Description from inside cover:
“It’s 4 days before Christmas and things are not looking merry for fugitive apprehension agent Stephanie Plum. She hasn’t got a tree. She hasn’t bought any presents. The malls are jam-packed with staggering shoppers. There’s not a twinkle light anywhere to be seen in her apartment.

And there’s a strange man in her kitchen.

Sure, this has happened to her before. Strangers, wierdos, felons, creeps, and lunatics are always finding their way to her front door. But this guy is different. This guy is mysterious, sexy—and he has his own agenda. His name is Diesel and he is a man on a mission. Diesel is unlike anyone Stephanie has met before in her life. The question is, What does he want with her? Can he help her find a little old toy maker who has skipped out on his bail right befoe Christmas? Can he survive the Plum family holiday dinner? Can he get Stephanie a tree that doesn’t look like it was grown next to a nuclear power plant? These questions and more are keeping Stephanie awake at night. Not to mention the fact that she needs to find a bunch of nasty elves, her sister Valerie has a Christmas ‘surprise’ for the Plums, her neice mary Alice doesn’t believe in Santa anymore, and Grandma Mazur has a new stud muffin. So, bring out the plastic reindeer, strap on your jingle bells, and get ready to celebrate the holidays—Jersey style.”

Evanovich gives Plum fans a Christmas story with her usual elements—chasing of bond-skippers, destroyed cars, and learning more about Grandma Mazur than we ever wanted to. The author has pretty much desensitized the regular reader to strange plots and characters, so her introduction of 3 supernatural beings was pretty much par for the course, and certainly not a shark-jumper for this reader.

I am beginning, however, to have a complaint with the Valerie thread. I sure would like to see Ranger hunt down her ex so that he could be easily sued for alimony, community property and child support. The situation they’re in now is just way too incredible to follow with sympathy. I’d think that a perfectly capable woman would not increase the burden on parents who are already responsible for their elderly.

Previously published on BookCrossing.com, 2004

A quick, whimsical read. Fun, but I only voted it ‘wishy washy’ because it’s not life changing or anything. It’s pretty good.

A Stephanie Plum Christmas adventure.

Lisa sold me a cut price copy of this – I love Stephanie Plum, and this is a great, Christmassy gigglefest.