Metro Girl

November 8, 2004
"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 snarling 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. Agent, Robert Gottlieb
. (Nov.)

Forecast:
Evanovich will see major marketing for her HarperCollins debut, including TV and prints ads and a national bus tour with the author, her webmaster daughter and Barnaby the St. Bernard, which means that Alexandra Barnaby will likely prove as popular as St
ephanie Plum (the Plum novels are published by St. Martin's).

July 1, 2004
Evanovich leaves behind Stephanie Plum-and her old publisher-for Alexandra Barnaby, who tracks her reprobate brother to darkest Florida. A one-day laydown.

Copyright 2004 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from November 1, 2004
The woman who brought us the irresistible Stephanie Plum introduces Alexandra "Barney" Barnaby in this madcap new adventure. Like so many crime solvers, both male and female, Barney is smart, tough, cute, and good with a quip. A day job doesn't mask her passion, which is for car engines, since she grew up in her father's garage in Baltimore. Family is another passion, and when her brother, Wild Bill, disappears (after a phone call to Barney) with a NASCAR driver's boat in Miami, what can she do but fly down to rescue him? The NASCAR guy, Sam Hooker, turns out to be quite the charmer, and he's as interested in Barney as in getting his boat back (yes, the missing vessel is called " Happy Hooker"). Locales in South Beach and Key West, really creepy Cuban henchmen, lost gold, even more lost chemical WMDs, various car chases, and kissing all ensue. There's never any doubt that Barney will get the last word, nor that she will rescue Bill, but the whole is almost more fun than any of the craziness in Plum's world--and that includes Ranger's apartment and Morelli's relatives.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)

March 1, 2005
Adult/High School -A comic misadventure from the start, this mystery is a good combination of light thriller and fast-paced action. Alex Barnaby receives a late-night call from her brother that ends in mid-sentence with a woman screaming in the background. Being the dependable sister that she is, she catches the next flight down to Miami to find out what happened. Alex soon discovers that her brother has gone missing with a recent Cuban immigrant who may or may not know the location of a warhead and a fortune in gold. She cuts down the inept bad guys with her wit and a few well-placed accidental kicks and moves. For fans of the author's "Stephanie Plum" series, the book is a letdown as there are moments when readers have to suspend disbelief and accept contrived plot twists. Evanovich is better at dialogue than description, which may frustrate some seasoned readers, but the dialogue is what keeps the story moving and is, ultimately, the novel's saving grace." -Erin Dennington, Chantilly Regional Library, VA"

Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.