PB & J Series

Like it or not, Pary and John are a team. The big boss, Frank, decides Pary needs a partner while he figures out if she's really a spy sent by a rival company. And John's the (reluctant) man for the job. A seemingly straightforward case leads to tension and Pary's demand for a new partner. It's up to John to make things right and get back on track with Pary. Besides, he needs her case notes. Plus, Frank leaves him no choice- make up with Pary or Frank will put her in charge! With exploding cars, a round of drinking, new revelations, and a visit to an old friend, Pary and John get to know each other better, both professionally and personally. Smart mouths, wise-cracks, and suspicious minds- they are both in for more than a dull partnership. Add Pary's offbeat sense of... everything. As John wonders how he'll survive, he doesn't even realize he's not just surviving... he's adapting!

Parody Hope Barry, PI and owner of an unusual pet escort sevice, inadvertantly takes on a case that involves her handsome new neighbor, John Smith. When John's ex-wife, Victoria, comes to Pary looking for her missing fiancee, Pary discovers too late that she's John's ex. Besides, Victoria's rich, and she drops a retainer check that has Parry eyeing and buying irresistible new red boots. So Victoria's father has a reputation as a mobster. That doesn't mean Pary's life is in danger, does it? When she uncovers disturbing information about Victoria's fiancee, she asks John for help. Then she sees John and his ex-father-in-law together, and they aren't discussing the weather! Pary decides to go on the run and hide out until she can figure out who she can trust. Along the way, she serves a subpoena and gets a surprising job offer. Meanwhile, John Smith is hiding a few secrets of his own.

Meet Parody Hope Barry... or PB... or Pary. She's as quirky as her name. Part time PI, part time pet escort, she's working hard to pay the bills. Her new case could take her to the next level, but until it's solved she has to deal with cheating husbands, tricky subpoena dodgers, and a new neighbor. Fresh from an ugly divorce, her new neighbor, John Smith, hates all women- especially PI's.  But Pary's not like other women or other PI's, and John finds himself along for the ride, whether he likes it or not!

Parody Barry lives life on the crazy side. Recently, she has been waiting... and waiting for the call from John's company to start her new job. When the call doesn't come, she finally confronts John who gets the ball rolling. He doesn't count on that ball rolling right over him and dragging him into another mess (or two), which Pary ALWAYS finds herself in. Unfortunately, for John, the boss wants to keep Pary under surveillance. He's not sure if he can trust her seemingly innocent intrusion into their past business. So it's up to John to keep an eye on her. Or at least try. Pary has more disappearing acts than a magician, and John has all he can do to keep up.  

Pary's in trouble again. This time two bodies drop out of the back of her van. Her neighbor John has the misfortune of being dragged into another of her misadventures... because he ran over the bodies. So it's another trip to the police station for questioning, one of Pary's least favorite places to be. When Pary's picture hits the news, her boss puts her current job on hold. What's an average-looking, over-imaginative, trouble magnet like Pary to do with time on her hands and her van seized as evidence? Grab handsome John as a driver, and go looking for the answers, of course.  

Parody Hope Barry, AKA Pary or PB, is always ready with a plan. Especially when she knows the plan her partner has devised will not work. Getting a bug into the private room at the club of rapper Big Ease won't be easy, but Pary's ready to save the team when John's plan fails. Well, she gives it her best try... she gives it a try... with a wild outfit and a big booty that causes more trouble than it's worth. When her plan fails as well, she not only has Frank, her boss, to worry about, but also the team members who were in on the failed attempt. The only thing to do is make it right and get the job done before she has to face the everyone Monday morning. But somehow, even in her efforts to make things right things go wrong. And this time her smart mouth and attitude might land her in trouble with the big boys. Pary's lesson? Beware of the gel!

Mysterious dinner invitations, the usual summons servings, and an unexpected employment opportunity might possibly be more than even Parody Hope Barry can handle. Which is too bad because the employment, while unusual, has the potential for big bucks... okay, enough to pay another bill. But still, how can she turn it down? She's in demand, she's loved, she's making money, and she's in trouble! Even with help from her handsome neighbor, John Smith, somehow things go from bad to worse- in typical Pary fashion.

A desperate Pary signs up for a course at a local college. But it's not a normal course. Pary tells John that it's part of a grant program when he questions how she can afford it. The truth is, the course is a behavioral studies program and Pary is getting paid to attend! So what's not to love? The fact that she gets paired with other "students" who have issues of their own. The fact that she learns a few hard truths about her life in general, and John Smith, in particular. The professors spot Pary and a fellow student as trouble right from the start. The professors don't like Pary and what she's doing to the other students... and their class. So it's not all fun and games. In fact, it gets down and dirty until the teams realize that they all have problems, and they all need to make changes. And Pary doesn't take to changes easily, but she's willing to try. So she gives it a shot. Those sudden changes in the once "always off the wall" Pary have John concerned. So he decides to look into Pary's grant class and finds out the truth behind it. The truth Pary didn't know because she didn't read the fine print. (Who reads the fine print?) But in the end, Pary really does learn valuable lessons about life- and shopping.

Pary has entered a cooking contest, with an unpleasantly surprised John as her partner. The catch? It's being filmed for television, and none of the contestants cook or bake. The prize? Ten thousand dollars. Things are already falling apart when the hostess dies on stage the first night of filming, and Detective Peter Pipe steps in to solve the mystery. With each group cooking traditional dishes from their heritage, Pary's in trouble- she was adopted and doesn't know her heritage! And John's no help. As the teams drop out, one by one, Pary and John might actually have a shot at winning this thing. And Detective Pipe has a good chance of solving the murder with help from Pary.

Pary receives a piece of mail that shakes her already unstable world. Until she can solve the problem, she decides to run away from home because she doesn't want anyone to find her. And who better to hide her than John Smith's ex-father-in-law, Vinnie? Vinnie stashes Pary at a high-end hotel where Pary soon begins to feel she's not so crazy after all. But she still has a dilemma to handle. A dilemma that will cost her money, so she takes a PI job to pay for her sins. Jewelry store owner, Bernice Bloom, is convinced her husband, Bertram, is cheating on her and she wants Pary to catch him and his latest flame. His latest flame is the fascinating, and somehow horrifying Peony Purse, one of the cities wealthiest women. As Pary tries to catch a cheating Bertie, she gets more than she bargained for because affairs aren't always what they seem. And this one is not what Pary expects when it lands her in her least favorite place. Meanwhile, her neighbor, John Smith, is reluctantly concerned about her. After all, whatever was in that letter made her cry... and then run away from home. She didn't even argue when he took away her sleeping pills. She just disappeared. Against his better judgment, John tries to help and in the end he gets more than he bargained for, as well. But that's life when your neighbor is Parody Hope Barry!

John's in the doghouse again only this time it's with his ex-wife Victoria. She knows John is responsible, along with Frank and Vinnie, for letting Pary down when she needed them the most. So Victoria has come from England to crack the whip and set the men straight. And help them find the missing Pary. Thanks to Vinnie's bungling, Pary is no longer in the safe house Vinnie arranged. Which means she's all alone without a place to live, no vehicle, no phone, and no money. But Pary's not stupid. She knows where she belongs. The question is, can the others figure it out? It's up to Victoria to save the day, hassle John and Frank (because she can't resist), and set things straight between John and Pary. Once and for all!

Due to a recent incident at a car wash, Pary and John are mandated to see a counselor. Of course, they can't agree on anything, but the counselor is determined to get to the bottom of their real issues. A parking lot mishap puts Pary in peril and John's newly developed sense of responsibility, for which he blames the counselor, kicks in. So while John tries to figure out what happened to Pary, she tries to remember what happened. Only John and the counselor know she sleepwalked through half the therapy- but don't know why. Pary knows why, but doesn't remember what happened during that time. So how many people does it take to put together the puzzle? And is the counselor right about Pary and John? "He Says, She Says" brings the pieces together, and starts to answer the questions about John and Pary's relationship.

PB & J are now The PJ'S because John and Pary have tied the knot. Or have they? Was their circus wedding a joke and can John fix the mess left behind by his ex-wife Victoria? Meanwhile, Pary's hot on the trail of one of America's Most Wanted. After all, a guy with his picture hanging at the post office and spotted in their apartment building is worthy of the chase, no matter where it leads her. John and Pary are back, this time as a couple and learning to adapt to married life.

Pary's in trouble again, but this time it's not of her own making. She's the victim of reverse identity theft- twice! A crazy old man is seeking revenge and has Pary in his cross hairs, mistakenly thinking she is the daughter of his rival, Vincent Russo. Unfortunately for Pary, trying to untangle the mess opens a Pandora's box to her past, and she's mistakenly identified as a different member of "The Family" ... the crazy Giovanni family! With John and Vinnie on the old man's hit list as well, Pary is on the run. The only one she can trust is the real Victoria Russo, now married and living in England. Fixing the mess takes a few unexpected turns. But when John and his boss, Frank Simon, let Pary down, she pulls a move that no one anticipates. Least of all John.

Pary's unending quest for unusual items has led her into the kitchen with a resolve to master the skill of cooking. Her determination to conquer that challenge takes her to a department store, where she unexpectedly lands a job. There, the perks of an employee discount and a generous layaway plan open her eyes to the unchartered territory of retail shopping, much to John's dismay. But a store policy regarding purchases and an extra snotty employee aren't Pary's only difficulties as she tails shoplifters and roots out thieves. The new job forces her to make a sacrifice, much to John's delight. However, she's determined to prevail, so with her usual style and diplomacy, Pary enters the retail arena AND the kitchen. Can she handle both? Can John? What about his stomach? Just how many sacrifices will Pary make?    

In THE HONEYMOON, Pary and John are off as soon as they decide where to go. Pary manages to attract trouble and the law, no matter where she goes and this time John's right by her side... except when she needs him the most. In DESIGNER FAMILY, a few simple misunderstandings snowball into an out of control monster when John and Pary try to help each other. They are both walking on eggshells- who will be the first to crack? There are no mysteries for John and Pary... yet. For now they have their hands full learning to adjust to married life. But just because they tied the knot doesn't mean they're tongue tied. The sparks still fly and the battles of wit and will rage on. As always, count on Pary for more entertaining childhood memories.

In Targeted, Pary decides she's been fired, so while she is waiting for her unemployment checks to start rolling in she takes on other work. While serving a summons, she inadvertently becomes a witness to a murder... in the dark. As she pieces together what happened in the dark theater, she drags John along for the adventure- and the joy of riding in his new car. After surviving being targeted, Pary gets a new job offer and a hot new boss. But she's really working undercover, so the hot new boss might just be a suspect in the missing prescriptions scandal at Fletcher Fields. Pary has her own ideas about who is behind the missing drugs. While fighting off the jealous co-workers and trying to get close to the new boss, Pary still manages to drag John into the mess. And John is looking out for his own interests. With Pary at a new company, things are peaceful at Simon Security. But Pary-like, she is sure to blow her new job, so unfortunately John's best interests are making sure she keeps that new job, even if he has to intervene.

Pary's court-mandated "job" as a meter maid for the city becomes complicated when she discovers that she's being followed by international bad guys. Trying to stay one step ahead of them brings about unintentional consequences for herself, John, and the city. She enlists the help of computer genius Tweeter who, in turn, needs a most unusual favor in return. Of course, mayhem ensues in typical Pary fashion.