I call it Stephanie Plum Lite because like most lite products, this book leaves out most everything that makes Stephanie so entertaining. The characters and the plot are both so similar to Plum books, but without the zaniness and freshness that make them so hilarious. Hopefully after this first effort Sofie will find her own way, but this first effort pales in what is an obvious comparison.

As many other people have mentioned, the duplication of characters, relationships, actions, and situations are incredibly glaring. And it just gets more obvious with the second and third books in the series.

If you like the Stephanie Plum series you might vaguely enjoy this as a weak filler while you wait for the next Evanovich novel. I, however just got distracted because the Plum parallels keep coming up to slap you and give you a sense of deja vu.

These characters aren't very strong and neither is the plot. There are quite a few loose ends which I suppose are left dangling purposely so they can be woven into future books. Just for the heck of it I read up to the third book and they're still dangling.

Read this if you need a quick fix while you wait for the next Stephanie Plum novel, but don't expect too much. The best thing about this book are the recipes in the back.

Sofie Metropolis is my new favorite female P.I., and what a P.I. she is, barely getting by, barely succesful, but making it nonetheless. Her family is funny and realistic, and her characters are just too much sometimes, but they ring so true. A wonderful book!

If you can't get enough of the Plum books than this one is for you!

OK, here's how I came to this book - I am a Greek-American girl who enjoys a good story, and like a book being set in Astoria Queens New York, which is about as Greek a place this side of the Aegean. I tried to LOVE this book, but came to the end liking it, and seeing some potential.
The similarities between Stephanie Plum and Sophie are well, uncomfortable. The eye rolls, the job and the mysterious hunk, the family, the 'ex' - although he's an ex-almost groom...And Sophie at a point in the book was going to curl up in bed reading one of her favorite books, an early Janet Evanovich book....HELLO????
BUT, as a Greek-American woman who has to walk in 2 cultures and live in 2 cultures, I liked the premise. And I don't know if it will be in subsequent books, but there were recipes in the back for some dishes described in the book, and they were real Greek recipes. As opposed to an Americanized version of a Greek dish...also that Step, er Sophie constantly drank frappe was hilarious to me. Although I personally do not go near iced coffee (hot for me please), all you saw and heard in Greece was to have a frappe - very in...
I will read the next Sophie Metropolis book. I don't know if I would pay hardback prices for one, but will reserve my judgement. I see that the sales are good for this series, so it might be there are a lot of my fellow Greek-Americans who want to support the Greek husband-wife team, or there is a market for another spunky girl with quirky friends, relatives, and job...
I have to bear in mind that the 1st Stephanie Plum book, One for the Money, is the weakest of that series - establishing the characters, situations, etc., so Sophie may well have potential.
Kai sanotera, Carringtons. Yia sas.