Bubbles Unbound

By: Sarah Strohmeyer

Narrated by: Barbara McCulloh

Meet Bubbles Yablonsky, beautician-reporter-sleuth and blazing star of Strohmeyer’s entertaining, establishment-bashing debut as a mystery writer. Like the mills that gird the book’s seen-better-days steel town of Lehigh, Pa., the city is itself a seething cauldron. Battle lines are sharply drawn between the haves and have-nots. Bubbles is hell-bent on getting even with the overlords, especially her former husband, a heel who has gone over to the other side. Opportunity knocks when Bubbles incriminates a wealthy socialite in a brutal murder and then uncovers a murky past, where corpses are littered around the accused’s steel-magnate husband.

The going is never easy, as Bubbles faces more perils than Pauline: falling off a bridge in the arms of a potential suicide; dodging drive-by gunmen and car bombers; being handcuffed and fitted for cement boots; and always searching for a better way to display her cleavage. Armed with her certificate from Two Guys Community College, abetted by a quirky array of social castoffs and fueled by Doritos, Velveeta and Diet Pepsi, Bubbles overcomes every obstacle on her way to shaking the foundations of the corporate world and, in the process, leaving more than a few wrinkles in her ex’s tailored Brooks Brothers suits. Hop in the Camaro and buckle up: Bubbles is behind the wheel, and a wild ride awaits.

Winner of the Agatha Award and Romantic Times Award for Best First Novel!

We've got more Bubbles!©2001 Sarah Strohmeyer (P)2003 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

Romantic Times Award Winner - Best First Mystery, 2001

"Entertaining....Bubbles is behind the wheel, and a wild ride awaits." (Publishers Weekly)

very cute

This was the first in this series.It is easy to identify with if you've been a struggling single mom with a difficult family. It's light reading & funny,and I have bought more of her books and enjoyed them all.

My new favorite author.

A really good listen thought provoking, no blood and guts no "just. Throw it in" , humorous and people,places and things that are understandable.

Great Fun

The Bubbles series is fun with lots of crazy characters. The narrator is easy to listen to.

Bubbling over

She is fun!! When you need a break from hard boiled detectives, grim coroners and overly cozy, cozies...Bubbles is your gal. The hairdresser with attitude and 3 inch spikes is a fun ride and makes the work commute a breeze, unfortunately...I keep sneaking her in the house to listen to before bed.

A Surprise

I have to admit that I was surprised by this book. I'd read about the similarities to Stephanie Plum, etc. It is similar, but I still enjoyed it for what it is. I call these kinds of books Cheetos for the brain. There isn't a lot of substance but you still enjoy them. It's light entertainment that if it's good for nothing else, it makes vacuuming, cooking & other chores go by faster while listening.

I laughed out loud

After listening to many, many murder mysteries I was looking for something a little different. This was it. I really enjoyed the book a great deal and laughed out loud often. I liked Bubbles! She is funny and different. She is smart, capable, and just plain fun!

A new heroine

What a great character and series. This was a laugh from start to finish. Let's hope that Audible gets the whole series for us to listen to.

Made me laugh

These books are a lot of fun. The situations are silly but with enough real life to make them hilarious. The narrator did a great job with different accents and onomatopoeia. I plan on listening to all the "Bubbles" books.

Comparable to Stephanie Plum series

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I would have shifted the story to focus more on the case and not so much on Bubbles relationship with men, Stiletto in particular. I think she was trying to be like Stephanie Plum, but this is definitely the inferior of the two stories. I also wouldn't focus on Bubbles being so dumb. That bothered me a lot.

Would you ever listen to anything by Sarah Strohmeyer again?

Probably not. I did not enjoy the first Bubbles book enough to be interested in the second book, and I had to stop the book a couple of times and talk myself into finishing it. i

Did Barbara McCulloh do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

The reader did a great job with this, especially the accents. You could tell the different characters by their voices, and she did a good job at giving all of the characters their own voices.

Could you see Bubbles Unbound being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

I could see it as a TV show. I think, like One for the Money, that stories like this are more episodic and would make a better TV show than movie. I have no idea who would act in it, though.

Any additional comments?

The book has some really funny moments, and it is very situational, like in the Stephanie Plum series. If you enjoy a funny and very ditzy main character bumbling her way through a mystery, then this one is for you.

alwful

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

nothing

What could Sarah Strohmeyer have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

I know its fiction but worried about losing custody of a 17 yr. old whose leaving for collage really!

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

nothing

What character would you cut from Bubbles Unbound?

stiletto

Any additional comments?

I have given up on Stephanie plum and bubbles I'm tired of the love triangles going on and on