- Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: Kensington; New edition edition (Jan 1 2005)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1575668785
- ISBN-13: 978-1575668789
- Product Dimensions: 17.3 x 10.7 x 2.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 113 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #422,002 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
"Amateur sleuth Charlotte LaRue will dust her way into readers' hearts in this auspicious debut...Colley has created a sensible, likeable sleuth whom readers will want to put on a long-term contract."
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Book Description
There's a case of spring-cleaning fever going around New Orleans's historic Garden District, and it's keeping Charlotte LaRue - proprietor of Maid-for-a-Day - plenty busy. Especially when what's supposed to be a simple housecleaning job ends in a grim discovery - and things start to get real dirty real fast...Charlotte has just about had it with her sister Madeline. She's put up with her simpering sibling's selfish demands and snide comments for years, but when Maddie turns on her own son and his new bride, Charlotte's really steamed. She thinks Daniel and Nadia make a beautiful couple--and Nadia's little boy is just as cute as can be. And now that Nadia's abusive ex-boyfriend seems to be out of the picture--no one's seen the cad in ages-the new family's future looks as bright as a freshly Windex-ed mirror. But years of polishing, scrubbing, and dusting have taught Charlotte that it's only a matter of time before things get messy. Sure enough, when she pays a visit to a wealthy client's lavish mansion, an urn breaks open-and human bones spill out. A little snooping turns up a driver's license belonging to Nadia's no-good ex. Could the bones be his, too? Before she knows it, Charlotte's up to her elbows in the kind of dirty business that doesn't pay the bills...
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Cute concept, problems in execution,
By booksforabuck "BooksForABuck" (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Polished Off (Hardcover)
When one of her clients discovers a skeleton in an ornamental pot, cleaning lady Charlotte LaRue tells herself that it's none of her business. But when Charlotte discovers that the body is the ex-boyfriend of one of her employees--a woman who is now her niece by marriage, she knows that she'll have to involve herself. Because it isn't long before her niece disappears, her nephew is charged with murder, and Charlotte herself is stuck taking care of their young child. A cleaning lady who solves mysteries is a cute concept and New Orleans, where the books are located, makes a charming setting. Author Barbara Colley is a smooth and professional writer who keeps the pages turning as she introduces a tangle of long-lost love, blackmail, and political corruption. Unfortunately, I found Charlotte LaRue to be an unlikable character. She is hypercritical of those around her, unsympathetic to her clients' concerns, and completely self-absorbed. Together with Colley's reliance on coincidence (how likely is it that Charlotte would be in one suspect's office just as he receives a suspicious call? How did the criminals arrange that Patsy end up with the pot? What are the odds of Charlotte's showing up just in time to see the bones? Would the first person connected with Tulane University that Charlotte thinks of really know the private life of her students and be able to tell Charlotte all about it?), and unexplained behavior (why, exactly, did Nadia do her disappearing act?) I found myself pulled out of the story.
5.0 out of 5 stars
superb clean cozy,
By
This review is from: Polished Off (Hardcover)
In New Orleans, Charlotte LaRue, owner of Maid for a Day cleaning service, feels really good that her "favorite" (and only) nephew Daniel married her best worker Nadia and plans to adopt the young son of his new wife as his. Only, Daniel's mom Madeline acts irate over the elopement. When Maddie fails to hide her odious opinion, Charlotte becomes angry with her sibling, who never has a good thing to say about anyone.At the mansion of client Patsy Dufour, workers drop a large urn revealing human bones inside it. These are the remains of Nadia's former boyfriend and father of her son Ricco Martinez. The NOPD immediately go after Nadia as the prime suspect because Ricco was abusive and sired her son so eliminating him got him out of the way for her to marry Daniel. Charlotte does not believe for one nanosecond that Nadia POLISHED OFF her odious ex. Since the police refuse to look elsewhere, she begins her own inquiries. The latest Charlotte cleaning service amateur sleuth tale is a fine story that fans of the series and the sub-genre will enjoy due to a strong cast headed by the heroine, her less cantankerous neighbor and her extended family. The story line reads like a clean cozy with Charlotte retaining her Ms. Clean label by tidying up deaths by murder as only a maid can. Harriet Klausner
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
3.8 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews) 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Bit Dusty, But Not Bad,
By Lois Lain - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Polished Off (Mass Market Paperback)
This is the first in the "Charlotte LaRue" mystery series for me. While I typically reach for books with younger sleuths, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Charlotte has a lot of moxie for a gal of her age! :) However, she can fall into the "I'm set in my ways, so deal with it" trap -- coming across as a crotchety old busybody at times, even though it's clear from her work schedule that she's anything but old and decrepit.I really enjoyed Barbara Colley's take on New Orleans, one of my favorite cities in the world. I would have liked the setting to play an even larger part in the story, seeing as it's such an amazing, unique place. It could almost serve as another character if done right (a la Anne Rice). I have to admit that the plot turns left me a bit in the dust as the story made hairpin turn after hairpin turn in the last few chapters. Too much happening. Mystery writers need to learn that most readers pick up series mysteries for the characters, not for the plot! You don't have to wow me with your ability to spin an intricate web -- just make me fall in love with your characters and I'm yours for life. While I'm not dedicated enough to go back and read all the Charlotte LaRue books from the beginning, I definitely wouldn't pass up a chance to read another. 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bones are discovered. Can Charlotte discover the truth?,
By Dawn Dowdle "Mystery reviewer" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Polished Off (Hardcover)
When Nadia, Charlotte's employee and now her niece by marriage, calls in sick, Charlotte does the cleaning job herself at Patsy's. Patsy is having an ornamental pot moved by two men when it breaks and human bones are discovered. Worse than that, they are believed to belong to Ricco's, Nadia's ex-boyfriend.Nadia disappears. Charlotte's nephew, and Nadia's new husband, Daniel, is arrested. He and Ricco did not get along. Charlotte takes in Nadia's little son, Davey, so that he won't have to go to a foster home. And to help get Daniel out of jail, Charlotte takes it upon herself to do some investigating. The detective in charge of the case, Will Richeaux, recently had an affair with Charlotte's niece, Judith, and he is not very friendly, let alone helpful. This hampers Charlotte in getting needed information about the case. Judith is a policewoman and tries to assist Charlotte, but there's only so much she can do. Charlotte's sister, Madeline, has not accepted Nadia as a daughter-in-law, and now she feels she was right all along. Thus, she doesn't offer to help with Davey. Charlotte has to juggle her cleaning jobs and caring for him. Then there's her neighbor Louis, a retired detective, who Charlotte has feelings for. But he always frustrates her with his ways. Things just aren't going so well for Charlotte. Can Charlotte find the real murderer and unravel all the pieces related to this murder and get Daniel out of jail? Will Nadia return? Will life ever return to normal? I love this series. Charlotte is a very likeable character. I'd love to have her be my maid! New Orleans is a terrific setting for this series. So many interesting characters and locations. Ms. Colley has a winning series! I highly recommend this book, and the whole series. 4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
superb clean cozy,
By Harriet Klausner - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Polished Off (Hardcover)
In New Orleans, Charlotte LaRue, owner of Maid for a Day cleaning service, feels really good that her "favorite" (and only) nephew Daniel married her best worker Nadia and plans to adopt the young son of his new wife as his. Only, Daniel's mom Madeline acts irate over the elopement. When Maddie fails to hide her odious opinion, Charlotte becomes angry with her sibling, who never has a good thing to say about anyone.At the mansion of client Patsy Dufour, workers drop a large urn revealing human bones inside it. These are the remains of Nadia's former boyfriend and father of her son Ricco Martinez. The NOPD immediately go after Nadia as the prime suspect because Ricco was abusive and sired her son so eliminating him got him out of the way for her to marry Daniel. Charlotte does not believe for one nanosecond that Nadia POLISHED OFF her odious ex. Since the police refuse to look elsewhere, she begins her own inquiries. The latest Charlotte cleaning service amateur sleuth tale is a fine story that fans of the series and the sub-genre will enjoy due to a strong cast headed by the heroine, her less cantankerous neighbor and her extended family. The story line reads like a clean cozy with Charlotte retaining her Ms. Clean label by tidying up deaths by murder as only a maid can. Harriet Klausner |
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