Bubbles a Broad

March 29, 2004
Broad humor, in more than one sense, permeates Strohmeyer's fourth amusing adventure (after 2003's Bubbles Ablaze
) of Bubbles Yablonsky, Lehigh, Pa.'s unique combination of hairdresser, single mother, aspiring journalist and bumbling sleuth. Bubbles doesn't so much solve a crime as wait until all the dust settles and then see what's left standing. While the management and the workers at Lehigh Steel wage class war, the irrepressible Bubbles tries to parlay her degree from Two Guys Community College and a one-week tryout at the News-Times
into a full-time reporting gig. The appearance on her doorstep of Carol Weaver, convicted for the murder of her husband, a Lehigh Steel executive, newly escaped from prison and claiming that someone is trying to kill her, may be just the break Bubbles needs. Strohmeyer expertly plays Bubbles's blue-collar working class background against the monolithic Lehigh Steel's country club types and their wives. On the other hand, Strohmeyer's targets are so big that just hitting them isn't enough, and the frequent bull's-eyes don't impress as much as they might. Bubbles may be Two Guys' "Biggest Loser Ever," but she's good-hearted, persistent and very, very funny. Agent, Heather Schroder at ICM.

Heroine Bubbles Yablonsky, former hairdresser and now aspiring newspaper reporter assigned to cover the murder of an executive of Lehigh Steel Corporation, is most definitely not your typical sleuth. She is, however, funny and bright, and the hilarious meetings between this working-class gal and the local country club ladies are amusing and effective. As Bubble brashly goes where few others would dare, Barbara McCulloh's reading gets it all just right. Each character is rendered distinct and real. Moreover, McCulloh doesn't drop a clue as to the real villain's identity and handles the steamier scenes with aplomb. L.C. (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine