The Miracle Strip

I was looking for a series like the Stephine Plum series. I found Nancy Bartholmew's "sierra" and feel this is BETTER then Stephine Plum. Sierra needs help but can also take care of her self, whereas Stephine has become somewhat weak as time goes on. The "stripper" character , I feel , is totally believable . The mystry is also written better, there is actually a mystery. Granted shes not an agatha christy, it is still an easy read, but enjoyable. Unfortuantly, St. Martins, the publisher, didn't choose to continue the series and they hold the rights to the Strip series. Please write them and beg them to bring this series back!

The Miracle Strip is a fast-paced mystery featuring earthy characters living in the underbelly of our culture. Nancy Bartholomew gives us a humorous yet realistic view of the frailty of people who both express and occasionally contain, the raw emotions we all feel. Her heroine, Sierra Lavotini, is an exotic dancer with beauty, brains, inner sensitivity, and a fierce loyalty to family and friends. She displays this with a reckless "kick butt" attitude that sets her on a wild adventure beginning with a vow to rescue her friend's dog, Arlo. Sierra's amazing and humorous acceptance of others is displayed in her description of Raydeen, her loyal friend and neighbor, who happens to be a paranoid schizophrenic. But Sierra's own comic complexity is enhanced by her struggle to be true to her "inner child" and a hidden desire to be a writer, as opposed to her love of making money and engaging in the fast-paced and exciting world of a stripper.Nancy Bartholomew is a keen observer of our physical reality, has a great understanding of human motivation and behavior, and appreciates the humor found in our incongruous natures. She is quick in her thinking, and her stories pull us in and move us along. I'm looking forward to more tales of colorful characters and their adventures. Bravo Nance!

I read this book while living in Panama City, FL, the setting of the story. The detail and the atmosphere of this town was completely captured in this fast paced adventure. If you've ever wondered what it's like to live in a small beach front tourist town in Florida, and especially if you enjoy a good mystery, you MUST read this book.

I just finished reading the Miracle Strip and loved it! It was a wild ride and Sierra Lavotini is a hoot along with her zany friends and neighbors. I hope we see lots more of Sierra in the future.

This book has it all: non-stop action, zany characters, colorful dialogue, who-dun-it mystery and the hint of romance to come. And the tongue-in-cheek look at the strip club industry -- where the main character centers her inner child before coming on stage dressed like Little Bo Peep -- had me falling on the ground laughing. Women will love the independent, tough-minded but sensitive Sierra. And guys will too, if they're man enough to handle her....