Motor Mouth

It really is 3.5 stars, but I rounded up since overall, it was light and enjoyable. If you like reading light, somewhat improbable books, if you've just read a heavy book and need a break, if you just don't want to think, this is the book for you. Likeable characters, action, and a bit silly; the perfect zone out read.

Ok, so maybe the situations are a bit implausible, but I do adore Evanovich's style and crazy characters.
Barney (Alex) and NASCAR guy (Sam) are at it again. Barney is a spotter for Sam's team. They're not together because he was doing a sales clerk, but she's still working with him. Another spotter (Gobbles) gets in a tight spot and then, well, in typical Evanovich fashion - everything falls apart. Barney and Sam hijack a car hauler of a competitor, rescue Gobbles, chop up two cars, find something suspicious and possibly illegal and find a dead body which Sam's St. Bernard, Beans, takes a bite. In the process of dumping the truck, Beans gets left behind and the bad guys are on to Barney and Sam. Of course they end up in Miami and Rosa show more and Felicia make an appearance.
When a bad guy kidnaps a person, especially a foreign bad guy, I don't think they just threaten to chop off their fingers. I don't think henchmen get multilple chances to get it right, but to make the story more interesting - these guys do.
This book besides being funny has enough suspense to make me worry that something bad is going to happen and someone is going to die. I highly recommend the Alex Barnaby series. show less

Synopsis: 'Alexandra Barnaby is NASCAR driver Sam Hooker’s raceday spotter, his eye-in-the-sky, telling Hooker when to pass and when to get off the gas. From her vantage point high above the grandstand she’s also seeing things going on in the infield that will change her life. Things that will lead to a stolen racecar hauler, a kidnapped Saint Bernard, a bizarre murder, some restless nights under the covers with Hooker, and a reunion with super cigar roller Rosa Florez and the queen of wholesale fruit Felicia Ibarra.
From Miami, Florida to Concord, North Carolina and back to Miami this is an action-packed multi-car crash of shady dealings, stolen technology, drive-thru windows and destruction of personal property. Everything you show more always wanted to know about righteous indignation, stealing an eight-wheeler, stashing a dead body, and sex in the fast lane.'
Review: Fast paced and amusing, I throroughly enjoyed this story. show less

This is the second book in her Metro Girl series and I thought
it was better than the first one was. The characters seemed to fit their
own skins better this time around somehow, and I wasn't distracted with her
calling Sam "Nascar Guy" this time (which I greatly appreciated). I'm not a
racing fan AT ALL but I don't think you have to be to enjoy this particular
book. Main character Alexandra Barnaby (or Barney to her friends) is
starting to take flesh and become her own character and didn't come off
feeling like Stephanie Plum in Florida at the race track. She's somewhat
brighter and sharper and seems to have more savvy in this book. It's still
a fun read, I thought. I'll give it a 4.

Cheating may not be kosher, but when a few tenths of a second can mean the difference between millions and second place, it's still part of the game, especially in NASCAR. Barney knows there's something fishy about the way the Huevo team's been winning races - she just can't prove it. Not, that is, until proof drops right into her hands. Of course, it comes packaged with grand theft auto, a couple of corpses, and a very angry bunch of leg-breakers.

Hooker, Barney and Beans, not to mention Felicia and Rosa are a riot, and it's good to see them back. Now if only they'd get another outing!

As a fan of the Stephanie Plum novels, Janet Evanovich's "other" novels don't usually hold my attention as much. Most of the time they get bogged down in sappy romance, which is not why I enjoy Evanovich's writing style. In this one, she uses the wit and sarcasm she usually reserves for Stephanie Plum in a character that would probably be friends with Stephanie Plum. A great, fast read - held my attention all the way through. I'll definitely be checking out the others in this series.

Another lighthearted romp with Alex Barnaby and Sam Hooker. This time a pal on the racing team gets accidentally locked in another teams car trailer. Upon freeing him Alex and Hooker discover a dead body and another wild story commences. Lots of fun.