evanovich's metro girl

A comic misadventure from the start, this mystery is a good combination of light thriller and fast-paced action. Alex Barnaby – Barney – receives a late night call from her brother, Wild Bill, which ends in mid-sentence with a woman screaming in the background. Being the dependable sister that she is, Alex catches the next flight down to Miami to find out what happened to her brother. She 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. Along the way she bumps into your token gay guy, a sexy NASCAR driver, a crazy old lady, and a curvy woman with attitude. Then there are the inept bad guys, of course. Barney cuts them down with her wit and a few well-placed accidental kicks and moves. Sherlock Watson, she’s not. She’s just a concerned sister looking for her big brother. For fans of Evanovich’s well-written Stephanie Plum series, the book is a let-down, as there are moments when one has 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 what is, ultimately, the book’s saving grace.