Amazon.com (ISBN 0312932669, Mass Market Paperback)

"Cold Case" is the police term for an old, unsolved case. Linda Barnes's private eye, Carlotta Carlyle, finds that it's up to her to discover the connection between an old disappearance and a new riddle. Almost a quarter of a century earlier, fifteen-year-old Thea Janis disappeared after publishing her precociously brilliant debut novel, "Nightmare's Dawn." Now, pages from a new manuscript are appearing, all written in Thea's unmistakable voice. Thea's family is in an uproar, and the Boston police refuse to reopen the case, insisting that they already have the missing girl's killer.

In this case, the ingenious P.I. (and part-time cab driver) must untangle a web of blackmail, political corruption, family secrets, and murder. Cold Case is written in fine, breezy style and both Carlotta's attractive personality and the story's twists and turns will keep you hooked until the last page.