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BUBBLES IN TROUBLE by Sarah Strohmeyer E. P Dutton, June 2002 276 pages $22.95 ISBN: 0525946497 Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Given the large readership and immense popularity of the work of Janet Evanovich, it is unsurprising that award winning Sarah Strohmeyer has garnered an admiring following, largely from the ranks of the society of Evanovich admirers. Strohmeyer admits that when she was a journalist interviewing the creator of Stephanie Plum, she was inspired by Evanovich to create her own intrepid protagonist, Bubbles Yablonsky. Evanovich had been kind enough to suggest the title of Sarah Strohmeyer's first foray into humorous mystery fiction although her first book, Barbie Unbound,: A Parody of the Barbie Obsession

Bubbles has a dual profession, unlike Evanovich's Stephanie Plum who, although formerly an underwear saleswoman now occupies her professional life solely in the pursuit of mostly minor malefactors as a bountyhunter, albeit an inept one. Bubbles sought a more financially rewarding profession than that of beautician and eventually studied a journalism course. Her first successful investigation dealt with her misadventures in Bubbles Unbound. Now the mother of adolescent Jane (shades of Joan Hess' Claire Malloy) is feeling far more confident to solve mysteries. Her friend Mickey is to marry Janice, she of the mysterious and undivulged background. Bubbles is to attend Janice as her maid of honour, wearing an unbelievably tacky Bo Peep costume. To the horror of all concerned, Janice, the blushing bride-to-be, does not show up accompanied by her uncle, Elwood. Bubbles, who, somehow, finds herself blamed by various assembled friends, for the non-appearance of Janice, goes to Elwood's home only to discover the first of the corpses, that of the late lamented uncle.

It soon comes to light that Janice's real name is Elspeth and she belongs to an Amish community. Bubbles, with the cooperation of her sometime editor and some members of a family in the Amish community, goes to stay in the village. Her mother Lulu, despite her inappropriate size and shape, is currently aping the clothing and manner of Jackie O, and decides she must be a part of the new Bubbles adventure, so she and her friend, the intimidating Genevieve, take up lodgings in the vicinity.

Bubbles has been lumbered with the presence of her unpleasant former husband, Dan ( who prefers to be called Chip), a lawyer who, like Strohmeyer's own husband, has been put through law school by his wife. Unlike Ms Strohmeyer's spouse, Bubbles' ex is exceedingly ungrateful and unpleasant. having welched on his responsibility for paying for Bubbles' own education. Not only that, he has taken it upon himself to attempt to break up the promising relationship between Bubbles and Ranger-like (for readers who are unfamiliar with Ranger, he is an enigmatic, heroic, romantic figure to be found in the Evanovich books) photographer Steve Stiletto.

There is a plethora of villains in this novel. Bubbles attempts to fit in with the Amish family with whom she is staying and, naturally, her attempts to 'help' the family backfire in comedic grandeur. She is, of course, called upon to use her hairdressing skills as she attempts to uncover those responsible for the corpses. She encounters ingenuous Amish lads, drug soaked garage attendants and a geriatric racing car driver while pursuing the villains.

Those aficionados of Janet Evanovich's work will no doubt be enraptured by Bubbles' further adventures. Strohmeyer is a clever writer with some talent for the comic, although it is possible to detect perhaps a greater depth but less humour in her tales compared with the adventures of Stephanie Plum. I was pleased to note that there were fewer of the annoying 'recipes' at the end of various chapters than in the first novel, which I felt interrupted the action and flow of the narrative.It would probably be fair to say that Strohmeyer has not yet exhausted the humorous capabilities of the death defying mother of Jane. Perhaps she will secure the future of Bubbles with her own personal Tarzan, Stiletto, in future books. Or perhaps not.

Note: This review is based on the Australian edition from Headline.