a red-haired, 6 foot-1 inch tall and size 11 shoe wearing ex-cabbie, ex-policewoman, now private investigator in Boston. She has inherited her Aunt's house and rents out the upper floor but hasn't changed much so it still looks like an old lady lives there. Her companions are TC (Thomas C. as in Cat), an inherited parrot named Emma Goldman and her best friend is Paolina, her 10-year-old "Little Sister", who lives in the projects. It is her weekly visits with her and her local volleyball games that help pass the time as she hasn't had much luck as a PI yet.

So she isn't too chosey when an elderly Irish woman hires her to find her brother, Eugene, who has vanished from their home. He left his taxi standing empty weeks before but no one except his sister seem concerned. His cabbie cronies and the police think he has flown the coop to live in the old country aka Ireland. But Carlotta's interest is peaked when she finds the battered body of the sister along with a trashed house. After taking her to the hospital she finds a mysterious cache of $13,000 hidden in the attic. Eugene's cronies, who, like himself, are drivers for a taxi fleet are secret sympathizers with the Irish cause, and seem to be involved with a scheme in support of the IRA. Having once worked for the cab company herself, Carlotta hires on again to monitor their activities, an action that eventually sets her at odds with a major drug ring, the FBI and a certain Mafia-connected former lover.

There are some other subplots that all tie up at the end to make this a very satisfying vacation read. You get this great flavor of Boston as she drives around the city plus she loves to play the blues and read poetry. I'm looking forward to see how this series develops.