Books with author Linda Barr

The Dragon's Blood Key - YA Fantasy at its finestIt all began with a mysterious book and the story of a magical kingdom. The kingdom of Walandra is a wondrous place, full of magical creatures and... DRAGONS. A curse cast over the kingdom imprisoned the people in darkness. It is time for the champion who will end the curse and banish the Evil Queen to the Land of Shadows. A young woman from a far-off realm must save the kingdom. As Cassy prepares to face the Evil Queen Alona, she must learn to harness the power hidden deep within her. Her quest will take her on an enchanting adventure, and awaken an ancient power that will free the people of Walandra. Sometimes, the Hero comes in a form least expected.This is the first installment in the Legend of The Dragon’s Blood Key.

Katie really cares about Justin, the cute two-year-old she baby-sits. But she cant help but notice the changes in him. Hes quieter now, and he sometimes calls himself a bad boy. Then Katie starts to notice bruises on Justin. She explains them awayuntil the day when she has to face the possibilities and make a very difficult decision. Who will believe what she suspects? What if shes wrong? Maybe she shouldnt say anything. But little Justin might be in real danger. And maybe Katie is the only one who can protect him.

This award-winning debut mystery introduces a Boston PI who’s “one of the most sparkling, most irresistible heroines ever to grace the pages of a whodunit” (Chicago Sun-Times). Six-foot-tall, redheaded ex-cop and Boston-based private eye Carlotta Carlyle is “the genuine article: a straightforward, funny, thoroughly American mystery heroine” (New York Post). Let go from the Beantown police force for insubordination, Carlotta Carlyle is ready for business. Her first client is the genteel and elderly Margaret Devens, whose brother, Eugene, one of the last in a handful of Boston’s aging Irish cabbies, has suddenly vanished. The case should be a cinch. Carlotta knows the territory. She even knew Eugene. But when Margaret is attacked, Carlotta fears the disappearance is just one hitch in a bigger scheme. Trolling the local pubs for clues isn’t going to hack it. Especially when she finds herself at odds with the FBI and a Mafia-connected former lover. As a moonlighting cabbie, Carlotta knows the streets well. But even she has no idea just how dangerous a route she’s taken . . . Winner of the American Mystery Award and nominated for both the Edgar and Shamus Awards, this first book in the series is “beautifully plotted, exciting, moving, and leavened with wit” (Robert B. Parker).

Katie really cares about Justin, the cute two-year-old she baby-sits. But she cant help but notice the changes in him. Hes quieter now, and he sometimes calls himself a bad boy. Then Katie starts to notice bruises on Justin. She explains them awayuntil the day when she has to face the possibilities and make a very difficult decision. Who will believe what she suspects? What if shes wrong? Maybe she shouldnt say anything. But little Justin might be in real danger. And maybe Katie is the only one who can protect him.

Many Americans are familiar with Thomas Edison's "invention factory" in Menlo Park, where he patented the phonograph, the light bulb and more than one thousand other items. Yet many other ideas have grown in the Garden State, too--New Jerseyans brought sound and music to movies and built the very first drive-in theater. In addition to the first cultivated blueberry, tasty treats like ice cream cones and M&Ms are also Jersey natives. Iconic aspects of American life, like the batting cage, catcher's mask and even professional baseball itself, started in New Jersey. Life would be a lot harder without the vacuum cleaner, plastic and Band-Aids, and many important advances in medicine and surgery were also developed here. Join author Linda Barth as she explores groundbreaking, useful, fun and even silly inventions and their New Jersey roots.

“The most refreshing, creative female character to hit mystery fiction since Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone” is back—in four more fast-paced crime thrillers (People). Six-foot-tall, redheaded ex-cop and Boston-based private eye Carlotta Carlyle is “the genuine article: a straightforward, funny, thoroughly American mystery heroine” (New York Post). Snapshot: A series of strange photos draws Carlotta into a chilling case of medical malpractice. “Snapshot is destined to secure Barnes’ position in the hotshot ranks of detective fiction.” —Arizona Republic Hardware: After a series of assaults on cabbies, Carlotta’s moonlighting job as a taxi driver turns into the most dangerous, high-octane case of her career. “Ms. Barnes makes a fist and puts some muscle in this strong plot about an extortionist scheme to corner the market in the taxi medallions.” —The New York Times Book Review Cold Case: Hired to find a long-missing novelist, Carlotta gets tangled up in a cutthroat political campaign. “With a stylish pro like Barnes doing the plotting, this chilling case won’t leave you cold.” —People Flashpoint: Carlotta tries not to get scorched when an arsonist targets her. “[Flashpoint] further cement[s] [Carlotta’s] place in the pantheon of contemporary P.I.s.” —Chicago Tribune

Hired to find a missing novelist, Boston private investigator Carlotta Carlyle gets tangled up in a cutthroat political campaign Six-foot-tall, redheaded ex-cop and Boston-based private eye Carlotta Carlyle is “the genuine article: a straightforward, funny, thoroughly American mystery heroine” (New York Post). Thea Janis was a literary Mozart. She published her first novel at age fourteen, shocking the upper crust of Boston with her frank depiction of blue-blooded indiscretions, and she seemed to have a magnificent career ahead of her. But before Thea could publish her follow-up novel, she mysteriously disappeared and was eventually named as a victim of a serial killer. Twenty-four years later, an admirer of Thea’s comes to Carlotta claiming to have evidence that Thea is alive—and still writing. He begs Carlotta to find the onetime prodigy, but there are powerful people, including Thea’s prominent family of Boston politicians, who want Thea’s second book to stay buried. As a take-no-prisoners gubernatorial race speeds to its climax, Carlotta discovers a secret that could upend the campaign, endanger people’s lives, and rewrite literary history.Cold Case is the 7th book in the Carlotta Carlyle Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.