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Book Description

Buckle your seat belts. Number one New York Times bestselling author Janet Evanovich is moving into the fast lane with Metro Girl, a thrilling, high-octane misadventure with high stakes, hot nights, cold-blooded murder, sunken treasure, a woman with a chassis built for speed, and one very good, very sexy NASCAR driver who's along for the ride.

"Wild" Bill Barnaby's dropped off the face of the earth and big sister Alex heads for Miami, Bill's last known sighting, on a harrowing hunt to save her brother...and maybe the world. Truth is, Alex has been bailing her brother out of trouble since they were kids. Not that Bill's a bad sort. More that he acts first and thinks later. Unfortunately, this time around, Wild Bill will be Dead Bill if Alex doesn't find him in time.

Alex blasts through the bars of South Beach and points her search to Key West and Cuba, laying waste to Miami hit men, dodging Palmetto bugs big enough to eat her alive, and putting the pedal to the metal with NASCAR driver Sam Hooker.

Engaged in a deadly race, Wild Bill's "borrowed" Hooker's sixty-five foot Hatteras and sailed off into the sunset...just when Hooker has plans for the boat. Hooker figures he'll attach himself to Alex and maybe run into Bill. Maybe Hooker can salvage what's left of his vacation. And maybe Hooker'll get lucky in love with Bill's sweetie pie sister. After all, Hooker is NASCAR Guy. And NASCAR Guy is good at revving a woman's engine.

The race to the finish is hot and hard, taking Alex and Hooker into international waters, exposing a plot to grab Cuban gold and a sinister relic of the Cuban missile crisis. Creative cussing and sexual innuendo included.

Amazon.co.uk Review

More beguiling criminal diversion from the ever-dependable Janet Evanovich, Metro Girl may not introduce any new elements into the quirky Evanovich universe, but fans won’t give a damn--all the usual fingerprints are well in evidence. Previously, her carefully numbered Stephanie Plum novels offered real delight for those who could get past the arch name of the heroine, and her brilliantly drawn New Jersey settings were counterbalanced by machine-tooled plotting and a cherishable sardonic wit.

Metro Girl has a slew of unlikely elements stirred into a heady brew: treasures sunk beneath the ocean, bloody murder and (believe it or not) a highly sensuous stock car racer. The unreliable ‘Wild’ Bill Barnaby has vanished, and his not-to-be-messed with sister Alex makes her way to Miami to track him down. Alex fights to keep body and soul together in the sultry climate, as both unmanageable coiffure and vicious thugs threaten her equilibrium. She discovers that Bill unwisely appropriated the yacht of the formidable Sam Hooker, and Sam realises that keeping close to Alex may lead him to Bill, with a little score-settling on the menu. Soon, both are heading into dangerous waters (both literally and figuratively) with Cuban gold and leftovers from the Cuban missile crisis making things very hot for the protagonists.

Alex is one hell of a heroine, and the perfect conduit for the reader through the unlikely (but strangely plausible) narrative. You’ve heard books described as a wild ride before--this is one time where that description really fits the bill. Get your ticket and climb aboard--and don’t forget your hairspray.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　--Barry Forshaw

From Publishers Weekly

"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.

From School Library Journal

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

From AudioFile

Meet Alexandra Barnaby, a brown-belt insurance clerk from Baltimore who is Evanovich's newest sleuth. Other wacky characters include Alex's missing brother, Wild Bill; a schnauzer addicted to spice cookies; an exiled Cuban warlord; thugs with slicked back hair dressed all in black in the sweltering Florida sun; a NASCAR driver; and Felicia, a gun-toting, cigar-rolling Cuban refugee who shoots villains and then worries about the luminosity of her skin. C.J. Critt's narration adds the spice to these quirky characters, making them unforgettable and paving the way for a new series. Her inflections add sizzle to the romance and groans to the silly quips.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　K.A.T.

From Booklist

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.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　GraceAnne DeCandido

About Author

Janet Evanovich is the recipient of the Silver Dagger, Last Laugh, Lefty, and John Creasey Memorial awards and the two-time recipient of the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association's Dilys Award. She lives in Florida.

Book Dimension :

length: (cm)23.9 　　　 　　　　　 　 width:(cm)16.1