Smokin' Seventeen
by Janet Evanovich
Stephanie Plum, book seventeen
(*not counting the in-between novels)
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 evidence proving the killer’s identity, Stephanie faces further complications when her family and friends decide that it’s time for her to choose between her longtime off-again-on-again boyfriend, Trenton cop Joe Morelli, and the bad boy in her life, security expert Ranger. Stephanie’s mom is encouraging Stephanie to dump them both and choose a former high school football star who’s just returned to town. Stephanie’s sidekick, Lula, is encouraging Stephanie to have a red-hot boudoir “bake-off.” And Grandma Bella, Morelli’s old-world grandmother, is encouraging Stephanie to move to a new state when she puts “the eye” on Stephanie.
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. (description from Amazon.com)
OMG. How do I love this series? Let me count the ways!
1. Stephanie is both incompetent and surprisingly good at her job...
2. Ranger
3. Morelli
4. Lula...her crazy diets, her crazier wardrobe, and her propensity for shooting at suspects
5. Grandma Mazur...who doesn't love a "cute" little old grandma that carries a giant gun in her purse and wreaks havoc at funeral homes for fun?
6. Mooner...stoner extraordinaire
7. Stephanie's love of food...which will overcome the most extreme circumstances!
8. Bulgari body wash (Ummm...and the man who uses it...did I mention him already? Oh I did. Well...*sigh*)
9. Connie...the "connected" woman behind the scenes at the bail bonds office
10. Just to round things out --> RANGER. *omg*
These books make me snarf out loud! Every single time. I love poor Stephanie's propensity for blowing up cars, accidentally catching bad guys, and her understandable trouble choosing between two HOTT guys that want to be with her...
This particular volume caused me to laugh out loud so hard that I cried...within the first 50 pages! It doesn't get better than that. Let's just say that the perps Stephanie has to round up in this book are definitely hilarous (including a senior who thinks he's a vampire). The relationship drama heats up again...and I for one, LOVED it. The best part, though, is how even with all of the guy drama in Stephanie's life, she still knows that her girls mean more...the girlpower ending made me grin!
I first read the Plum books when there were 13 of them -- all terrific. I couldn't believe that the best place to spend that January was New Jersey, as I read the series twice, back-to-back. But then, the disappointing 14, nutty 15, and boring 16. Too silly-- no plot or character development-- and what happened to the heat? What happened to Ranger?
ReplyDeleteI thought all the life had been sucked out of the series, but 17 is a big step in the right in the right direction. It wasn't great--the plot was weak and Steph and Ranger weren't exactly themselves--but it was fun and shows that there might still be hope for Steph and the series.