Bubbles Betrothed: 12/14/08

Bubbles Betrothed is the fifth of six books in the Bubbles Yablonsky series of books by Sarah Strohmeyer. The book gives the impression of starting right where the last one must have ended. I haven't actually read any of the other books in the series and having wasted my time on this one I have no desire to try any of the others.

The heroine of the book is Bubbles Yablonsky, a former hair dresser turned reporter. She is trying to get the scoop on the murder trial of Jill "Crazy Popeye " Simon. There's just one problem: Popeye is dead after swearing she was innocent. That could have been the start of a decent mystery except for a completely unlikable main character and an incomprehensible plot that illogically jumps from scene to scene.

Bubbles fails as a main character for me for a number of reasons but the main one is her disrespectful attitude. She acts rude and is constantly introducing characters by her own nit-picky critiques of them. Of course a rude or crude character can make an entertaining lead for the right kind of book (Tommy's Tale comes to mind).

The second mark against Bubbles is the constant reminder of just how stupid she is. Characters will say things to her, simple things, and she'll have an aside about not "getting it. " She'll do this two or three times a page. Each time she stops to admit her lack of basic knowledge the plot comes to a screeching halt.

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