by Janet Evanovich, Alex Evanovich
Dark Horse Books, $17.99, 106 pages
This fun, charismatic tale of two NASCAR co-workers; the female mechanic, Alex Barnaby (Barney) and race car driver, Sam Hooker. These two unlikely characters team up to discover what happened to Alex’s friend Rosa who is missing. They find a voodoo doll with Rosa’s pin attached to it with a ransom note. Alex and Sam go on a mystery hunt to gain clues as to where Rosa is and who she is with. Their comical mystery adventure is well-played like a really good weekly television show that you just can’t wait for next week’s episode. Trouble Maker – Book One written by Janet Evanovich and her daughter, Alex Evanovich, with illustrations by Joelle Jones neither disappoints comic fans, nor ever stalls on the storyline. Richly painted, vividly drawn and loveable cartoon characters, it brings this thriller to life. Sexual tension between the two protagonists, hilarious side-kicks with tongue-in-cheek writing amidst a dark theme adds to the intrigue. The cover design is uninspiring and does nothing to grab your eye or whet your appetite for the marvelous story within its pages. No spoilers here, but the ending leaves you with delightful suspense and begging for the next installment of Trouble Maker. Five stars for this graphic comic book novel!