A Trouble of Fools is a pretty solid entry in the "quirky private investigator" genre. My biggest quibble would be that Carlotta Carlyle, the aforementioned quirky PI, seems like her character might have been assembled by some sort of MadLibs process -- she's an ex-cop, ex-cabbie, six-foot, redhead private eye who lives in Boston with a cat, her late aunt's parakeet and a crazy artist roommate. I guess others don't mind, because Linda Barnes has gone on to write 11 more novels about Carlyle. I don't think I'll be joining the throngs, however.

FuzzyCo grade: B