Review: Metro Girl - Janet Evanovich

Metro Girl - Janet Evanovich

Paperback, 384 pages

Published September 8, 2005 - Harper Torch

"Just because I know how to change a guy's oil doesn't mean I want to spend the rest of my life on my back staring up his undercarriage."  From the word go, Evanovich delivers her usual goods, albeit in a different vehicle.  After 10 Stephanie Plum novels, each more successful than the last, Evanovich introduces Alexandra Barnaby, aka Barney.  Barney hails from Baltimore rather than New Jersey, but she's from the same slice of working-class life as Stephanie; she donned mechanic's overalls in her father's garage during summer breaks from college.  Her younger brother, Wild Bill, shares her passion for cars, and now he's disappeared from Miami, along with NASCAR star Sam Hooker's boat, The Happy Hooker.  Evanovich doesn't mind showing her romance roots, as Barney and Sam start off starling at each other; as any reader can tell, they have to team up (a) to save Bill and (b) to enjoy delicious sex.  As in the Plum books, plot takes a back seat to riffs, roughups and dialogue - and in the last lies the book's most notable distinction.  If Stephanie bids fair to be New Jersey's Dorothy Parker, Barney is Baltimore's echo of Robert Parker.  Conversation is terse and coded, full of sexual innuendo, with a high premium on toss-away lines uttered under duress.  Despite the amazing quantity of physical jeopardy, there's little tension; it's all about hanging out with Metro Girl and NASCAR Guy - which may be just what millions of Evanovich fans will want." - From Publishers 

My Review:

I enjoyed this book, as I have many Evanovich novels before.  I read a lot of reviews saying that this was very similar to the Stephanie Plum novels, and while I do agree, I also think that Barney is her own character.  The writing style is (obviously) very similar, but I think I kind of knew going into this book that it would be similar to the other books Evanovich has written.  I did feel at times like there wasn't much focus on the plot at all, and then at other times it was too heavy.  

I liked Barney's character - she was quick and witty, and had a great sense of humor.  I can't deny that Sam (NASCAR Guy) annoyed the living crap out of me.  I just can't see what or how Barney could be attracted to him....but okay...

Overall, I would say this is a great weekend read in between some "heavier" books.

My Ratings:

Overall: 3.5

Characters: 4

Plot: 3

Writing Style: 4

Happy Reading! 

Review: To Have and To Kill - Mary Jane Clark

To Have and To Kill - Mary Jane Clark

Electronic Version

ARC Copy Received from NetGalley

Expected Publication Date: December 28, 2010

"This fluffy first in a promising new cozy series from bestseller Clark (Dying for Mercy) introduces 27-year-old, down-on-her-luck actress Piper Donovan.  After a painful breakup and too few acting gigs in Manhattan, Piper has returned home to Hillwood, NJ, where she's assisting her mother, Terri, at the family bakery, the Icing on the Cupcake.  Piper is please to be preparing the cake for the upcoming wedding of her friend Glenna Brooks, the star of A Little Rain Must Fall, a daytime soap opera that Piper appeared in before her character was killed off.  An actual murder, the cyanide poisoning of one of Glenna's A Little Rain Must Fall co-stars and her former lover, Travis York, threatens to derail the wedding.  After further dangerously sticky developments, Piper confronts the surprising killer.  Piper having to deal with Terri's macular degeneration lends some emotional weight." - Publishers Weekly

My Review:
I was happily surprised by this book.  I really wasn't expecting this to be so full of twist and turns.  I have to admit there were quite a few times I thought, I know who the killer is... but go figure...I had no idea!  Mary Jane Clark's writing style is fantastic -- it was a fun little mystery in which I was hooked to the characters! This is part of the Wedding Cake Mysteries series, so I will most certainly be on the look out for the others.

I really liked Piper's character because I felt like she was very similar to me.  She has her own dreams and aspirations, but family always comes first.  I also feel like part of her wants to be a super-spy and get everything solved as quickly as she can.  I absolutely loved that Piper was obsessed with updating her Twitter and Facebook at any chance that she could.  Piper's mother reminded me of my mother - just all around sweet, caring, loving individual (who always looks out for her baby) - and her father was just a complete nut.  Her father had me laughing throughout the entire book!

You will be completely stunned when you read this, and I'm sure like me, you will think you've solved the murders at least 5 times...I promise you -- you haven't!

My Rating:
Overall - 4
Plot - 3
Characters - 5
Writing Style - 4

About Mary Jane Clark

Mary Jane Clark's media books have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly and other national bestseller lists. Her books have been published in 23 languages.

The Associated Press says: "Her novels are like Agatha Christie's whodunits, but they have a hard, contemporary edge that enhances the fear factor.

They are so addictive, in fact, that her readers would surely suffer withdrawal symptoms unless they kept coming on a regular basis... She is one of the most talented story tellers around."
Mary Jane spent three decades at CBS News' New York City headquarters... where she began her career as a desk assistant after graduating with degrees in journalism and political science from the University of Rhode Island.... and worked her way through the ranks to become a producer and writer.

Her first books came from that experience. She developed KEY News, a fictional television new world where the characters go out into the world to cover their stories and get involved in mystery and suspense.

Those twelve novels include: Do You Want to Know a Secret? Do You Promise Not to Tell? Let Me Whisper in Your Ear, Close to You, Nobody Knows, Nowhere to Run, Hide Yourself Away, Dancing in the Dark, Lights Out Tonight, When Day Breaks, It Only Takes a Moment and Dying for Mercy.

To Have and To Kill is the first book in The Wedding Cake Mystery series.

"My aim is lay out all the clues in such a way that you don't even realize that you've been given the answer to the mystery until you get to the end... and then realize "Aha... it was there all the time but I just didn't see it." ...Mary Jane Clark

Mary Jane is the mother of two grown children and has homes in New Jersey and Florida.

Happy Reading!

 

Review: The Girl in the Green Raincoat - Laura Lippman

The Girl in the Green Raincoat - Laura Lippman

E-book from NetGalley

Published by Avon A, 2011

GoodReads Review: 

In this modern twist on Rear Window, Tess Monaghan has been put on bed rest for the last two months of her pregnancy.  Day after day she watches a girl in a green raincoat in the park with her greyhound, until one day Tess ominously notices the dog running loose.  Convinced some harm has befallen its owner she becomes dangerously obsessed with learning her fate.

My Review:

I thought this was very similar to some of the Janet Evanovich books I've read in the past.  It was a cute little mystery with a female detective that saves the day.  It was a nice quick read that definitely was full of twists and turns.  I really thought that this was going to be a predictable book, but I was mistaken.  

This is the first of the Tess Monaghan novels I've read and I really enjoyed it -- I will definitely be checking out the first 10 books.  I didn't realize that this was a book that was part of a series, but I liked that I didn't really have to read the others to understand what was going on.  

I enjoyed Tess's character, as well as the other fun and quirky characters (especially Whitney -- what a friend!).  What a little terror Dempsey was in the beginning!  It all turned out well though, as he definitely helped to save the day!

Recommendation: 

I would recommend this to anyone looking for a quick, lazy Sunday read.  It was a thrilling mystery packed with great characters and a plot line that will keep you guessing.

4 out of 5 stars.

Happy Reading!

Review: Kiss The Girls - James Patterson

Kiss the Girls - James Patterson

Paperback - 458 pages

Published by Warner Books - 1995

Bought at the Library Book Sale

Goodreads Review: 

In Los Angeles, a reporter investigating a series of murders is killed. In Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a beautiful medical intern suddenly disappears. Washington D.C.Us Alex Cross is back to solve the most baffling and terrifying murder case ever. Two clever pattern killers are collaborating, cooperating, competing--and they are working coast to coast.

My Review:

As a huge fan of James Patterson, I didn't expect to be as disappointed as I was.  Don't get me wrong, I was completely creeped out for majority of the book --- and I was thrown off by the ending (but only slightly!).

James Patterson has a way of coming up with the creepiest, skin-crawling things to occur.  Cassanova is the killer in this book, and he goes around trying to find "perfect" women to become his lover.  He keeps them locked up in a hidden house in the woods, and rapes/tortures them. The details are extremely gruesome, so this is not a book for the weak stomached. 

I was completely disturbed by the first couple of chapters, describing Cassanova as a child -- it was horrifying to think that there are really people out there that are so crazy.  Cassanova was an incredible character, and Patterson did a phenomenal job stringing me along.

My only complaint is that I feel like this book could have been a lot shorter.  It seemed to drag on and on, and that annoyed me.  I just wanted to know who Cassanova was, and I wanted Alex Cross to find his niece.  Granted I didn't have as much time to read these last two weeks (with my job change and what not), but I read as much as I could and just couldn't plow through this one.

Recommendation: 

I would highly recommend this book to those that love a thrilling, chilling murder-mystery, but I would be hesitant to tell a Patterson lover to pick this one up.  It was quite disturbing, and just didn't seem very "James Patterson-like".

4 out of 5 stars

Happy Reading!