Married to the Mop (Charlotte Larue Mysteries)

Book Description

As owner of Maid for a Day, Charlotte LaRue is cleaning up New Orleans house by house. When it comes to hired help, she's the best there is, especially if murder runs in the family...

Though she's short two employees, Charlotte answers a desperate plea the weekend before Mardi Gras. A woman named Emily Rossi is hosting a huge bash for out-of-town guests, and just lost her maid to a family emergency. It seems an acquaintance of hers from the society set highly recommended Charlotte's services—so she makes Charlotte an offer she can't refuse…

And Charlotte soon learns why. Emily's husband, Robert, just happens to be the most ruthless crime boss in the country. The number-one suspect in the murder of his own father, he's taken over the reins of the "family business."

As usual, Charlotte keeps her nose to the grindstone—but that doesn't stop her from seeing the dysfunctional Rossi clan in all its glory. Robert's mother is seemingly senile, his daughter hates him, he quarrels with his brothers, and Charlotte suspects him of abusing his wife. She also gets a front-row seat to an explosive display of Robert's hair-trigger temper when he finds some of his priceless Faberge eggs missing.

Nevertheless, Charlotte agrees to help at the costume ball when one of the servers comes down with the flu. She's beginning to think that the party is a cover for Robert's illegal activities, when the man himself is found dead in the library. And there's Emily, standing over her husband with a bloody knife in her hand.

The case seems cut-and-dried—to anyone but Charlotte, that is. Although Emily looks guilty as sin, Charlotte has seen enough of the Rossi family's dirty laundry to suspect everyone. And the Faberge eggs continue to disappear. If there's a crack in the killer's plan, Charlotte will find it, because she won't stand for anything—least of all, murder—being swept under the rug. But she'd better tread carefully if she doesn't want to spend Fat Tuesday in the bayou, sleeping with the catfish…

Customer Reviews:

Disappointing.......2007-02-17

I've enjoyed this series up until now, but I was very disappointed in this installment.

I found everything to be way too obvious. The author did not do a good job with red herrings or disguising her clues as part of the storyline. As soon as someone appeared or something happened, you knew immediately that it would tie into the resolution, and how it would tie in. The suspense was non-existent.

I also hated the way it was written. Throughout the book, all Charlotte does is shiver, shudder, sigh, wince and frown. She stomps, tromps, trudges and marches everywhere she goes. Poor poor Charlotte. We get it already.

She knowingly and willingly becomes an accessory to murder, but doesn't get arrested because her niece is a cop. Then when she recklessly puts lives in danger trying to save herself, not only is she not even questioned because her niece is a cop, but she disobeys the orders of the police to stay where she is, and wanders off to confront the murderer, who's only all too willing to spill her guts to this total stranger. It's nice to know that you're above the law if you have a family member in law enforcement.

All in all, a very disappointing effort. I hope the next installment is better.

Great title, so-so mystery.......2006-05-13

Cleaning lady Charlotte LaRue doesn't want to take on more business but when a woman calls desperate for help and offers $200 per day, Charlotte can't turn her down. She wishes she had, though, when she learns that the family she'll be cleaning for is in the mob. Worse, Robert, the mob leader, beats his wife and is generally an unpleasant sort of guy. Although her family and friends urge her to back out, Charlotte stays firm--a deal is a deal. The deal gets worse, though, when the caterer's crew comes down sick and Charlotte, along with a group of mob bodyguards, is drafted into wait-staff for a Mardi Gras party.

The party is winding down when Charlotte discovers the husband dead--and his wife covered with blood. To the police, it looks like murder--and well justified. But Charlotte believes Emily's story about trying to save Robert--and decides she needs to get at the truth.

Author Barbara Colley always manages clever titles and writes convincingly of the life of the manager/worker in a cleaning service and of New Orleans. Colley's love for this city comes through clearly. Her writing is straightforward (maybe too straightforward) and even people who don't read many mysteries will have no problems identifying the clues.

For me, this mystery is marred by the unsympathetic protagonist. Charlotte claims to be a Christian, but manages to justify whatever behavior she wishes to engage in with no sense of guilt. Where she engages in charitable behavior (like taking care of the ex-wife of Charlotte's hapless love interest, Louis), she practically seethes with anger and hoards her sense of entitlement.

Murder happens when cleaning for the mob!.......2006-04-26

Charlotte never expected to be cleaning house for the mafia. But, that's exactly what she's doing in this book.

Emily Rossi called and asked her to help out in an emergency. Her maid had been called out of town on a family emergency, and they had a big Mardi Gras party that week. Charlotte agrees to clean for a few days as the money is very good. When she realizes Emily's husband, Robert, is a top Mafia boss, she considers backing out. She doesn't. Then Robert ends up stabbed to death in his study during the party.

Charlotte agrees to continue to clean the house to help out the family. Mostly because she promised Bitsy, another of her clients, that she would help clear Emily. Emily is currently in jail for her husband's murder. Charlotte does not believe she killed him. But then, who did?

Charlotte is able to do some snooping while cleaning. She is able to overhear some things and talk to people. With knowledge the police haven't gotten, she pushes harder and harder to find the truth. But, will the truth put her in danger?

I love this series. Charlotte is such a fun character. She has a good life and a wonderful family. Even though she is investigating a murder, it is an enjoyable read. It always makes me want to go to New Orleans in reading her books. I wonder what the next one will be like after Katrina has hit.

I highly recommend this book and the whole series.

[...]

A Beautiful Tribute to New Orleans.......2006-02-19

Barbara Colley takes her readers into one of the loveliest areas of New Orleans, its historic Garden District, for a story full of twists and turns. Married to the Mop is an exciting read filled with characters who are brought to life. As we root for Charlotte LaRue to solve a mystery connected to a ruthless crime boss, we really care about her as a person. And the author's talent makes us empathize with Charlotte concerning her evolving relationship with Louis Thibodeaux. This book is sure to make all of its readers feel good.

Another great book...................2006-01-29

I have read all of Charlotte's adventures and this latest one was no disappointment. Charlotte is a very professional business owner who may appear stiff and cold on the outside but she has a very warm heart on the inside. She somehow always manages to end up finding a body and is determined not to interfere in the investigation but just can't help herself. A must read series if you like fun an adventure.

Customer Reviews:

Not one of her best works, but a still a masterpiece.......2007-07-26

For me, very little can equal the impact of Ursula Le Guin's "Left Hand of Darkness" upon me as a child--it taught me that we are all human, regardless of gender. I had an epiphany at the end about what it truly means to struggle for what you believe in. I read on one of the reviews that the reviewer was forced to read it in a Literature class ... that is not the beauty of that book. It is picking it and first being surprised that it is any good (and nothing like the cover) and secondly, being unable to put it down because of the rich characters.

This book's descriptions and prose are just as rich, if not more ... and so much more poignant, because it is set in our own world, our own time. The protagonist is a heavy boy, a stocky adolescent with a 9-5, without a car and has a paranoid and controlling mother. Not yet realizing her as a fully-developed person, he still takes her for granted.

I found a lot of the development in this book not to be with the other main character, Irene (a touching love story) but in his relations and epiphany about the modern world. Don't all of us want to escape at one point or another? Yet, in the end, isn't this where we truly belong?

Yet, it's written with a touch of darkness, a "mature" book without including hardly any detailed sex or violence. Truly a novel for the intellectually-graduated who enjoy a high level of diction. If you're looking for a short but fulfilling short story, don't hesitate to pick it up.

But, like the Eye of the Heron, it is not her best work. Though the dialogue, plot, and writing all seem to be fit ... why does the female lead here also come off as bland and unlikable, written by a female author? It's strange.

Does it have the beauty of Lathe of Heaven or Left Hand of Darkness? Does it still have the achingly bittersweet melancholy like the Word for World is Forest?

Yes and no. The writing is still as beautiful, but it's less polished. But, like the beginning carving of a great sculptor, it should still hold interest of any fan of her work and I'm sure that a young reader will be more than satisfied with it.

It's all about style.......2007-05-08

The Beginning Place is classic Le Guin and you either love her writing or you hate it. I love it. First consider this book was published in 1980 and then consider how fantasy has changed in 26 years.

At least she writes a book that has a beginning, middle, and end. She doesn't expect you to hang with her for a decade to find out the end of the story...all the while hoping she doesn't croak before it is complete.

Ursula K LeGuin is the ONLY author who I can compare with the master Theodore Sturgeon when it comes to telling a story that is the story. She doesn't bore you with long histories, detailed descriptions of the Queen of Zunderlund's dress or the poor street rat's rags. In fact you might acccuse her of being parsimonious, but if you read her story you will see the faces, the shapes, the dresses, the trees and all the other details in that theatre of your mind and you will see it in richer detail than any "Wheel of Time" book. Why? Because she doesn't force you to see it her way. She isn't building the Ark of the Covenant, she is giving you just what you need to spark the old imagination.

Try this book. You won't regret it.

A Great Introduction to Ursula K. Le Guin.......2007-02-03

"The Beginning Place" was one of the first books I read in Science Fiction/Fantasy and it has stayed with me ever since. This is simple tale of Hugh Rogers, a board young man who discovers a gateway to The Beginning Place and Temreabrezi - or Mountaintown - an idyllic and eternal world of twilight. Here he finds an escape to the monotony of his life in the "real world".

Hugh is not the first to discover The Beginning Place; seven years before, Irena Pannis came to this land when she was thirteen. She has come to know Mountaintown and its gentle residents very well, and Hugh's intrusion is seen as trespassing and Irena becomes very protective.

But, when a dark shadow threatens to destroy Temreabrezi and its inhabitants, Irena realizes that Hugh is not the threat, but an ally in the struggle to save The Beginning Place. And, along the way, their partnership blossoms into more.

"Magical...Lyrical..."yes.......2006-03-06

I found this book accidentally, a few years ago (as an adult) and read it based on my previous reading of the 'standard' Le Guin (read in college): "The Dispossesed" & "The Left Hand of Darkness".
This is a story of a young person growing up -or fighting against growing up in the conventional societal sense.
I was rapidly taken in by the story and mesmerized, I could hardly put it down. Somehow this book touched my soul.
Maybe because I also was once a grocery clerk... .

It seems to be a polarizing book, some other reviewers were lukewarm or disliked it, I guess that makes it special if it can speak in different ways to different people.
I recommend reading "The Beginning Place", and see for yourself.

Disappointing at best.......2005-07-06

A friend of mine recommended Le Guin, and I bought this book on faith. I had a hard time even getting into the story at first, and once I started to understand it, I didn't like it.

Le Guin's style in this novel is brash at the best of times, and downright offensive at others. She wove an intriguing tale, I must give her that, and it would have been interesting if she had given the story more substance, but the story seemed incomplete when I finally finished it.

A boy stumbles into an alternate universe of perpetual twilight. Although he is 21 years old he still lives with his mother, thinking to help and support her, making himself miserable. This world is his escape place, and he later finds a girl that goes there to escape just like him. That world is in danger, and the two are recruited to defeat the evil that threatens the people there.

I found the storyline intriguing, but the plot and characters severely lacking, with almost no depth to satisfy the reader. It was almost as if Le Guin was trying to make up for the lack of depth in her story with her unexpected and shocking prose. All in all, this was a disappointment.

Building a New Land: African Americans in Colonial America (From African Beginnings: the African-American Story)

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Is this the book you're looking for?

Building a New Land: African Americans in Colonial America (From African Beginnings: the African-American Story)
James Haskins
Manufacturer: Amistad
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0060585544
Release Date: 2005-01-04

Book Description

The colonial period in America (1607-1763) spanned more than 150 years and brought great changes in the lives of African-American slaves, In the 1600s, slaves could buy their freedom and could even become property owners and slave owners, but as the years passed, such rights were gradually revoked. In this volume, James Haskins and Kathleen Benson detail how America changed from a society with slaves to a slave society that relied heavily upon forced black labor, how slaves resisted oppression, and how they struggled to maintain the traditions of their rich African culture through music, dance, and storytelling.

Award-winning illustrator James Ransome's vivid acrylic paintings bring to life the African-American colonial experience. Complete with biographical sketches, milestones of the period, and an index, this third book in the fascinating and informative From African Beginnings series explores the lives of African Americans during one of North America's most tumultuous and developmental periods.

Customer Reviews:

Is this the book you're looking for?.......2001-07-07

This book chronicles African American colonial history. It tells of individuals and events. There is a timeline at the end. This is the third in a series that may grow to include six volumes. The acrylic paintings illustrate the text. ... Although this is an important book, filling a historical void, its use may be limited. The book has the size and look of a picture book, but the content is mature and the text is college level. It is listed for grades 2-5, in my opinion it is neither read alone nor read aloud for that group. Perhaps teachers could use it as a source.

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Learning About Africa...
African Beginnings

African Beginnings
James Haskins , and Kathleen Benson
Manufacturer: Amistad
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Africa | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Ancient | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0061136123
Release Date: 2006-12-26

Book Description

The debut title in the acclaimed From African Beginnings series explores the complex and fascinating history of Africa's most ancient—and advanced—civilizations. Coretta Scott King Award winner James Haskins and Kathleen Benson take readers back in time to visit the kingdoms of Kush, whose black pharaohs ruled Egypt for nearly a century; Ghana, where between A.D. 450 and 1230 more gold was traded than anywhere else in the world; and many others. Lush illustrations by Coretta Scott King Honor artist Floyd Cooper evoke the richly layered heritage of the African continent and its people and how they made a powerful impact on world history.

Look for the companion books, Bound for America and Building a new Land, in your local library.

Customer Reviews:

Learning About Africa..........2004-08-02

How do you answer the questions about African history for an inquisitive, young mind? My 6-year old son wanted to know about Africa, where African people came from and about our origins as African-Americans. This book not only illustrates African culture and its people, but it is an early reader that he can understand and read with me or on his own. African Beginnings offers a colorful preview into the beginning of African tribes cultures and knowledge and capabilities in a way that a child can understand.

African Beginnings.......2001-01-21

This book was very informative and full of wonderfully painted pictures. It has much information on many of the main countries in Africa including music, religion, etc... Great book for reports for the kids in school.

Jump at the Sun: It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Kwanzaa! - Holiday Classics (Jats 8x8)

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Nice Book for Kwanzaa!

Jump at the Sun: It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Kwanzaa! - Holiday Classics (Jats 8x8)

Manufacturer: Jump At The Sun
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0786809248

Book Description

From Thanksgiving to Kwanzaa with a little Christmas in between, these fun-to-read books are just in time for the holiday season! Illustrated with bright, vivid colors that capture the spirit of the season, they are sure to spread joy and cheer to family storytimes at any time of year! Jump at the Sun Holiday Classics include: - Over the River and Through the Woods - The Night Before Christmas - It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Kwanzaa! - All Things Bright and Beautiful

Customer Reviews:

Nice Book for Kwanzaa! .......2004-11-30

Kwanzaa books are usually too detailed and authors forget to write some kind of entertaining text to go with their books. This one is light and breezy and young children should like it just fine. It makes Kwanzaa sound fun, not boring. Good Job!

A Good Place for Relics and Other Things : An account of the Yakima Valley Museum and Historical Association from its beginnings through 1983

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A Good Place for Relics and Other Things : An account of the Yakima Valley Museum and Historical Association from its beginnings through 1983
Yakima Valley Museum
Manufacturer: Yakima Valley Museum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 192870705X

Book Description

An account of the Yakima Valley Museum including the first building, charter, exhibits, and events up until 1983

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The Beginning Place

Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0553239066

Product Description

A masterwork of fantasy by the award-winning author of The Earthsea Trilogy, Orsinian Tales and The Wind's Twelve Quarters.

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Numbers and Beginning Place Value
Judy Goodnow , and Shirley Hoogeboom
Manufacturer: Ideal
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1564513645

Book Description

Here's a fun way for your students to informally experience place value. They will use Funtastic Frogs and Logs for Frogs to show numbers in different ways, explore ones, tens, and hundreds, use a place value chart, and solve problems. Your students will love learning about place value this way!

Funtastic Frogs Operations and Beginning Place Value

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Funtastic Frogs Operations and Beginning Place Value
Judy Goodnow , and Shirley Hoogeboom
Manufacturer: Ideal
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
ASIN: 1564513653

Book Description

Here's a fun way for your students to explore addition and subtraction with and without regrouping. They will use Funtastic Frogs and Logs for Frogs to combine groups to find out how many in all, take away frogs to find outhow many are left, show numbers in more than one way, add and subtract two-digit numbers with and without regrouping, explore place values, and solve problems. Your students will love learning about addition and subtraction this way.These activities are perfect for learning centers, large or small groups, or for individual use.

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The Beginning Place
Ursula K. Le Guin
Manufacturer: Recorded Books, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
ASIN: B000E4LBVO

Product Description

Fleeing from the monotony of his life, Hugh Rogers finds his way to "the beginning place"--a gateway to Tembreabrezi, an idyllic, unchanging world of eternal twilight. Irena Pannis was thirteen when she first found the beginning place. Now, seven years later, she has grown to know and love the gentle inhabitants of Tembreabrezi, or Mountaintown, and she sees Hugh as a trespasser. But then a monstrous shadow threatens to destroy Mountaintown, and Hugh and Irena join forces to seek it out. Along the way, they begin to fall in love. Are they on their way to a new beginning...or a fateful end?

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