"similar to Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum"

Sophie Metropolis is a private detective in her uncle's agency who lives and works in Astoria, Queens. She is close to her family and is trying to figure out how to make her ex-fiancé Thomas stop from pressing charges against Grandfather Kosmos. He assaulted him after learning that the diamond he gave him for Sophie's engagement ring was switched with a cubic zirconium. Sophie's friend, the owner of a restaurant is under threat of being sued because a customer eating there found an ear in her soup.

The agency is getting a lot of missing pet cases and the manager thinks Sophie should investigate because the numbers are suspicious. The case that interests Sophie is the one involving Mets pitcher Reni Venezuela. His wife wants Sophie to follow him because he his had a dramatic change in his personality in the past two weeks. After following him quite a few times she is caught by his security detail and has to keep borrowing cases from friends if she wants to stay on the case. A reporter who is working on a story concerning Reni ends up beaten and taken to the hospital and Sophie is almost killed.

Readers who love Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels will thoroughly enjoy Sophie's escapades as the heroine is an adorable and unique person who deals better with her professional life than she does with her personal one. She even rejects an Adonis looking Greek god who adores her because she is afraid of getting hurt. Tori Carrington captures the ambiance of a Queens' neighborhood to perfection while the mystery is well plotted with a surprise twist that readers won't see coming.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted May 27, 2007

Summary

Like Janet Evanovich or Jennifer Crusie, Tori Carrington mixes humor with danger and stealth with sex. The intrepid Sofie, a good Greek girl from working-class Astoria, Queens, is finding her feet as a budding private investigator and as a single gal in the big city.

In Foul Play, Sofie's searching for a couple of hot prospects, one in her personal life and one professionally. The New York Mets might just be on their way to the World Series, but their newly signed pitching phenom has disappeared with the playoffs fast approaching.

As for her personal life, Sofie's hooking up with a gorgeous Greek who is every bit as hunky as her long-time crush, Australian mystery man Jake Porter—and a lot more available.