Book Review: Foul Play

Author:  Tori Carrington
Title:  Foul Play
Publisher: Tor
Publish Date: May 29, 2007
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb: Like Janet Evanovich or Jennifer Crusie, Tori Carrington mixes humor with danger and stealth with sex. The intrepid Sofie, a good Greek girl from working-class Astoria, Queens, is finding her feet as a budding private investigator and as a single gal in the big city. In Foul Play, Sofie's searching for a couple of hot prospects, one in her personal life and one professionally. The New York Mets might just be on their way to the World Series, but their newly signed pitching phenom has disappeared with the playoffs fast approaching. As for her personal life, Sofie's hooking up with a gorgeous Greek who is every bit as hunky as her long-time crush, Australian mystery man Jake Porter--and a lot more available.

Review: It is easy to compare Sofie with Stephanie, however as I continue to read this series, which so far has 5 books with a sixth due out this fall. This series becomes more likable with each new installment, maybe because with all the comparisons to Plum, Metro is really her own girl, and believe it or not, bumbling though she is at times, she's actually grown as a character with each passing book.

What set this book apart from the other 2 is the absence of Jake the Australian bounty hunter. He only made a small cameo in this story, other than his appearance in Sofie's thoughts. That absence gave Sofie the chance to hook up with Dino, who originally was meant for her sister. And speaking of characters that weren't in this book as much as the others, Pimply Pino wasn't around much either!

Again, I can't stress enough how much I like Sofie. I also like that though the story has one major plot, involving the baseball player, there are other things going on that make the book feel like a snapshot of Sofie's life.

One of the funny parts of the book is Sofie's decision to get a tattoo. Or rather not to get a tattoo but to say that to annoy her mother. She goes as far as getting a temporary lizard on her leg!

The main plot of the story, about Reni Venezuela is a bit haphazard. It is hard to believe that the mystery of what was going on with him ever got solved. That part of the book was tied up a little to neatly for me, considering all the other things going on. They worked together to point to the end result, but still it felt like it wrapped up a little to easily. 

I can't wait to pick up the next two books in this series.

Rating: 4 flowers

Book Review: Dirty Laundry

Author: Tori Carrington
Title: Dirty Laundry
Publisher: Forge Books
Publish Date: May 2, 20006
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb: When Sofie Metropolis decided to stop being a waitress and start being a private detective, she had no idea what she was getting into. With only a few cases under her belt, Sofie has inherited a dead woman's mean-spirited Jack Russell; fallen hard for a mysterious, charming Australian bounty hunter; and gained a rep for an itchy trigger finger. She even shot one of her clients!

Sofie's mom suspects Sofie's dad is having an affair, and Sofie's seen enough cheating spouses to know that her father is keeping secrets. And though Jake Porter is more available than ever, Sofie finds herself torn between the Australian she barely knows and a handsome, available Greek who knows that the fastest way to Sofie's heart is through a bakery.

Searching for a missing dry cleaner who left behind a brand-new Mercedes and a not-so-brand-new wife, Sofie is attacked by . . . a plastic-swathed suit? Or was it one of Tony DiPiazza's goons? Tony being the junior-league Mobster who has his own reasons to want to get his finely-manicured hands on the dry cleaner's account books.

If Sofie's not careful, her favorite kicks are going to be replaced by a pair of cement overshoes . . . .
Review: I was sat on the fence with the first Sofie Metropolis book, but with Dirty Laundry I find myself really liking the series.

Sure it is like Evanovich's Plum series. There are a lot of parallel's including Sofie's use of the word "Probably." But for all those similarities, Sofie is different from Stephanie. She lacks a side kick and her family is way more quirky than the Plum household. She's also a girly girl, something which really can't be said for Stephanie.

In this book there's more cheating spouses, or so they think, a missing ferret and a missing dry cleaner.

Oh and then there's the mob! Tony DiPiazza, who wants to have "pasta" with Sofie, if you know what I'm saying. (wink wink, nudge nudge) I have to say one of the funniest moments of the book is when Sofie's apartment is broken into and Muffy is taped to the toilet. Poor little Muffy!

There's a lot of funny stuff with Sofie, and her crush on Jake Porter, which almost made it to the bedroom is worth turning pages for. Hunky Aussie guys are always worth turning pages for.

The first book had trouble finding its footing, but with Dirty Laundry, Tori Carrington definitely has a winner. I look forward to reading more from this series. Hopefully they can keep things fresh and funny for awhile!

Rating: 4 flowers

Book Review: Sofie Metropolis

Author: Tori Carrington
Title: Sofie Metropolis
Publisher: Tor Books
Publish Date: April 4, 2006
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb: Sofie Metropolis should be married. But when she caught her groom and her maid of honor carrying on with each other in the church, Sofie canceled the wedding. She took the honeymoon by herself, and she kept all the presents, including a small apartment building filled with just the sort of quirky tenants you'd expect in an old Queens neighborhood like Astoria.

Sofie should be waiting tables--her father and grandfather have competing restaurants on opposite corners. Instead, she's a junior--very junior--private investigator at her Uncle Spyros's detective agency. Which means she finds missing pets and takes photos of people's spouses doing things they shouldn't.

Sofie's life takes another unexpected turn when her latest cheating spouse case turns into attempted murder--of Sofie--and she's rescued by a dashing Australian bounty hunter. And there's a missing "vampire" to find, not to mention Sofie's mother's best friend's lost dog . . . .

Review: This is a hard book to review, especially if you are a fan of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, which I am. It is even harder, when the author is someone that I usually love. Tori Carrington (which is a husband and wife team) writes a lot for Harlequin Blaze, and I've loved every book they've done for that line.

Which brings me to Sofie Metropolis, the Greek, New York, Stephanie Plum. The only thing about Sofie, is she lacks some of the oomph that Stephanie has. If you've read any of the Plum novels it will be hard not to draw comparisons.

PI v/s Bounty Hunter
Grandpa v/s Grandma
Uncle Spyros v/s Cousin Vinnie

You see where I'm going here?

Lots of parallels.

It even has some laughing moments, but not enough to totally wow me. And with Sofie, it is hard to figure out what the mystery actually is in the story.

I've heard the series gets better, so I'm going to try the other books, because this one was fun, but too much like Plum for my liking.

Rating 3 flowers