Strohmeyer, Sarah. Bubbles Unbound, Bubbles in Trouble, and Bubbles Ablaze

Looking for another mystery that has the heat, heart, and wit of a Stephanie Plum and Evanovich's snappy dialogue, pacing, and plotting? Then you must pick up Sarah Strohmeyer's first Bubbles Yablonsky mystery.

This is enough like Evanovich's numerical series to quench the thirst of any fan; however it has a unique flavor in the local color of Yablonsky's Lehigh Pennsylvania location and her clever protagonist.

The hard steel mill town located a few hours drive to the Poconos, Pennsylvania Dutch country, Allentown, Philadelphia and New Jersey is peopled by a wonderful array of eccentric characters. Chief among them Bubbles herself. Bubbles is a wannabe journalist who is an excellent and popular hairdresser. She has big blonde hair, a killer body, instinctive intelligence, and temerity that carries her from one adventure to the next. She stumbles on her first big newspaper break and endangers her life in the process. She has a teenage daughter named Jane who dyes her hair with Kool Aid fluorescence and is the wind beneath Bubbles' wings.

There is the prerequisite jerk of an ex-husband and his social-climbing new wife; some sharp, comical, and reliable co-workers, an amazing but daffy geriatric mother and, of course, a male hunk who keeps Bubbles tingling and intrigued. Actually, Stiletto is a sterotype but one that I really enjoyed as both foil and potential romantic interest. The romantic angle is handled uniquely enough that it adds a new twist to this popular genre (mystery-romance).

The plot is a great rollercoaster ride with enough twists and turns to keep any good mystery lover turning pages. There is the all powerful villain and his henchmen--unwitting and willing--who is trying to cover up at least one heinous crime. The police are both a hindrance and help throughout the novel.

This was a great ride, a refreshing character, and a lesson in the old adage that looks can be deceiving. Bubbles is no bimbo and you'll root for her like I did.

Strohmeyer's second effort is as funny and effervescent as her first--with a bit more satisfactory romantic closure. Bubbles in Trouble is a wild ride through Amish country in Lancaster County, PA. Imagine Bubbles in a staid Amish woman's bonnet and outfit trying to hide her gold-painted toenails and you can only guess at the hilarity that ensues. Steve Stiletto, Bubble's wacky mother, and her daughter Jane (with boyfriend in tow) all complicate and frustrate our talented Lehigh hairdresser as she uncovers murder and greed in Whoopie.

If for no other reason, you must pick up Bubbles Ablaze just to find out the hilarious definition of the "Nag and Feed Spell" invoked by the Slagville Sirens as Bubbles moves from the Passion Peak Motel awaiting Steve Stiletto to the coal mines of Slagville and Limbo, PA where she investigates the mining murder of tycoon Al Price, the disappearance of Bubbles' cousin Mickey "Stinky" Koolball, and the appearance of Zeke Allen, as a studly, new character with a set of retro "Ozzie & Harriet" parents.

Some former villans re-appear, some not-so-friendly rivalry occurs with fellow journalist Esmerelda Green (over the story and Stiletto), and Bubbles' mother and geriatric conspiracy theorist sidekick, Genevieve, invade the story with their usual good attentions gone awry. Bubbles' daughter Jane, Jane's boyfriend "G," and ex-husband Chip and second-wife Wendy make appearances to add to the levity and plot-thickening.

All in all, an engaging mystery that produced laughter, and believe-it-or-not some historical perspective to the mining industry. It is apparent that the author does her homework, and skews the facts just enough to entertain the reader as well as enlighten.

Leane M. Ellis, June 16, 2001. Revised August 15, 2002. Recently revised August 7, 2003.