This was the third installment of the Bubbles mystery series. Bubbles is cute, funny, and admirable. But this particular mystery was drawn out and hard to follow, with too many characters. I like Bubbles and her family and friends, but there were just too many characters to keep track of. Solving the mystery wasn't even possible with all the extra players, but I didn't even seem to care - this is one of those books you just want it to end so you can move on to the next one in the series.I'm a big supporter of the underdog, but the reference towards the end that Bubbles is a better reporter than a seasoned AP reporter was a little hard to fathom. This one didn't leave me wanting too much more from Bubbles as a reporter. I would like for her to go back to being primarily a hairdresser who gets pulled into adventures. On the bright side, I hope Bubble's cousin, Roxanne, comes back to visit in future installments. With Jane moving on to more mature men (which is a good thing), I'm hopeful G will manage to stay in the series in some capacity. I "read" this book via CD, and the narration by Barbara McCulloh was spot on. She really brings Bubbles and her cohorts to life, which is just about all that this installmnt of the series had going for it. I can't imagine having to read this one from the written page.
A continuously burning underground fire in a coal mine, leaves the land, what most consider worthless, but Stinky's Fire Extinguishers can make the land worth Billions, giving motive for several murders. LOTS of characters and suspects make this challenging to read. Spoiler Alert: In the end it was the guy who died 2 books ago, didn't see that coming. Wonder if he's really dead this time? Amazing how fictional characters both in books and on TV seem to come back to life. I don't know of a single person in real life who has resurrected. A few who think they are Jesus but don't think they've actually risen from the dead.
What do You think about Bubbles Ablaze (2004)?
Enjoyable and fun....kept me guessing in parts and I didn't see the twist until about 5 min before Bubbles. My rule on mysteries is I will keep reading the ones by an author until I can predict the who, why and how of the crime. This is why I don't read Agatha Christie anymore. So far, I'm entertained!Oh, and I totally hope that Zeke and Jane work out. I was hoping for the two of them to get together...and hoping Jane would pick a normal hair color....I'm hoping in book 4 that these things happen...
—Aimee Bowyer
