Product Description

She may be a hairdresser with the body of a Barbie doll and a fatal weakness for hot pants, but Bubbles Yablonsky is not just another dumb blonde. She’s determined to turn her taste for gossip into a talent for journalism, and she knows a secret about the death of Laura Buchman that could be her Big Break. Plus, she gets to work with photographer Steve Stiletto – a dead ringer for Mel Gibson, and exactly the kind of mysterious, dangerous man her mother warned her against. But Bubbles soon discovers that while brazen bravado gets results, some people will do anything to keep her quiet...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #472159 in Books
• Published on: 2002-04-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 416 pages

Review
'Hop in the Camaro and buckle up: Bubbles is behind the wheel, and a wild ride awaits'

‘This a wonderfully energising and skilful page-turner of a book. Never a dull moment. Strohmeyer will go far. We can’t have too much of this Bubbles of hers, this irresistitable, lycra wearing, oddly wise hairdresser/ detective’

‘Sarah Strohmeyer’s sparkling debut is a breezy and funny mystery with a heroine who dresses like a Barbie doll and kicks ass like a marine. Bubbles is a wonderful creation. My only gripe? Who is going to believe a character whose first name is Bubbles?’

'A sexy, irrepressible heroine, riotous supporting characters, continual action, ubiquitous humor, and even a makeup tip or two make this a highly recommended series debut'

About the Author
Sarah Strohmeyer grew up in Bethlehem, PA, and is a former newspaper reporter. She lives outside Montpelier, VT, with her husband and two children.

Customer Reviews

The *dawgrrl* review
Recommended as "sort of like Janet Evanovich, but funnier", I read and enjoyed this debut novel about sometime hairdresser [come] journalist, Bubbles Yablonsky.

While Ms. Evanovich's novels tend to focus more on Stephanie Plum's various boyfriends and neglect the mystery, Ms. Strohmeyer's novels pay plenty of attention to the mystery. She weaves a wonderful story and even tosses in some plot twists!

Bubbles Yablonsky is a divorced single mom, living on the "wrong" side of Lehigh, PA (based loosely on Bethlehem, PA). Her husband, "Dan the Man", divorced her to marry up and now lives in a snooty neighborhood with his new wife, though he can't seem to escape the fact that the law firm he works for advertises on cardboard inserts in the telephone book. Her daughter, Jane, is bright and gets along great with Bubbles, though she looks every bit the part of of the rebellious teenager with her Kool-Aid colored hair and black lipstick. Bubbles, armed with a degree in journalism from Two Guys Community College (so-called because it is located in the former Two Guys Department Store) is struggling to make a better life for herself and her daughter. As a freelance reporter for the local newspaper, she gets a call to cover the story of a bridge-jumper and that's where the adventures begin. After covering the possible suicide, Bubbles and AP photog Steve Stiletto take off to rescue Bubbles' mom from jail (long story). The trouble they run into along the way is what really begins the mystery.

Ms. Strohmeyer has interspersed some really neat beauty recipes throughout the story. While some might consider this gimmicky and extraneous, I thought it was cute and I kept trying to figure out which of the beauty treatments mentioned in the story would be in a recipe at the end of the chapter.

Bubbles is perky, fun and bubbly and I will read more of her novels!

Couldn't put it down!
As a fan of Janet Evanovitch, I purchased this book on a recommendation from Amazon and was so pleased that I had. The situations that Bubbles got herself in had me smiling on the train into work (a very hard feat indeed!). I quickly read the next two books in this series and can't wait for the next. Bubbles' family and friends are all very special characters and as well as wondering what Bubbles will get up to, you also wonder at the antics of this motley crew. I can't wait for the next book to be published.

Humorous Mystery
A supposed suicide, a dead body in a park and a do-gooder found with alcohol - and so stylist/journalist Bubbles Yablonsky is on the case, until she's kicked off the newspaper. But that won't stop her investigating. A lot of fun (though at times confusing), read in two days. (A)