Dirty Laundry: A Sofie Metropolis Novel (Sofie Metropolis Novels) [Mass Market Paperback]

Tori Carrington (Author)

Book Description

Series: Sofie Metropolis Novels | Publication Date: May 1, 2007

When Sofie Metropolis decided to stop being a waitress and start being a private detective, she had no idea what she was getting into.  With only a few cases under her belt, Sofie has inherited a dead woman's mean-spirited Jack Russell; fallen hard for a mysterious, charming Australian bounty hunter; and gained a rep for an itchy trigger finger.  She even shot one of her clients!  
 
Sofie's mom suspects Sofie's dad is having an affair, and Sofie's seen enough cheating spouses to know that her father is keeping secrets.  And though Jake Porter is more available than ever, Sofie finds herself torn between the Australian she barely knows and a handsome, available Greek who knows that the fastest way to Sofie's heart is through a bakery.  
 
Searching for a missing dry cleaner who left behind a brand-new Mercedes and a not-so-brand-new wife, Sofie is attacked by . . . a plastic-swathed suit?  Or was it one of Tony DiPiazza's goons? Tony being the junior-league Mobster who has his own reasons to want to get his finely-manicured hands on the dry cleaner's account books. 
 
If Sofie's not careful, her favorite kicks are going to be replaced by a pair of cement overshoes . . . .
 

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Five months have passed since Sofie Metropolis caught her would-be husband, "Thomas-the-Toad," flagrante delicto with her maid of honor on their wedding day in Carrington's Sofie Metropolis (2005). In this cute if predictable sequel, the zany Greek-American from Astoria, Queens, is a PI-in-training, working on mundane cases for her uncle Spyros's investigative agency. When Apostolis Pappas (aka Uncle Tolly), the popular elderly owner of the neighborhood dry cleaners, goes missing, Sofie jumps at the chance to find him. The only catch is Uncle Tolly might have been laundering money for a sexy Italian mobster. Carrington (nom de plume for a Greek-American husband-and-wife writing team) depicts Sofie's world with the nutty sweetness of baklava. With the focus on fun rather than blood, this chick-lite mystery further develops Sophie's relationship with Jake Porter, the handy but possibly dangerous Aussie bounty hunter, who adds just the right amount of delectable sexual tension to this crime confection. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"A droll approach to crime solving.  Combine elements found in the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding with the kind of capers Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum has made famous, and the result is Sofie, a Greek-American woman swimming against the tidal forces of family expectations.  Carrington's filled the book with characters that have enough originality to stand out."--Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine on Dirty Laundry
 

"So you say that your Stephanie Plum novels aren't coming fast enough?  Well, this saucy plum of a PI will do just fine in between those.  Author Tori Carrington has created the sassy, smart, and hilariously funny Sofie, as well as a whole laundry basket-full of quirky neighborhood characters, co-workers, and clients.  Mystery fans are going to love getting to know Sofie and her loopy-as-terry-cloth family.  Come clean.  You love goofy mysteries, and you know it.  And you're going to love Dirty Laundry."--The Queens Tribune

 

"Sofie Metropolis is the Greek Nancy Drew and makes me wanna be both when (and if) I grow up."--Jill Conner Browne, New York Times bestselling author and The Sweet Potato Queen

"Frappe-fueled fun Sharp observations of everyday life in an insular Greek-American community, including marriage mores that provide the key to Tolly's disappearance, and a smashing recipe for spinach pie."--Kirkus Reviews on Dirty Laundry

 

"If you're thinking Stephanie Plum in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, you're not far off.  The many references to Greek food will soon have you salivating for spanakopita; fortunately there's a recipe for it at the end."--Mystery Scene on Dirty Laundry

 

"Life on the 'mean' streets of New York's Astoria is weird but never dull.  Giggle-producing [with] snappy dialogue and offbeat characters that ensure a great time!"--Romantic Times BookReviews on Dirty Laundry

 

"With the focus on fun rather than blood, this mystery further develops Sophie's relationship with Jake Porter, who adds just the right amount of delectable sexual tension to this crime confection."--Publishers Weekly on Dirty Laundry

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (May 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765351005
• ISBN-13: 978-0765351005
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,203,769 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tori Carrington is the pen name of nationally best-selling, award-winning authors Lori Schlachter Karayianni and Tony Karayianni. Their over 50 published novels include titles for Harlequin Blaze, Temptation, Signature Series and Silhouette Special Edition, and their hardcover comedic-mystery series Sofie Metropolis, PI. For more info, visit http://www.toricarrington.net, http://www.facebook.com/toricarrington http://www.myspace.com/toricarrington and http://www.twitter.com/toricarrington

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read, June 4, 2006

By 

G. Greene - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dirty Laundry: A Sofie Metropolis Novel (Sofie Metropolis Novels) (Hardcover)

This sequel to Sophie Metropolis is a vast improvement on the original (which had good writing but loose plot development). The authors have retained and refined their witty writing, the plot is cohesive, and the characters are just as interesting as they were in the first novel. My only disappointment with this book is that the unresolved plot lines from the first novel remain unresolved.

Fledgling PI Sophie seems more adept at finding lost animals than she does at solving mysteries, but she is improving. I especially enjoyed her relationship with Muffy the Mutt, and once again, the descriptions of the Greek community are dead on.

This book was a joy to read!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Welcome Back Sofie Metropolis!, March 28, 2006

By 

Patti Fischer "pattifischer" (WA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dirty Laundry: A Sofie Metropolis Novel (Sofie Metropolis Novels) (Hardcover)

Astoria, Queens, New York

Sofie Metropolis PI is back! She's taken on the case of a disappearing family friend, affectionately known as Uncle Tolly, who may have been executed by the Mafia. Of course, the Mafia prefers that Sofie not poke her nose where it's not wanted. Meanwhile, she's also assigned the jobs of finding Fred the missing ferret and trying to serve papers on a guy who slippery. On a personal note, Sofie's mother asks her to investigate whether Sofie's dad is having an affair. And when Sofie goes snooping to check it out, imagine her surprise when it appears to be true!

Poor Sofie Metropolis. She's being pulled in different directions but she has some helpful assistance from the mysterious Jake Porter. He always seems to be there just when Sofie needs some help. With her going from one adventure to another, she needs Jake a lot. Especially when the Mafia appears to have now targeted her. Is it possible she's a little too close to the truth in discovering what's happened to Uncle Tolly? The more she digs, the more it looks like he was doing a little dirty laundering in his dry cleaners. And what about his widow? She's suddenly more interested in selling the Mercedes her presumed late husband recently bought. Will Sofie solve all her cases, as well as her other little problem: her dog has a noxious problem? And will she ever learn more about who Jake Porter is?

Sofie Metropolis is turning out to be a beguiling heroine and gets better with each page is turned. DIRTY LAUNDRY is the second in the series and is like riding a roller coaster-the more you read, the better the ride gets until you don't want it to end. Sofie's antics will make you laugh, put you on the edge of your chair when she's in danger, and have you cheering for her to beat the bad guys. Thank you, Tori Carrington, for creating a character that's not only fun, smart and willing to kick ass with the bad guys, but could be the girl next door with her zany family. Zip your way to the nearest bookstore and don't miss the latest installment of Sofie Metropolis PI.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sofie proves herself again!, March 20, 2006

By 

T. Brookins "Tee" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dirty Laundry: A Sofie Metropolis Novel (Sofie Metropolis Novels) (Hardcover)

Tori Carrington kept me glued to my seat with Dirty Laundry. Sofie Metropolis is on the look out for a missing dry cleaner owner and it looks as if the Mafia might be in the middle of it all. Jake Porter, the mystery man from down under, steps up to take care of Sofie when the heat gets to be to much or maybe the cement overshoes are drying fast. Also once again Sofie's Mom has her own special request that keeps her from answering any calls from her. I enjoyed every page of this romance and I look forward to the next in the series. Its a keeper for me!