Book Nerds Across America: Janet Evanovich

Showing posts with label Janet Evanovich. Show all posts

Monday, August 28, 2023

Book Review: To the Nines by Janet Evanovich

Goodreads Overview:

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. The unforgettable characters, nonstop action, high-stakes suspense, and sheer entertainment of To the Nines define Janet Evanovich as unique among today's writers.

Jacque's Review:

This is the nineth book in the Stephanie Plum series and is probably one of my favorites so far. They are all action packed as Stephanie tries to solve the crimes, but she is almost all luck and no skill. She can't even manage to keep her professional security detail from being injured and hauled off. Ranger and Morelli do everything they can to try to keep her safe, but she always manages to find herself in sticky situations. In this installment, she is now the target of some game and is receiving the same bouquets of flowers as one of her victims.

I personally wouldn't like my chances with Lula and Connie as my backup, but this crazy bunch always seems land on their feet. Connie is the office manager in the bond office and Lula is an overweight African American woman who still dresses like the "hooker" she used to be. She now works as a filing clerk at the bond agency and is usually Stephanie's sidekick. Add in the hilarious dialogue with her parents, sister, and grandmother and you can't help but laugh out loud.

For the better part of this book, Stephanie had a feeling she knew who was behind the murders. I was a little quicker on the uptake than she was this time around. I knew one of the characters was a little off and would have gone with that instinct instead of going with the more obvious suspect, but then we wouldn't have had all the danger and drama that seems to follow Stephanie like a shadow.

Nothing much was new in the Stephanie, Ranger, Morelli love triangle, so I will have to keep reading to see how that eventually plays out.

Sunday, March 5, 2023

Book Review: Hard Eight by Janet Evanovich

Goodreads Overview:

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 I 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!

Jacque's Review:

I am still plugging away at the VERY lengthy Stephanie Plum series. I enjoy listening to these while I am out walking the dog because they are very lite and funny and do not require a lot of focus. It is sort of like watching a soap opera with all of the drama between Stephanie, Morelli and Ranger. I can't help but want to know what will happen next.

The antics at her parent's house are equally as entertaining as the mysteries. Grandma Mazur is hilarious and the banter between her parents and Grandma Mazur are well worth the listen. You can't help but laugh out loud half the time, so I'm sure my neighbors think I am a little crazy.

The Goodreads overview is a pretty detailed summary of the plot, so there isn't much more that I can say without giving spoilers. There was a bit of a shocking twist at the end, so I can't wait to see where things head in the next installment. Will the Morelli, Stephanie, Ranger love triangle continue or will Stephanie finally make a decision based upon the events that took place at the end of this book? I guess I will have to keep reading if I want to find out.

I am amazed that Lula and Stephanie make it to the end of every book, but they always do. Neither of them has any real skills when it comes to apprehending fugitives, but they certainly have luck on their side. If you are looking for a good laugh and an entertaining mystery to help pass the time, this is a fun series.

Thursday, March 25, 2021

Book Review: Seven Up by Janet Evanovich

Jacque's Review:

Stephanie Plum is not your typical bounty hunter. She is all luck and minimal skill, but she always seems to be in the right place at the right time. Or maybe it is the wrong place at the wrong time depending upon how you look at it.

This time around she is after Eddie DeChooch. He is an elderly man with connections to the mob who skipped his court date for smuggling cigarettes. If you watched The Sopranos, I was picturing Junior. He is a feisty old guy with a lot of tricks up his sleeve. It doesn't make sense that he would run from the law for such a minor offense when you compare it with his usual dealings. Stephanie begins to realize there is more to the story when a couple of mobsters start following her around trying to get to Eddie first.

Two of Stephanie's friends, Mooner and Dougie, disappear without a trace and then her Grandma Mazur is nowhere to be found. She realizes she is in way over her head and calls in Ranger for assistance. Ranger is one of the other bounty hunters with Navy Seal level skills. I wouldn't want to cross him if I were a fugitive, but his assistance doesn't come without a price. While Stephanie is technically engaged to Joe Morelli, neither of them is ready to go through with it. Ranger is one of the nagging what ifs that is constantly in the back of Stephanie's mind. She is attracted to him, but he is not the marrying type.

Overall, this is a light and funny mystery series. Each book is an independent story or case, but the characters and relationships do evolve. I would recommend reading them in order, but it isn't completely necessary. It is a VERY lengthy series with 29 books currently available. I'm not sure if I am in for the long haul or not, but I have enjoyed them so far and will continue plugging along. I am intrigued by the possible love triangle and want to see how that eventually plays out. I do not feel compelled to binge read the series, so I will continue reading one or two a year and hope I don't fall even further behind.

Thursday, March 26, 2020

Book Review: Hot Six by Janet Evanovich

Jacque's Review:

This is the sixth book in the Stephanie Plum series. Stephanie works for her cousin Vinnie as a bounty hunter, but is more luck than skill. This time around Ranger is wanted for questioning in the murder of a known arms dealer, but has gone missing. He is out on bail and Vinnie wants Stephanie to find him, but she knows there is no way anyone will find Ranger if he doesn't want to be found. She turns the job down and lets her enemy, Joyce Barnhardt, work the hopeless case.

Ranger does make several appearances and Stephanie helps him try to uncover the truth behind the murder, which he says he was not involved in. She is being tailed by a couple of thugs who have been hired to locate Ranger for a different kind of questioning than the police are interested in, but Stephanie manages to dodge them in a number of humorous ways.

Stephanie also has some additional car trouble in this book, which is an ongoing joke in the series. She can't seem to keep a half way decent car without something happening to it. Fire, bomb, etc. She always ends up driving the family's old Buick, which is an indestructible tank. In addition, trouble is brewing at her parents house and Grandma Mazur decides to live with Stephanie for a while. She wants her independence and even starts taking driving lessons, looks for her own apartment, and tries to get a job. Things become a bit crowded at the apartment and Stephanie can't get any sleep.

Joe Morelli is Stephanie's long time on-and-off love interest that dates back to elementary school. It appears things are heating up and may eventually become more serious in the future, but Ranger is still a mystery that I think Stephanie is still interested in exploring. I'm sure she would like the stability and a family with Joe, but there is definitely some undeniable attraction between her and Ranger that I'm sure will continue in the series.

Overall, this was another great murder mystery. As always, there were a number of laughs and I was hooked from the very beginning. It was a very quick read that I flew through in only a few days. If you are looking for a light and entertaining mystery series, I have really enjoyed this one so far. It is nothing like some of the more dark and detailed crime series such as the Kay Scarpetta or even the Women's Murder Club books, which I also enjoy reading.

Monday, May 20, 2019

Book Review: High Five by Janet Evanovich

Jacque's Review:

High Five is the fifth book in the Stephanie Plum series. Stephanie works for her cousin Vinnie as a "bail enforcement officer"...AKA Bounty Hunter.

In this installment, Stephanie's Uncle Fred goes missing. He went out to run some errands and never returned. They know he was having some difficulty with his account at the garbage company, but a dispute over a couple of dollars is certainly not worth killing someone over. Fred also has a history of fraternizing with married women, which could have lead to his disappearance. Since business is slow at the bail bond agency, she begins looking into the case.

Fred's case isn't going to pay the rent, so Stephanie begins taking some odd jobs from Ranger, a far more skilled bounty hunter. He has some side businesses that are more in the gray area, but Stephanie really needs the money. Stephanie ends up in a number of hilarious situations, which could only seem to happen to her.

Joe Morelli has been Stephanie's on-and-off boyfriend going back as far as high school. He is now a vice cop and is somehow working on a case that seems to be connected with Uncle Fred's disappearance. Stephanie becomes frustrated when he will not discuss the case with her, so she takes matters into her own hands. They eventually begin sharing information, but it is amazing how the unskilled Plum always seems to be one step ahead.

This series is more of a comedy to me than an action packed thriller. Yes, there is usually a mystery to solve or a fugitive to apprehend, but the tone is very light. The interactions between Stephanie and her mother and grandmother will literally make you laugh out loud at times. In addition, there is now a potential love triangle between Stephanie, Ranger, and Morelli that escalated in this installment. Stephanie is well aware of Morelli's lack of commitment and has been burned by him multiple times in the past, but he is an honest working police officer. Ranger, on the other hand, has a number of fine qualities mixed with an element of danger. She knows she should stay away from him, but it seems to be getting harder for her to walk away. I can't wait to see how things will play out in the next book, Hot Six.

Thursday, October 27, 2016

Four to Score by Janet Evanovich

Jacque's Review:

Stephanie Plum is back in action as Trenton, New Jersey's most lovable bounty hunter. She may not be the most talented, but she certainly is the most entertaining.

This time around she is looking for Maxine Nowicki, who was arrested for stealing her estranged boyfriend's car and failed to appear for her court date. It seems strange to everyone that Maxine would run from the police for such a minor offence. This could have all blown over by simply paying a fine and returning the car.

Stephanie soon discovers that Maxine's good friend Margie "accidentally" cut off her finger and Maxine's mother has a nasty head injury, which was also an "accident." In addition Maxine’s former boyfriend, Eddie Kuntz, is willing to pay Stephanie $1,000 to find Maxine, so there is clearly more to this story than meets the eye.

Eddie starts receiving mysterious clues from Maxine, which are in a secret code that nobody can solve. Stephanie recruits the services of her elderly neighbor's nephew who is a pro at solving these types of puzzles. He also happens to be one of Trenton's most famous drag queens, which really spices things up. Add in Lula, Grandma Mazur and the other usual suspects and you have one hilarious page turner.

In addition to the hunt for Maxine, things are beginning to heat up with Joe Morelli. Stephanie is forced to move in with him when someone sets her apartment on fire. She doesn't want to bring any trouble to her parents' house, so she turns to Joe for help. They have had a love/hate relationship since Stephanie was 6 years old, but they may be moving in a more positive direction.

I'm still very early in this series, which currently has 23 novels plus some holiday stories. I'm not sure how long Evanovich can keep up this all luck / no skill bounty hunter routine while still keeping the series funny and fresh, but so far so good. I gave Four to Score 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads and will definitely continue onto book five.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

Jacque's Review:

Welcome to Trenton, New Jersey, home to wiseguys, average Joes, and Stephanie Plum, who sports a big attitude and even bigger money problems (since losing her job as a lingerie buyer for a department store). Stephanie needs cash--fast--but times are tough, and soon she's forced to turn to the last resort of the truly desperate: family.

Stephanie lands a gig at her sleazy cousin Vinnie's bail bonding company. She's got no experience. But that doesn't matter. Neither does the fact that the bail jumper in question is local vice cop Joe Morelli. From the time he first looked up her dress to the time he first got into her pants to the time Steph hit him with her father's Buick, M-o-r-e-l-l-i has spelled t-r-o-u-b-l-e. And now the hot guy is in hot water--wanted for murder.

Abject poverty is a great motivator for learning new skills, but being trained in the school of hard knocks by people like psycho prizefighter Benito Ramirez isn't. Still, if Stephanie can nab Morelli in a week, she'll make a cool ten grand. All she has to do is become an expert bounty hunter overnight--and keep herself from getting killed before she gets her man. (Goodreads Overview)

I have had these books on my to-be-read list for a LONG time. This is a VERY lengthy series (18 books as of the time of this post) which has been my number one deterrent. I wasn't sure I wanted to tackle that many books in addition to all of the other series I started last year and still need to catch up on. When I saw the movie was released last month starring Katherine Heigl as Stephanie Plum, I decided it was finally time to step up to the challenge.

This was a very fast read and highly entertaining. I enjoyed watching Stephanie struggle to learn the finer points of becoming a bounty hunter. There were a few situations that she got herself into that caused me to literally laugh out loud. There were others that were downright frighting and would have had me running to the nearest unemployment office. (Unemployment would have looked like a far better alternative to chasing down fugitives.)

Once Stephanie realizes this is a life and death occupation, she begins to take things more seriously. She seeks out the assistance of Ranger (another bounty hunter) and Eddie Gazarra (a relative that is a cop) to teach her how to shoot and successfully apprehend an FTA...a suspect that "failed to appear" for their court date. None of her training goes to waste. She has taken on a VERY dangerous occupation and does surprisingly well at it...given her limited amount of training and experience. She manages to be in the right place at the right time and has reasonably good investigative instincts. She isn't going to be working for the secret service anytime soon, but she manages to put food on the table and oil in her car. (You will see what I mean by that last comment if you read the book.)

Overall...If you are looking for a fluffy, fun, read that doesn't require much thought...this series is for you. I really liked the hot and cold relationship between Morelli and Plum and look forward to seeing what is in store for them in Two for the Dough.

Here is a link to the movie trailer. If you have seen the movie please leave a comment. I would love to hear your thoughts. Personally, I am thinking this will be a rental. I don't think I am willing to pay theater prices to see this one on the big screen, but I really do want to see it.

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