Sofie Metropolis

Sofie's a young Greek American woman living in Queens. If you'd asked her a few months ago what she'd be doing now, she'd have replied, "I'm going to be married to a wonderful guy and working at my father's Greek restaurant." That was before Sofie caught the groom in a compromising position with her maid of honor. Before she punched the priest who tried to get her to marry the cad anyway. Before she chucked her engagement ring into the garbage disposal. Before she became a junior detective for her uncle's detective agency.

Sofie Metropolis is the newest PI on the mean streets of Astoria, Queens. She's known for her trademark frappes and her itchy trigger finger. Uncle Tolly was acting odd right before he disappeared. The proof? The brand-new Mercedes Tolly just bought. And the business' books, which show that Uncle Tolly was laundering more than just clothes. Which is where the mob comes in, in the darkly handsome figure of Tony DiPiazza.

After shooting one of her own clients and accidentally getting involved with the mob, Sofie Metropolis is finally starting to get the hang of the PI business. She's just landed her first high-profile case. A local Astoria girl has made good by marrying an up-and-coming South American pitcher who has just been signed by the New York Mets. Reni Venezuela's good looks and charm, not to mention his fastball and his slider, are bringing hordes of fans to Shea Stadium.

Sofie's getting her feet under her as a PI and business is booming. So much so that she's hired her layabout cousin and a one-time petty criminal as "boys of all work". Okay, so her reputation's become, well, complicated - everyone in Astoria, Queens, knows that from time to time she shoots one of her own clients - but on the whole, she's getting a lot more respect than when she was best known for leaving her groom at the altar.

Sofie Metropolis is back and in the deep end of the coffee pot when she's retained by the neighborhood vampire to prove he isn’t responsible for a recent string of grisly murders, and her mother talks her into looking for a missing woman neither of them knows, but Thalia has adopted in absentia nonetheless. And if her plate isn’t full enough, things heat up on the romantic front when ‘bounty hunter’ Jake Porter and yummy Greek baker Dino both decide to vie for her undivided attention.

Christmas, a kidnapping, Jake Porter, and a stray reindeer - oh my! Sofie’s mother tells her it is the season for miracles, but Sofie’s convinced it’s more of a season for whackos and flashing Santas. After nearly losing a battle with the local strange vampire a month ago, she regrets ever having bitched about boring cheating spouse cases and process serving. She’s ready for a quiet spell doing nothing but finding people’s lost pets. But Sofie’s life will probably never be boring again. After all, kidnapping is never boring. Especially when it’s Sophie who’s being kidnapped.