Motor Mouth by Janet Evanovich

MOTOR MOUTH by Janet Evanovich

Book Description (from Booklist)
Alexandra "Barney" Barnaby has a degree in engineering and a passion for the way cars work. Her passion for NASCAR driver Sam Hooker, for whom she works as a spotter and R & D person, has been put on hold since his one-night stand with a salesclerk made it onto the Internet. When Hooker loses a race and Barney thinks cheating is involved--the fancy, electronic kind--a wild ride commences, one that begins in Miami, then moves to the Carolinas and back again A corpse shows up along the way, and there's lots of NASCAR detail (fascinating even if you're not a devotee) and lots of doggy subplot (Hooker's St Bernard Beans eats a box of prunes that ends up having a great deal to do with the plot). Barney and Hooker find themselves in one outrageously hilarious situation after another: saved by tough granny Felicia and her myriad Cuban American family members; clocking a bad guy with a six-pack; disposing of corpses in some remarkably icky but entertaining ways.

Okay, I am among the people who were really hacked at Ms. Evanovich about TWELVE SHARP, her most recent release in the Stephanie Plum series. Half of that book was just a rehash of the whole series. Maybe a fourth of the book was new material. Of course as a devotee of the series and a well known Nosy Nora I shelled out for the hard cover. I've thoroughly enjoyed the Plum series and have to say even with all its ups and downs in 12 books I was never so ticked off as I was at the end of TWELVE SHARP. I felt like I was robbed and cheated.

I was sufficiently irked that even though I had read and enjoyed METRO GIRL the first of the new series about Alexandra Barnaby and company I was undecided about whether or not to purchase the second book at all, let alone in hard cover. Alas the fates worked in Ms. Evanovich's favor. With a store coupon and my Borders discount I was able to purchase the book for under $15, down from it's unfreaking believable price of $26.95, that's $33.95 for our Canadian friends. I had one of those WTF moments and added the book to my purchases.

So, what to say about this book. Well, it's better than the first one. The first book was a very slow start for me, but I did enjoy it once it got going. I was into MOTOR MOUTH right away. Within the first 20 pages I laughed out loud. In fact I laughed several times in this book. There are many moments when Ms. Evanovich is at her quirky and witty best. I relate to someone cracking wise when in moments of high drama and stress. That's what we do in my family. Make a joke so you don't cry or go screaming into the night.

MOTOR MOUTH is an enjoyable and quick read. If you want funny and you want entertaining, this is the book for you. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It was light, it was fluffy, it was fun. I think Barney and Hooker are terrific characters and I will definitely be buying the next installment. For all you pet lovers out there the addition of Beans, Hooker's St. Bernard adds to the high jinxs.

One final word of warning, not only is the price hefty, but the print is large. The book is 312 pages, but if the print were adjusted, it is more like 200 pages. When you consider the hard cover price of $26.95, that's pretty steep for 200 pages. I read this in an afternoon. So, if the dinero is no problemo for you then take the leap, it's a fun read. Otherwise, wait for the paperback...the funny will still be there at a much more reasonable price.