Snake Tattoo

Linda Barnes. Fawcett Books, $5.99 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-449-21759-7

In ``a rivetingly well-told story,'' redheaded, 61 private eye Carlotta Carlyle helps an old friend, Lieutenant Mooney of the Boston PD, who is under investigation for excessive brutality. ``There are surprises at the finish, made all the more potent by the novel's unforced pace and charm,'' lauded PW. (May)

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