BOOK REVIEW : SMOKIN' SEVENTEEN by JANET EVANOVICH - STEPHANIE PLUM # 17 - HEADLINE - CONTEMPORARY CRIME

By: Janet Evanovich

Published By: Headline

Released: Available Now

Details: Paperback from library, 306 Pages

RATING: 4 STARS

Blurb: Goodreads

Where there’s smoke there’s fire, and no one knows this better than New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum.

Dead bodies are showing up in shallow graves on the empty construction lot of Vincent Plum Bail Bonds. No one is sure who the killer is, or why the victims have been offed, but what is clear is that Stephanie’s name is on the killer’s list. Short on time to find the murderer, Stephanie is also under pressure from family and friends to choose between her on-again-off-again boyfriend, Trenton cop Joe Morelli, and the bad boy in her life, security expert Ranger. Stephanie’s mom wants her to dump them both for a former high school football star who’s just returned to town. Stephanie’s sidekick, Lula, suggests a red-hot boudoir “bake-off.” And Joe’s old-world grandmother gives Stephanie “the eye,” which may mean that it’s time to get out of town.

With a cold-blooded killer after her, a handful of hot men, and a capture list that includes a dancing bear and a senior citizen vampire, Stephanie’s life looks like it’s about to go up in smoke.


BOOK REVIEW:

I feel like saying, ‘Scooby and The Gang are back’, with this never aging series of mystery and shenanigans.

I started reviewing this series 26th November 2016, so I’ve averaged one book a month (sort of).

Very much a rinse and repeat series, but I can’t seem to stop reading it, even though yet again the villain—the murderer—was so plainly obvious and Steph couldn’t see what was in front of her nose.

I adore Lula and Steph, but I am almost craving more growth from them. They can be funny and silly, but let’s see some growth in their skills.

Surely by now they have learned the best technique to catch an FTA?

After this many books, it’s plain to see that Steph’s dad lives a very unhappy life. I would like to see the man get a night out with his wife… something! Poor mum irons when she is stressed, and that is a lot. Let’s see those two look happy to be married to each other.

I am soooooooooo #teamranger but even his dialogue and actions are starting to feel de ja vu. It’s a little flat and when Steph and Ranger do get it on… I’ve lost my ability to even care, I think, because I know nothing will come of it.

Somebody slap me in the face for saying that!

Joe… you poor, poor man. Janet, what are you doing to him? #unsureofhowifeelaboutacertainsomething

I really don’t know that many authors that can get away with no growth and constant recycling of story to no real resolution for this many books and more and sell so many freakin’ books. I do know there are another 6 books for me to read and there will be no resolution or growth and I can be okay with that... but I wish I had more.

It’s the weirdest thing. It’s like Bella, Joe’s grandmother has given me the stink-eye and addicted me to these books, even though you could skip every 6th one and read a quarter of them and be satisfied you haven’t missed anything in Joe-Steph-Ranger world.

I congratulate the author/publishers on convincing readers to stick with this series for so long… twenty years!!! That is freakin’ amazing, but is it time after #23 to close up shop, or shake the shit out of this series?

With so many books and authors flooding the market, it ain’t like it used to be pre 2010.

I am still addicted, but I think I get a little less enthusiastic with each rinse and repeat, because it feels like Janet is a little less enthusiastic. There are so many avenues to shake this series up and still keep her strict formula (if she must).

Dive deeper with emotions. Make it harder to guess the villain. Give the folks some joy in their lives. Have Grandma Mazur do something different. Lawd... everybody is parking up around her and she’s still forcing her way to the front of the viewing. Bob is still eating knickers—even large ones. Give Rex a girlfriend and a new soup can to sleep in. Teach Steph some self-defence skills.

A series of 6-10 books where the lead characters are doing the same things wrong or recycled, over and over is acceptable, but now I am starting to bang my head against the headboard when reading.

Signed



Still Addicted

BOOK REVIEW : SIZZLING SIXTEEN by JANET EVANOVICH - CONTEMPORARY CRIME - HEADLINE

By: Janet Evanovich

Published By: Headline

Released: Available Now

Details: Paperback from OP shop, 309 Pages

RATING: 4 STEPH & THE GANG STARS!

Blurb: Goodreads

Trenton, New Jersey. Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has inherited a 'lucky' bottle from her Uncle Pip. Problem is, Uncle Pip didn't specify if the bottle brought good luck or bad luck...

Vinnie, of Vincent Plum Bail Bonds, owes a gambling debt to mobster Bobby Sunflower. It's up to Stephanie, office manager Connie, and file clerk Lula to raise the money if they want to save their jobs. Saving the business means Stephanie can keep being a bounty hunter. In Trenton, this involves hunting down a man wanted for polygamy, a Turnpike toilet paper bandit, and a drug dealer with a pet alligator named Mr Jingles.

The job comes with perks in the guise of Trenton's hottest cop, Joe Morelli, and the dark and dangerous security expert, Ranger. With any luck at all, Uncle Pip's lucky bottle will have Stephanie getting lucky - the only question is...with whom?



BOOK REVIEW:

Everything we’ve learned to expect from another Steph Plum installment happened within these pages.

Lula and her colorful tight clothing and eating habits.

Joe and his flirtation.



“They thought I was pretty?”

“Everyone thinks you’re pretty,” Morelli said.

“How about you?”

“Especially me,” he said.



Ranger and his flirtation, which got ohhh so close. #teamranger And the dealeo with car lending.



Ranger shut the Porsche down. “If you looked at me with half as much longing as you’re looking at that Mercedes, I’d take you upstairs and make you wish you never had to leave my bed.”

“Is the Mercedes for me?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“And the bed… I’d have to leave eventually, wouldn’t I?”

“Yes,” Ranger said.

“Why do you give me cars?”

“It’s fun,” Ranger said. “And it keeps you safe. Do you want to know why keeping you safe is important to me?”

“You love me?”

“Yes.”

A sigh inadvertently escaped. “We’re really screwed up aren’t we?”

“In a large way,” Ranger said.



Shenanigans with villains.

Shenanigans with inept bounty huntering.

What I got quite a giggle out of was Mooner and his Hobbits.

Bahahahahahaaaaaaaaaa…hahaha…aaahhhh…It really was funny.

However, the mental visual of Vinnie wearing Steph’s panties—was not. Ewwwww.



Another installment crushed, that's light on Ranger and Joe and heavy on silly shenanigans and a very OTT plot this time round.

More so than most times.

The last of my OP shop finds has now been devoured. Back to the library I go. #17 I have you in my sights…plus the library will be hollering it’s overdue shortly.

BOOK REVIEW - FINGER LICKIN' FIFTEEN by JANET EVANOVICH - STEPHANIE PLUM # 15 - HEADLINE - CONTEMPORARY CRIME

By: Janet Evanovich

Published By: Headline

Released : Available Now

Details: Paperback find from local OP shop, 312 Pages

RATING: 4 RANGER & JOE STARS!

Blurb: Goodreads

Unbuckle your belt and pull up a chair. It's the spiciest, sauciest, most rib-sticking Plum yet.

Recipe for disaster: Celebrity chef Stanley Chipotle comes to Trenton in a barbecue cookoff and loses his head - literally.

Throw in some spice: Bail bonds office worker Lula is witness to the crime, and the only one she'll talk to is Trenton cop Joe Morelli.

Pump up the heat: Chipotle's sponsor is offering a million-dollar reward to anyone who can provide information leading to the capture of the killers.

Stir the pot: Lula recruits bounty hunter Stephanie Plum to help find he killer and collect the moolah.

Add a secret ingredient: Stephanie Plum's Grandma Mazur. Enough said.

Bring to a boil: Stephanie Plum is working overtime tracking felons for the bonds office at night and snooping for security expert Carlos Manoso, aka Ranger, during the day. Can Stephanie hunt down two killers, a traitor, and five skips, keep her grandmother out of the sauce, and solve Ranger's problems and not jump his bones?

Warning: Habenero hot. So good you'll want seconds.

BOOK REVIEW:

I have made it this far.

15! Steph Plum books under my belt.

I am #addicted.

I can’t seem to stop, even though they can be frustrating to read, I simply gotta keep reading.

Same shit goes on: Lula is up to her antics, this time with some madcap barbecue scheme. Steph is back working with Ranger on something he could do himself. But she is in his bed in a purely platonic way, and that is something. #teamranger

No new growth. Joe is Joe. Ranger is Ranger… Babe. Grandma Mazur…is the same. The villain is pretty much predictable.

BUT I CAN’T STOP READING THIS SERIES.

I do laugh, even though some of them are boiling down to fart jokes. I fart. I admit it, but eh, it felt like scraping the bucket to get a laugh. But I laughed. Lula is simply a character we have grown to know is the butt of Janet’s jokes. (pun intended)

I do want some growly manly stuff to be upping the stakes a little, but we get a lot of ‘Babe’ from Ranger and a lot of racing to the scene from Joe after he hears about another situation Steph is in.

Cars get blown up. I find I am looking forward to the moment. Is that bad?

Very much poolside reads for me, but I do want more growth. I am beginning to crave it.

I don’t mind the love triangle stretching out, but I want there to be more oomph in it rather than this predictable surface writing we are getting.

I have my last OP shop find in #16 and have already lined #17 up at the library. The Kindle prices are a bit rich for me at $9.37US. I got 9 paperbacks from OP shop for $12 buckeroos AUD. Trust me I will pay big bucks for paperbacks and ebooks, but I find that these are very predictable reads, so I will library the rest. I think maybe the publisher got a bit ahead of themselves charging those prices.

Anyhoo…onto the next!

BOOK REVIEW - FEARLESS FOURTEEN by JANET EVANOVICH - STEPHANIE PLUM # 14 - HEADLINE - CONTEMPORARY CRIME

By: Janet Evanovich

Published By: Headline

Released: Available Now

Details: Paperback from OP Shop find, 308 Pages

RATING: 4 SHENANIGAN STARS!

Blurb: Goodreads

Personal vendettas, hidden treasure, and a monkey named Carl will send bounty hunter Stephanie Plum on her most explosive adventure yet.

The Crime: Armed robbery to the tune of nine million dollars

Dom Rizzi robbed a bank, stashed the money, and did the time. His family couldn't be more proud. He always was the smart one.

The Cousin: Joe Morelli

Joe Morelli, Dom Rizzi, and Dom's sister, Loretta, are cousins. Morelli is a cop, Rizzi robs banks, and Loretta is a single mother waiting tables at the firehouse. The all-American family.

The Complications: Murder, kidnapping, destruction of personal property, and acid reflux

Less than a week after Dom's release from prison, Joe Morelli has shadowy figures breaking into his house and dying in his basement. He's getting threatening messages, Loretta is kidnapped, and Dom is missing.

The Catastrophe: Moonman

Morelli hires Walter "Mooner" Dunphy, stoner and "inventor" turned crime fighter, to protect his house. Morelli can't afford a lot on a cop's salary, and Mooner will work for potatoes.

The Cupcake: Stephanie Plum

Stephanie and Morelli have a long-standing relationship that involves sex, affection, and driving each other nuts. She's a bond enforcement agent with more luck than talent, and she's involved in this bank-robbery-gone-bad disaster from day one.

The Crisis: A favor for Ranger

Security expert Carlos Manoso, street name Ranger, has a job for Stephanie that will involve night work. Morelli has his own ideas regarding Stephanie's evening activities.

The Conclusion: Only the fearless should read Fourteen.

Thrills, chills, and incontinence may result.

BOOK REVIEW:
I’m gonna be up front and say this was probably the least favorite in the series for me, but I had a couple of laugh-out-loud moments, mainly to do with sub characters.

I enjoyed Fearless Fourteen enough to keep reading, but it was a bit stagnant all round with the Steph Plum formula.

Lula has always been my go to gal for the funniest sidekick, but this time round she plain annoyed me with her wedding plans for her completely made up wedding to Tank. I kinda got irritated; more than found it funny. There was a lot of eye rolling from me every time the topic came up.

Now the real funny came in the form of Mooner, Gary and Zook. Well, mainly Mooner and Gary—homegrown security. Bahahaha.



Mooner was already at the open living-room window when we walked into the room. He was holding a two-foot section of white PVC pipe that had a smaller pipe glued toward the base.

“Lieutenant Zook,” he said into a two-way attached to his shirt. “Are you in position?”

“Yessir, Captain,” Zook answered from the kitchen.

“Munitions Expert Gary, are you ready?”

“Yessir,” Gary said.

Gary was in the dining room, halfway between Mooner and Zook. He was wearing a utility belt that carried a can of hairspray, and a grill lighter. And he was holding a basket of potatoes. Tucked into the potato basket was a large bag of M&Ms and a large order of fast-food fries still in the cardboard container.

“It’s in case we need a shotgun.”

“Makes sense,”Lula said. And she turned and looked at me and made the crazy signal with her finger going around alongside her head.

Zook’s voice whispered over the two-way. “I got a bandit at two o’clock. I need a partial baked.”

Gary ran into the kitchen and handed Zook a potato. Zook dropped it into the PVC pipe and rammed it down. Gary sprayed hairspray into the pipe and jumped back. Zook pointed the spud gun out the door and phoonf!



Steph is still… well… Steph.



I shoved Morelli’s gun into the waistband of my jeans at the small of my back, and I stood beside Mooner and looked out the window. The gun was cold and hard and uncomfortable. I popped the snap on my jeans, but it didn’t help a lot. I removed the gun and shoved it under a couch cushion for safekeeping. It was a semi-automatic Glock, and I didn’t actually know how to use it, anyway.


This installment started off as an FTA, but somewhere along the way, Steph became more than a bounty hunter, making it her mission to solve police business.

There was a lot of OTT, more than usual with a monkey and panty eating Bob, Tank fainting and Brenda who was kind of a PITA of a side story.

Safe to say, least fave installment, but I didn’t give up… because I am addicted—regardless.

Ranger was sadly not his usual sexy self. #teamranger

Joe and Steph act more like a twenty year married couple when he isn’t wanting in her panties. Eh, these things happen. We did get more Joe airtime this installment.

Oh and Steph’s car didn’t blow up. Never thought I would miss her car blowing up.

Go figure.

14 books in and there isn't any growth in characters, they are all just the same. In 14 books I doubt anybody has aged. I mean how old are they after this many books? Going on story it is probably only six months down the track. 

I'm curious. 

Anyhoo, I'll be back. I can't seem to stay away.

I've still got two more OP shop finds with #15 and #16, so I shall power along.

#teamranger

BOOK REVIEW - LEAN MEAN THIRTEEN by JANET EVANOVICH - STEPHANIE PLUM # 13 - HEADLINE - CONTEMPORARY CRIME

By: Janet Evanovich

Published By: Headline

Released: Available Now

Details: Paperback from OP shop haul, 310 Pages

RATING: 5 #teamranger STARS!

Blurb: Goodreads

New secrets, old flames, and hidden agendas are about to send bounty hunter Stephanie Plum on her most outrageous adventure yet!

MISTAKE #1

Dickie Orr. Stephanie was married to him for about fifteen minutes before she caught him cheating on her with her arch-nemesis Joyce Barnhardt. Another fifteen minutes after that Stephanie filed for divorce, hoping to never see either one of them again.

MISTAKE #2

Doing favors for super bounty hunter Carlos Manoso (a.k.a. Ranger). Ranger needs her to meet with Dickie and find out if he's doing something shady. Turns out, he is. Turns out, he's also back to doing Joyce Barnhardt. And it turns out Ranger's favors always come with a price...

MISTAKE #3

Going completely nutso while doing the favor for Ranger, and trying to apply bodily injury to Dickie in front of the entire office. Now Dickie has disappeared and Stephanie is the natural suspect in his disappearance. Is Dickie dead? Can he be found? And can Stephanie Plum stay one step ahead in this new, dangerous game? Joe Morelli, the hottest cop in Trenton, NJ is also keeping Stephanie on her toes-and he may know more than he's saying about many things in Stephanie's life. It's a cat-and-mouse game for Stephanie Plum, where the ultimate prize might be her life.

With Janet Evanovich's flair for hilarious situations, breathtaking action, and unforgettable characters, LEAN MEAN THIRTEEN shows why no one can beat Evanovich for blockbuster entertainment.

BOOK REVIEW:

My addiction to this series stays strong.

My addiction to #teamranger is as strong as The Force.

Everything is the normal recipe: different day, different villain/s, different outfits, shit happens to Steph’s car and there isn’t much movement between the Joe/Steph/Ranger thing.



Fifteen minutes later, I looked in my rearview mirror and saw Ranger pull in behind me. He got out of his car and into mine. Ranger didn’t smile a lot, but clearly he was amused.

“I don’t know how you did it,” Ranger said. “In a matter of days, you’ve managed to turn a perfectly good piece-of-shit car into something so fucked up it’s a work of art.”


And Ranger gets dressed in black. He was going for the corporate look.


Ranger ended his call and joined me at the table. He was in corporate attire. Black dress slacks, black shirt, black-on-black striped tie, black gun and holster. He draped a black cashmere sports coat on an empty dining-room chair, then poured a coffee while standing, and sat across from me.


(I bet the coffee was black too) 

What I find as my observation now on this trio, is they should just  have a threesome and get it over and done with, and all will be right in my world. Well… my Stephanie Plum world.

Not sure what Ranger and Joe would think about that, I’m sure Steph would probably be up for it…I mean who wouldn’t? 

#teamrangerladyboner
It is becoming an odd sort of working relationship that Ranger and Joe have, where Steph is concerned. I can almost see it as a throw-your-keys-in-the-middle-and-make-sure-you-bring-her-home-safe, kinda deal.

Whatever it is—I think I got a good 13 more books of it.

I think this one got five stars instead of four-and-a-half because of the squirrel and beaver bombs.

Oh…yeah!

Shenanigans abound.

BOOK REVIEW - TWELVE SHARP by JANET EVANOVICH - STEPHANIE PLUM # 12 - CONTEMPORARY CRIME - HEADLINE

By: Janet Evanovich

Published By: Headline

Released: Available Now

Details : OP Shop paperback haul, 340 Pages

RATING: 4 STARS

Blurb: Goodreads

Welcome to Trenton, New Jersey, where bounty hunter Stephanie Plum's life is about to implode in Janet Evanovich's wildest, hottest novel yet!

FIRST A STRANGER APPEARS
While chasing down the usual cast of miscreants and weirdos Stephanie discovers that a crazed woman is stalking her.

THEN THE STRANGER REVEALS HER SECRETS
The woman dresses in black, carries a 9mm Glock, and has a bad attitude and a mysterious connection to dark and dangerous Carlos Manoso …street name, Ranger.

NEXT, SOMEBODY DIES
The action turns deadly serious, and Stephanie goes from hunting skips to hunting a murderer.

SOON, THE CHASE IS ON
Ranger needs Stephanie for more reasons than he can say. And now, the two are working together to find a killer, rescue a missing child, and stop a lunatic from raising the body count. When Stephanie Plum and Ranger get too close for comfort, vice cop Joe Morelli (her on-again, off-again boyfriend) steps in.

Will the ticking clock stop at the stroke of twelve, or will a stranger in the wind find a way to stop Stephanie Plum…forever? Filled with Janet Evanovich's trademark action, nonstop adventure, and sharp humor, Twelve Sharp shows why her novels have been called "hot stuff" (The New York Times), and Evanovich herself "the master" (San Francisco Examiner).

BOOK REVIEW:

I’m still on the Stephanie Plum trail and enjoying the rinse-and-repeat shenanigans and formula that goes into one of these books.

Reading a lot of books in succession—isn’t probably the wisest thing to do, knowing the formula—but, eh, away I go.

I went from 5 stars in Ten Big Ones to regressing back to 4 stars. It was good while it lasted that high I got from Steph being under Ranger’s roof and stepping it up and working for RangeMan. A new direction was refreshing for me as a reader of this series.

Now we are back at Vinnie’s and Joyce is back at Vinnie's and Steph and Lula have forgotten all the skills they should have learned by now, but I’m still coming back for more.

Ranger is Ranger and dang, I am having all sorts of moral dilemmas with Ranger-Steph-Joe. I am trying hard not to as this is meant to be a series of silliness and wit and a mystery to solve, Scooby…but—

I gotta address the Ranger situation, and I am #teamranger, but I got me a moral code too. 

So Ranger's in Steph’s bed, all platonic until it heats up (as we discover when Morelli comes-a-knockin’). 

He kissed me, and our tongues touched, and his mouth moved lower and lower ... and lower! And this is the thing I knew about Ranger from the one time we'd been together. Ranger made love. And Ranger liked to kiss. Ranger kissed everything. A lot.

Ranger froze in mid-kiss.

"What? I asked.

"Someone's at your door. I just heard the lock tumble."

"How could you possibly hear the lock tumble? You had your head under the covers!"

He moved off me, slipped out of bed, and started for the door.

"Holy cow!" I said. "You can't go to the door like that!"

"My gun's in the kitchen."

"Yes, but your underwear's on the floor in my bedroom!" And that wasn't the biggest problem.

The front door to my apartment opened, and the chain caught with a snap. There was a moment's silence, and then Morelli's voice sounding impatient.

"Steph?"


#totallyteamranger

BUT!!

Steph calls Joe her boyfriend, loosely. I feel like this lot need to do a threesome and get it over with…not that I think Joe or Ranger would be in on a MMF, they would be more the MFF.

Morelli is a smart guy, so why is he dumbed down when he has walked in on a situation? Why? Because he loves Steph and trusts her.


STEPH!!

Ranger is so damn sexy, has the best lines—babe. He has the moves, the wit and the sex appeal.

Then we have Joe, who in my reader eyes needs to fight for his woman, but he is so blasé. 

A little effort goes into him being a bit put-out by Ranger and Steph…but not much else—dude!

I am only at book 12 so I know this is gonna go on for a lot longer, possibly still is at book 24, but day-um!

It is such a weird thing reading these 3 characters and how Steph processes it in her inner monologues.

Ranger is honest, he lays it out and flirts it up and tries to get some, because he knows he can.

Joe is kinda a flat character romantically and I gotta say he feels like a bit of a doormat.

*GASP*

I said that out loud.

No guy should be written as a doormat 12 books in.

*face plant*

In saying all that, I am still hooked on this series. It just feels off- putting when I get to these parts, like Steph is a cheater and isn't taking real world feelings into consideration.

In the real world, would I want that done to me? No.

Would I want Ranger done to me. Yes! With a big grin on my face. Would I want to hurt Joe? No!

Break Joe and Steph up and let Ranger and her get their thing on for several books ( and for my viewing pleasure), because I feel, Janet, it all leads back to Steph and Joe anyway, but cut the cheating. There is no other way I can look at it. This line Steph crosses isn’t called friends-with-benefits. If it was, that would be okay.

I love the shenanigans and all the silly and all the Lula and sidekicks and predictability of this series as these are poolside reads for me (minus the pool), but I am just not getting Joe-the-doormat and Steph. I don’t ‘feel’ anything there on Steph’s side.

Ranger is honest about his Steph-urges, he says what he thinks. Steph’s like a brand new tennis ball bouncing back and forth. I don’t know? I think I might have lost a little bit of respect for Steph where Joe is concerned. I might not be #teamjoe, but dude needs a bit of respect in their relationship.

Oh the dilemma of the next 12 books.

This isn’t a triangle, it is more of a merry-go-round that keeps going round and round, with no end in sight. Well, I have 11 more books to see what happens there. I can't assume this early.

Another thing that got my goat was Ranger's daughter is abducted...and he's upset, Ranger-style, but I wasn't believing it when he was more concerned for Steph in some places, and a few other things. I get he holds his emotions in, but...

Considering the little girl acknowledges he's her father, ya would think he would show more desperation in locating her. I felt Janet wrote this a bit lazy. No dude should be thinking of sex when their daughter is missing, no matter how little he sees of her. 

I think this book just rubbed me a bit sideways in certain areas, but other areas it was shenanigans and giggles as usual.

 What can I say? I'm addicted to the series.

Oh, and a car was blown up. :) 

BOOK REVIEW - ELEVEN ON TOP by JANET EVANOVICH - STEPHANIE PLUM # 11 - HEADLINE - CONTEMPORARY CRIME

By: Janet Evanovich

Published By: Headline

Released: Available Now

Details: Paperback, OP Shop find, 371 Pages

RATING: 4.25 RANGER 'BABE' STARS!

Blurb: Goodreads

Stephanie Plum is thinking her career as a fugitive apprehension agent has run its course. She's been shot at, spat at, cussed at, fire-bombed, mooned, and attacked by dogs. Stephanie thinks it's time for a change. So she quits. She wants something safe and normal. But the kind of trouble she had at the bail bonds office can't compare to the kind of trouble she finds herself facing now...

Stephanie is stalked by a maniac returned from the grave for the sole purpose of putting her into a burial plot of her own. He's killed before, and he'll kill again if given the chance. Caught between staying far away from the bounty hunter business and staying alive, Stephanie reexamines her life and the possibility that being a bounty hunter is the solution rather than the problem. After disturbingly brief careers at the button factory, Kan Klean Dry Cleaners, and Cluck-in-a-Bucket, Stephanie takes an office position in security, working for Ranger, the sexiest, baddest bounty hunter and businessman on two continents. Tempers and temperatures rise as competition ratchets up between the two men in her life—her on-again, off-again boyfriend, tough Trenton cop Joe Morelli, and her boss, Ranger. Can Stephanie Plum take the heat? Can you?

BOOK REVIEW:

I am still going strong with this series, because I take it the way it is meant to be—well, I think it is meant to be a poolside read.

I’m going to say it…Steph had a moment of growth in this installment.

HALLELUJAH!

I saw her intelligence shine through. She is a quick learner when Ranger and his guys are doing the teaching. She got that computer sorted in no time.

THE WOMAN DOES HAVE SKILLS!

Who knew?

Finally—Janet.

I am gonna say it…Joe does nothing for me.

Blasphemy!

I know. I’m sorry #teamjoe.

It’s not my fault, it’s Janet’s. She writes Steph and Joe’s scenes very wooden. I get nothing, but the surface and some sex. At least with Ranger I get a man who is witty, sexy, sexy-witty combo, he lays his cards on the table, he flirts with smiles. We are interested to see about his past, where he lives. Joe is Joe. He’s a warm blanket.

I still got no clue why Steph is hanging onto Joe—no offence Joe. If you were given more depth of character, then I could work with this, but you aren’t. It is Joe and Bob. Steph and Joe-the-friend-with-benefits. Lawdy I want to love Joe, I want to be torn between him and Ranger as a reader…but I got squat.

I may have another 12 books of this too…eeeep!

In this installment, Janet gets Steph to leave Bounty Hunting behind and try some odd jobs on for size—needless to say none of them work out.

*coughnosurprisestherecough*

Ranger to the RAWRRRR rescue.

Dude gives me a lady-boner.

Lula is Lula.

Grandma Mazur is typical Grandma Mazur.

Did Rex get fed in this one?

Joe is typical Joe…with a leg cast and messing his home with boys-get-togethers.

Cars are blowing up.

Steph is getting filthy.

Ranger is being dreamy Ranger.

Ranger uses the word “Babe” with a smile.

We get to go onto another floor of RangeMan.

Everybody wears black.

There is a mystery to solve, Scooby!

I did like the twist. Nice one, Janet. 

Ranger is flirty. Steph is flirty.


We got into the Explorer, and I couldn’t sit with the gun rammed into my pants. “I can’t do this,” I said to Ranger. “This dumb gun is too big. It’s poking me.”

Ranger closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the wheel. “I can’t believe I hired you.”

“Hey, it’s not my fault. You picked out a bad gun.”

“Okay,” he said, swiveling to face me. “Where’s it poking you?”

“It’s poking me in my … you know.”

“No. I don’t know.”

“My pubic area.”



Now when is a gun able to be dumb? Just when Steph was getting that much more intelligent…she talks like a teenager. 

Bahahaha.

It simply doesn’t matter. I am hooked. I know almost before I start the next book what the layout will be, but I can’t seem to stop. This series is just silly, and remarkably full of Ranger and Steph flirting and shenanigans.

I wonder if I will tire of the series, eventually? I hope not.

I do love we get to know something more about Ranger. I am surprised it took Steph those few paragraphs to ask. I was like “Steph ask the bloody question”.

Bottom line is: I laugh. I giggle. I'm addicted.

Twelve Sharp is up next.

BOOK REVIEW - TEN BIG ONES by JANET EVANOVICH - STEPHANIE PLUM # 10 - HEADLINE - CONTEMPORARY CRIME

By: Janet Evanovich
Published By: Headline
Released: Available Now
Details: Paperback from library, 374 Pages

RATING: 5 STARS ALL THE WAY!

Blurb: Goodreads

"I'm Stephanie Plum. My mother says that I'm famous and have to set a good example. She's right, but I'm from Jersey and truth is, I have a hard time getting a grip on the good example thing."

Swing off the Jersey Turnpike and you'll be in bounty hunter Stephanie Plum's neighborhood. You'll know it because all hell will be breaking loose. Not that she looks for trouble - it just seems to follow her. In Ten Big Ones it explodes at a deli, and when Stephanie pegs a robber as a member of a vicious Trenton gang, they peg her as dead. Vice cop Joe Morelli fears she's in way too deep - even with the help of crime-solving, cross-dressing, bus driver Sally Sweet, and Stephanie's friend Lula riding shotgun as backup. With a notorious killer on her tail, Stephanie figures the best hideout is Ranger's secret lair...
Original.


BOOK REVIEW:

YES!!!!!

Five Stars!!!

Haven’t been able to say that for a few books now.

Aaannd…Ranger wasn’t in it as much.

Go figure.

I’ve flagged so many pages of humor and wit and— Ranger, when he chose to pop up— the sexy beast.

I just have to roll like a bowling ball being hurled down the lane when it comes to Ranger and Joe and Steph. I figure I am in for the long haul with whatever is going on, there. Might as well sit back with the popcorn.

Usual check list for a Stephanie Plum recipe.

Villain…check!

Sidekicks…check!

Ranger and his Range Men…check!

Ranger and his comments...check!


“Babe,” Ranger said. And he left.


Somebody appeared that Steph went to school with…check! 

*rolls eyes*

I’d gone to school with Robin Russell.


CAR BLOWS UP. 

Hell yeah!...Check

Family shenanigans…check!

OOO a new addition…scary mother*cking gang.

For once Steph actually, truly felt like she was in hot water—not luke warm water. This I very much likey. Only thing was, the ending...I was expecting a bit more. For once Steph actually gets a beat-down...then...erm...

Did you run out of ink? 

I can forgive your ink running out because I thought I was in the Bat Cave at one stage…I wasn’t…but we get closer to these Alpha men and a lair.

Giddy Up!



“Hey,” I said, when consciousness returned. “You’re poaching.”

“And?”

“Stop it.”

“You don’t mean that,” Ranger said smiling.

He was right. A woman would have to be dead not to want to kiss Ranger. And I wasn’t even close to dead.


Amen.

Then we have the-Tank-tease.

To say Tank is a big guy is oversimplification. Tank is a tank. His freshly shaved head looks buffed up with Pledge. His body is perfectly toned and fat free. His ass is tight. It’s rumored that his morals are loose. And his black T-shirt looks painted onto him. Hard to tell what Tank thinks of me. Or, for that matter, if Tank thinks at all.



Ranger-tease.

I was hot and slippery with shower gel, and I was surrounded by Essence of Ranger. Agony. Ecstasy. I was living a wet dream.

More teasing.

“It’s soap. And it won’t go away.”

“It smells sort of…sexy.”

Tell me about it. I was in love with myself.

The guy really needs his own series.

His mouth curved into the almost-smile. “You’re going to be indebted to me, Babe. You want to start working on that guilt problem.”

Oh boy.

He grabbed me and kissed me, and I felt my toes curl. And I wondered how long it would take me to get him undressed. And just exactly how many minutes did he have before the meeting. I didn’t think I needed a lot of time. After all, he wasn’t wearing any undies.

Women around the globe are requesting a Ranger series. I can only assume this to be true.


Ranger finished his coffee and stood. “I said there was no monetary way to justify your security. The truth is, you’re a line item in my budget.”

I followed him into the bedroom and watched while he got his gun, checked it out, and attached it to his belt.

“I have you listed under entertainment,” Ranger said, sliding money and credit cards into his pants pocket. “This is a high-stress business, and you’re comedy relief for my entire team. Plus, I get a tax break.”

My eyes opened wide and my eyebrows shot up an inch into my forehead. This didn’t sound flattering. “Comedy relief?”


Janet, you really need to consider a Ranger series...hot dayum!

Ranger gave me one of his rare full-on smiles. “I like you. We all like you.” He grabbed me by the front of my shirt, lifted me two inches off the ground, and kissed me. The truth is, I love you…in my own way.”

I love you too, Ranger.

#teamranger

xx

BOOK REVIEW - TO THE NINES by JANET EVANOVICH - STEPHANIE PLUM # 9 - HEADLINE - CONTEMPORARY CRIME

By: Janet Evanovich
Published By: Headline
Released: Available Now
Details: Paperback from OP shop find, 279 Pages

RATING: 4.25 SHENANIGAN STARS  ( Ranger gets 5 stars )

Blurb: Goodreads 

Stephanie Plum's got rent to pay, people shooting at her, and psychos wanting her dead every day of the week (much to the dismay of her mother, her family, the men in her life, the guy who slices meat at the deli...oh, the list goes on). An ordinary person would cave under the pressure.
But hey, she's from Jersey.

Stephanie Plum may not be the best bounty hunter in beautiful downtown Trenton, but she's pretty darn good at turning bad situations her way...and she always gets her man. In To the Nines, her cousin Vinnie (who's also her boss) has posted bail on Samuel Singh, an illegal immigrant. When the elusive Mr. Singh goes missing, Stephanie is on the case. But what she uncovers is far more sinister than anyone imagines and leads to a group of killers who give new meaning to the word hunter.

In a race against time that takes her from the Jersey Turnpike to the Vegas Strip, Stephanie Plum is on the chase of her life.

BOOK REVIEW:

Another Steph P book under my belt.

I am gonna start by saying, the cover of my Headline published copy has Steph’s latest car in flames.

Which = blowing up.

Did that happen?

No!

I feel ripped off.

Bahahah

No, I do. Seriously. False advertising. Every dayum book for the last 8 books, her car has blown up and this cover actually makes me think I am getting a car blown up.

I get nothing!

*hands on hips*

I mean I was getting a little over the cars blowing up, but now I don’t have a car-blowing-up scene…well, I want one!

Anyhoo, moving on.

Lula is still Lula and one fave sidekick of mine.

Steph still meets somebody she went to school with.

Ranger is still…*sigh stuffs lady boner inside my pants* gorgeous and brings that sexy-Ranger-dialogue.

Joe is still making me scratch my head as to what-the-hell-is-he-doing-with-their-relationship. Add a big fat question mark.

The plot was a little see through, but damn if I am not addicted to a hit of Steph and the gang like a full-on addiction.

Okay, I gotta hit you up with a Ranger quote or three. #teamranger



“Is that a mocking grin?”

“It’s the grin of a man who loves you, babe.”

My heart skipped around a little and I got warm in places only Morelli should be warming. “Love?”

“There’s all kinds of love,” Ranger said. “This kind doesn’t come with a ring attached.”

“Nice, but you avoided answering my question about the mocking grin.”

He gave my ponytail a playful tug.



Dammit Janet, stop doing this shiz for me to read. We all know you want Joe for Steph, but you keep writing this stuff for Ranger.

Hence. #teamranger.

Joe’s gotta get some more spice in his life and be sexier than Ranger.

Hence #teamranger



“I could help you with these maternal urges,” Ranger said.

“Get me pregnant?”

“I was going to suggest a visit to the animal shelter.” He grabbed me by the front of my shirt and pulled me close. “But I could get you pregnant if that’s what you really want.”



DUDE! Stop playing with me! 😊

Hence #teamranger

Ranger reached behind him, under his shirt, and pulled out a .38. He pulled my T-shirt out of my jeans and he shoved the .38 under my waistband and draped my shirt over the gun. The gun was warm with his body heat and his fingers had been even warmer sliding across my belly.

“Thanks,” I said, trying to keep my voice from cracking.

He curled his hand around my neck and kissed me lightly on the lips. “Be careful.” And he was gone. Off to make the world a better place in his shiny new black Porsche.

(@&(*@&#(@*&(@*

Hence #teamranger


“I thought he was supposed to be guarding my body,” I said to Ranger.

Ranger looked at me with dark eyes. “It’s my turn to guard your body, babe.”

Oh boy.


#teamranger!!!!

I seriously need a Ranger book/series. Like DUDE!!! You can’t keep playing with me like this.

Then Janet keeps letting Tank pop up.


“It might be easier if we took one car for the busts,” Tank said.

I agreed. “Do you want to drive or ride shotgun?”

Tank’s eyebrows raised a fraction of an inch. Shocked that I would even consider driving. Tank only rode shotgun to Ranger.

“It’s the twenty-first century,” I told Tank. “Women drive.”

“Only in my bed,” Tank said. “Never in my car.”


*smacks head on desk*

Ya need to stop doing this to me Janet. Joe needs to lift his Alpha game.

I digress.

There is the usual FTAs that by now Steph should have learned how to professionally apprehend, but she still hasn’t.

There is the villain of the story…little easy to work out, but none the less there is a villain.

Mum is being mum.

Grandma Mazur is being…well a granny with gumption.

Joe is still being Joe…he needs to be shaken not stirred.

Ranger…Ranger…#teamranger.

Nuff said.

No car got blown up…which was really disappointing Miss Janet, but it was alluded to by I think, Grandma Bella. (don’t quote me)

Sometimes she doesn’t tell the whole vision.

How convenient.

BOOK REVIEW - HARD EIGHT by JANET EVANOVICH - STEPHANIE PLUM # 8 - CONTEMPORARY CRIME

By: Janet Evanovich
Published By : Headline
Released: Available Now
Details: OP Shop Paperback , 277 Pages

RATING: 4.25 SHENANIGAN STARS

Blurb: Goodreads

Fugitive Apprehension Agent Stephanie Plum has a big problem on her hands: Seven-year-old Annie Soder and her mother, Evelyn, have disappeared.

Evelyn's estranged husband, Steven, a shady owner of a seedy bar, is not at all happy. During the divorce proceedings, he and Evelyn signed a child custody bond, and Steven is demanding the money guaranteed by the bond to find Annie. The money was secured by a mortgage on Evelyn's grandmother's house, and the True Blue Bonds Bail Agency wants to take possession of the house.

Finding a kidnapped child is not an assignment for a bounty hunter. But Evelyn's grandmother lives next door to Stephanie's parents, and Stephanie's mother and grandmother are not about to see their neighbor lose her house because of abduction.

Even though Stephanie's plate is full with miscreants who missed their court dates, including old nemesis and violent drunk Andy Bender and an elusive little old lady accused of grand theft auto, she can't disappoint Grandma Mazur! So she follows the trail left by Annie and Evelyn-- and finds a lot more than she bargained for. Steven is somehow linked with a very scary Eddie Abruzzi. Trenton cop and on-again, off-again fiance Joe Morelli and Stephanie's mentor and tormentor, Ranger, warn Stephanie about Abruzzi, but it's Abruzzi's eyes and mannerisms that frighten Stephanie the most. Stephanie needs Ranger's savvy and expertise, and she's willing to accept his help to find Annie even though it might mean becoming too involved with Ranger.

Stephanie, Ranger, Lula (who's not going to miss riding with Ranger), and Evelyn's lawyer/laundromat manager set out to find Annie. The search turns out to be a race among Stephanie's posse, the True Blue Bonds' agent, a Rangerette known as Jeanne Ellen Burrows, and the Abruzzi crew. Not to mention the fact that there's a killer rabbit on the loose!

Strap on your helmet and get ready for the ride of your life. Hard Eight. The world of Plum has never been wilder.



BOOK REVIEW :

8 books down and I am very comfy with what to expect in Stephanie’s series of shenanigans, silly moments, Ranger ( let’s take a moment to breathe)…Joe moments, ( what are these two doing?)  and throw in some gruesome moments.



“There was a detail we’re not releasing to the press,” Morelli said.

“A gruesome detail?”

“Yeah.”

Oh it was gruesome.

Pretty much a check list of moments and you have another Steph P installment.

Not complaining as I read them for their poolside ease… except I don’t have a pool.

Steph’s being a bit more detective, than Bounty Hunter in this installment.

But fear not! Cars are going KABOOM!

Ranger is ‘grinning’ that dirty grin.



He tucked my hair behind my ear, his fingertips brushing feather light across my temple, his thumb at the line of my jaw. “I have my own team.”

“Tell me about Jeanne Ellen.”

Ranger smiled. “The information would have a price.”

“And the price would be what?”

The smile widened. “Try not to get too wet today,” he said. And he was gone.


Ranger is being all mysterious and bringing the sexual tension by the bucket load. Why-oh-why do you do this to me Janet? It’s like a scratch that is hard to reach and itch…but you find a way to itch it and ooooh does it feel good when you can get into that place.



“Babe,” Ranger said, “it’s not the end of the world to sleep with me.”



Baaazing!!!



Ranger was a cat. Quiet. Every muscle relaxed on command. Probably did yoga. Might not be human.



Joe is popping in and out. To ship or not to ship? That is the Q.



“This is what I think. I think there’s you and me, and sometimes we’re together. But there’s no us.”

“That feels a little lonely,” I said.

“Don’t make this more difficult than it already is,” Morelli said.



There is a sidekick. Always a sidekick. Often a quirky/annoying little man, funnily enough. 

There is the hint of Ranger buddies...it's like teasing me. A little Hector, a little Tank...

There is somebody Steph went to school with…bahahaa. I actually wait for that moment.



The door opened, and Carol Nadich looked out at me.

“Stephanie!” she said. “How the hell are you?”

I went to school with Carol.


Bingo! I really could start marking squares off.

Steph still hasn’t grown as a character…she’s bumbling…thumbling…being stalked…kissed…needing TastyKakes.

Rinse and repeat.

Lula has her limelight. Love me some Lula. The best lines of dialogue..next to Ranger.

Vinnie dons his BH gear ( Bounty Hunter) and gives it another whirl.

FTA’s elude Stephanie no matter their age. This time round I did find myself rolling my eyes a little and wanting to take a hold of the reigns and get the job done.

Truly!

But then the book would have been shorter. Well, I could have spent some no-strings-attached time with Ranger.

Truly!

Let me throw down some fave quotes.



Ranger and I were oil and water. He was the Man of Mystery, and I was Ms Curiosity. We both knew this. Ranger tolerated it with mild amusement. I tolerated it with teeth clenched.



“I feel cheated,” Ranger said. “Usually when I’m with you a car explodes or a building burns down.”

“Sorry to disappoint.”

“Life is a bitch,” Ranger said. He reached out and grabbed me by my jacket sleeves, hauled me across the console, and kissed me.



“Do you want to try your luck with another car? We could raise the stakes. I could give you a Porsche.”


I smiled at Ranger. I can be mysterious too.

Stephanie Plum and the lads with a side order of sidekicks are strangely addictive.

Is it the best writing? No...but weirdly entertaining even if there is a lot of rinse and repeat, different day, different character going on. It's kinda an odd feeling every time I crack one of these open, there is an eagerness to slide back into the bumbling world Stephanie has made for herself...yet I kinda know what will more or less be going on...again except for the different character...different day.

I am plum suckered in.

Pun intended.

BOOK REVIEW - SEVEN UP by JANET EVANOVICH - STEPHANIE PLUM # 7 - HEADLINE - CONTEMPORARY CRIME

By: Janet Evanovich

Published By : Headline

Released : Available Now

Details: Purchased from OP shop for a bargain $1.00 #win

RATING: 4.5 CRAZY SHENANIGAN STARS!

Blurb: Goodreads

BLOWN UP

All New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has to do is bring in semi-retired bail jumper Eddie DeChooch. For an old man he's still got a knack for slipping out of sight--and raising hell. How else can Stephanie explain the bullet-riddled corpse in Eddie's garden? Who else would have a clue as to why two of Stephanie's friends suddenly vanished? For answers Stephanie has the devil to pay: her mentor, Ranger. The deal? He'll give Stephanie all the help she needs--if she gives him everything he wants...

MESSED UP

As if things weren't complicated enough, Stephanie's just discovered her Grandma Mazur's own unmentionable alliance with Eddie. Add a series of unnerving break-ins, not to mention the bombshell revelation leveled by Stephanie's estranged sister, and Stephanie's ready for some good news. Unfortunately, a marriage proposal from Joe Morelli, the love of her life, isn't quite cutting it. And now--murder, a randy paramour, a wily mobster, death threats, extortion, and a triple kidnapping aside--Stephanie's really got the urge to run for her life...


BOOK REVIEW:

Book seven!!!

The recipe is still very much a check list in the Stephanie Plum series, even seven books in. Does it matter I can virtually predict the check list to a T what each book will contain in storyline?

Nahhh.

Janet is my light-and-easy-reading-go-to-author. As I've always said, they are poolside reads with a side order of villainous activity.

Mooner and Dougie pop up again and then they go MIA.

Bob still has a healthy appetite.

Steph used to go to school with another freshly mentioned character. CHECK!

Ranger is putting the kissy face moves on Steph. Check!

Morelli and Steph…I SMH. I’m very confused with what is classified as cheating, where Ranger is involved. It's a no brainer Joe is gonna be THE ONE, but man all the mixed signals.

*Scratches head*



“You find DeChooch. If you need help bringing him in you call me. If I succeed in the capture, you spend the night with me.”

My heart stopped beating. Ranger and I had been playing this game for a while now, but it had never been articulated in quite this way.

“I’m sort of engaged to Morelli,” I said.

Ranger smiled.

Shit.




“Okay, here’s the truth. I’d really like to sleep with you, but I have this stupid wedding gown…”

Ranger’s lips swept along my jawline to my ear. “I could make you forget about the gown.”



STEPH!

I want to feel the connection with Morelli, but we never really get much to hold onto with him and Steph. It’s quite odd how Janet words these two together. It's more f*&k buddies.

I feel more of a Stephanie/Ranger connection. Eh, I got no clue how I am supposed to feel about the three of them and whatever is going on in each book. It’s simply not clear to me.

Dudes, I’m being honest.

Grandma is still up for a good pre-funeral viewing. CHECK!

What I did love was getting some cousin Vincent showing us his Bounty Hunter skills, even if it was only a small part. I like getting something fresh thrown into this series at book # 7.

We do get Valerie popping up, and she has her own Steph-ways about her.

Ranger is wearing black. CHECK!


He was wearing black dress slacks, a long-sleeved light-weight black sweater pushed up on his forearms, and expensive black loafers. His hair was cut very short. ( Giddy up! ) I was used to seeing him in SWAT dress with long hair, and I hadn’t immediately recognized him.



Aannd then we get…

It was a Harley-Davidson FXDL Dyna Low Rider. It was black with custom green flames and custom pipes. Lula was right. It wasn’t a dumb-ass bike. It was a wet dream.

“You know how to drive one of these?” Lula asked.

I smiled at her. “Oh yeah,” I said. “Oh yeah.”


I did chuckle at this bit because Steph can’t keep a car intact, apart from the Buick, but all of a sudden she is a biker.

Oh the beauty of being the writer.

For the era… starting back in late 90’s, this series has stood the test of time because apparently we love a good, silly, shenanigan filled read where Steph really doesn't have any character growth. She is still the bumbling Bounty Hunter who makes it up along the way.

Now for that ending.

(#)@)@(*#)@(!%@$^!%@$^!!!

I have to pick up Hard Eight, because of that damn ending, even if it is just to read the first few pages until I can read more.

Good thing I picked up a bunch of these in order from the OP shop and it was half price Friday.

Who knew?

J J

BOOK REVIEW - HOT SIX by JANET EVANOVICH - STEPHANIE PLUM # 6 - PAN MACMILLAN - CONTEMPORARY CRIME

By: Janet Evanovich
Published By: Pan Macmillan
Released : Available Now
Details: Paperback from library, 324 Pages

RATING: 4.5 RANGER STARS!

Blurb:Goodreads

Low-rent bounty hunter Stephanie Plum reaches depths of personal experience that other women detectives never quite do. In Hot Six, for example, a sequence of new and hideous cars bite the dust; she finds herself lumbered with a policeman's multiply incontinent dog; and she has several bad skin days. All this when she is trying to prove her distinctly more competent colleague and occasional boyfriend Ranger innocent of a mob hit; avoid the heavies trailing her in the hope of finding him; and cope with a wife-abusing bail defaulter with nasty habits, such as setting Stephanie on fire.



BOOK REVIEW :

Oh myyy… Ranger is on the run in this installment. 

Nah, he might be keeping away from the law and is a current FTA, but he don’t run for nobody. Rewind to One For The Money when Morelli was on the run and he kept finding Stephanie when she was supposed to be hauling his ass in to collect. In this case, she lets Joyce have the FTA for Ranger because nobody will find Ranger unless he wants to be found. Keeps Joyce busy...kind of.

Now I’m gonna say, I am getting a bit confuzzed with the whole Morelli and Ranger sexual tension thing with Stephanie. If she is with Morelli, even though he doesn’t want to marry her, then what is all the kissy face with Ranger?

Problem solved. I’ll take Ranger.

Habib and Mitchell are the new Stephanie-stalkers. I kinda liked them when they were being fun stalkers, before they showed their claws.



“Raghead,” Mitchell said.

Habib narrowed his eyes. “Filthy American dog.”

“Blubber-belly.”

“Son of a camel-wallah.”

“Go fuck yourself,” Mitchell said.

“And may your testicles fall off,” Habib responded.



Moon/Mooner is the new Stephanie accessory in this installment, as ya gotta always have one of those.

Things aren’t looking good…again…in the keeping-a-car-long-enough-before-it-gets-car-bombed-or-blown up-or-burned-out.



“Hey, man,” Moon said to me. “Real shame about your car. That’s mad crazy, dude.”


I wonder what happened?

Lawdy she goes through a lot of cars. There must be a fictional book records for blowing up cars, Janet/Stephanie would win it.

Ranger gets a haircut. This I happily note as I can’t see him with that slicked back ponytail. Glad it’s now gone.



He’d abandoned his usual outfit of black rap clothes or GI Joe cammies. He was wearing a brown leather jacket, a cream-colored Henley, faded jeans, and work boots. His hair, which had always been slicked back in a ponytail, was cut short. He had a two-day beard, making his teeth seem whiter and his Latino complexion seem darker. A wolf in Gap clothing.

“Jeez,” I said, feeling a flutter of something I’d rather not admit to in the pit of my stomach. “You look different.”

“Just your average guy.”

Yeah, right.



I had to laugh at the Rollswagen.

Only in a Stephanie Plum book.

Don’t get me started on the poop squishing incident.

Another awesome poolside read where Grandma Mazur is involved, sidekicks abound, things explode, stoners hang about and Ranger and Morelli have sexy banter for Stephanie. Rex is hanging out in his soup can and stuffing food into his cheeks, aaannd Stephanie always comes across somebody she went to school with.

Oh and there is Bob. I like Bob.

Looking forward to some more Steph Plum books, because I find I need to read one at least every two weeks to get my fix of the silly and sexy.