Read this on the recommendation of popularity at one of my reading communities. I expected it to be more engaging, but it was simply a “feel-good”er set in the post-WWII era. Not a waste of time-the “plot” is very character-centered, and the characters are interesting, if not inspirational. Recommended for those who lived the era, or those interested in a “common” (as opposed to political) U.S.-British relations piece.

From the back cover:
“Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is back, packing a whole lot of attitude-not to mention stun guns, defense sprays, killer flashlights, and a .38 Smith and Wesson-on the trail of Kenny Mancuso, who has just shot his best friend. Mancuso’s fresh out of the army and suspiciously wealthy. He’s also distantly related to Joe Morelli, a vice cop with ethics that lean toward the gray zone, a libido in permanent overdrive, and a habit of horning in on Stephanie’s investigations. Aided by her tough bounty hunter pal, Ranger, and her funeral-happy Grandma Mazur, Stephanie’s soon staggering knee-deep in corpses and caskets, trying to shake Morelli…and stirring up a very nasty enemy.”

OK, Stephanie has shown some improvement in her nabbing skills, and Morelli is giving her some due along with the flirting, so the series has satisfied my requirements from the last installment thus far. Now, I don’t know if civilians in Jersey are licensable for concealed carry, but that is Stephanie’s next step. I also believe it prudent if she takes some self-defense/disarmament classes no later than #4. I’ll give her #3 to realize she’s doing this professionally and that she’s going to get dangerous cases.

Couldn’t help myself, but I did laugh out loud at Grandma Mazur’s antics. I’m obviously not including this in the criteria of realistic progression. Heck, I read talking cat mysteries, so I can certainly tolerate this.

Previously published on BookCrossing.com, 2003

Description from back cover:
“A ‘saintly’ old candy-store owner is on the lam—and bounty hunter extraordinaire Stephanie Plum is on the case. As the body count rises, Stephanie finds herself dealing with dead drug dealers and slippery fugitives on the chase of her life. And with the help of eccectric friends and family, Steph must see to it that this case doesn’t end up being her last…”

Stephanie’s back, with new assignments. Is she ever going to smarten up and realize that she can’t assume that any of her FTA’s are going to be routine, easy, or minor? Now that she has a full-fledged sidekick, she needs to take a little more responsibility as mentor. I think that the author made this move too soon, but I guess that’s part of Plum’s appeal.

Since I’m nitpicking, I’ll mention that her adventures in auto acquisition and repair are getting old. What, her job isn’t dramatic enough? Other than these observations, I’m still enjoying the series.

Previously published on BookCrossing.com, 2003

From the inside cover:
“Fugitive Apprehension Agent Stephanie Plum has a big problem on her hands: 7-year-old Annie Soder and her mother, Evelyn, have disappeared. Evelyn’s estranged husband, Steven, is not at all happy. During the divorce proceedings, he and Evelyn signed a child custody bond, and Steven is demanding the money secured by a mortgage on Evelyn’s grandmother’s house, and the True Blue Bail Bonds Agency wants to take possession of the house.
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!
Stephanie needs Ranger’s savvy and expertise, and she’s willing to accept his help to find Annie even though it might mean getting too involved with Ranger.”

Here’s another Plum mystery in which Stephanie’s main case is a favor and not for her cousin Vinnie. I believe this is the first case in which a child is involved. Seems that Evanovich is needing to stretch a little to make the “freebies” worth it for Plum. Am I disturbed with Plum’s manic avoidance of strong emotions when it comes to dealing with anyone other than hot men? Well, I guess she has a tough-girl persona to uphold.

The “love” triangle is still…triangulating. Why have a relationship when you can have high drama? Not a deal-breaker for me, but only because I know that she can’t keep it up for much longer without jumping over a goodly-sized shark. Of course, part of the curiosity concerns what balance the series will maintain between the legal and moral ends of the spectrum. Can Stephanie balance both of those aspects of her lifestyle (aside from her bedfellows)?

Previously published on BookCrossing.com, 2003

Despite my valiant attempt to get the rest of the series out of the way, I fell short by two (including Visions of Sugar Plums) and found myself slightly lost in places while reading this book. Evanovich, however, does a pretty good job of catching one up while maintaining the reader’s interest in getting hold of past books for the whole scoop.

For the sort of reading schedule I’ve had to be on, I was grateful that Evanovich’s pace is always one that keeps me reading (although, unfortunately sometimes that means an outrageously late bedtime, like 3 am). As far as plot goes, I was a little disappointed in Stephanie’s handling of the Cone brothers. I also have to wonder how much longer she can maintain the Morelli-Plum-Ranger triangle. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for Stephanie keeping her options open while no one’s ready to make a legal commitment. But I also think that there’s only so many devices she has remaining, and part of reading this aspect of the novels is guessing when one of the men is going to be seriously disabled or killed off. Of course, I’m hoping she can creative her way out of this oft-tried ploy.

As far as character treatment goes, I was glad to see that Evanovich decided to keep the action focused more on the professionals (and yes, I’m including Lula and Connie) rather than drawing in Stephanie’s family members and other sidekicks as assistants. While having Grandma Mazur or Moonman along certainly adds to the overall humor rating, I’m going to confess to having a preference for seeing Stephanie develop her skills to a point where she isn’t bumbling through her apprehensions. That tactic is losing some appeal for me. I see enough of it on Cops (as far as the fugitive antics go). Not that I watch it. It’s what the husband falls asleep to on the couch, and I wind up getting the gist of at least one bust while I’m scraping him up and herding him to bed.

Previously published on BookCrossing.com, 2003

Do people in Jersey go through a lot of cars? Hasn’t Stephanie gotten to the point where no company will insure her? Still waiting for the one where she starts out and finishes with the same, unmolested vehicle…

Anyway, Stephanie goes after a bad guy, and suffers some indignities along with her injuries. Connie and Lula are a big help. Grandma Mazur is still a piece of work. Perfect Valerie makes her appearance. Stephanie’s relationships with Morelli and Ranger evolve. Basically, same elements, different reasons to go after the criminals. The fun is in the journey.

I’m becoming convinced that the Morelli-Ranger question may be solved only by death (not necessarily at the hand of the other), although I’m not so sure Evanovich wants to throw such a serious twist into the series. Maybe Mrs. Plum’s onset of menopause is the author’s way of sticking her toe into the lake of serious topics.

Nah.

BTW, ends with a cliffhanger. Suggest that you have Hard Eight on hand or on the way before you finish.

Previously published on BookCrossing.com

Summary from the jacket cover:

“Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum and Trenton vice cop Joe Morelli join forces to find the madman killer who shot and barbecued the youngest son of international black-market arms dealer Alexander Ramos.

Carlos Manoso, street name Ranger, is caught on video just minutes before the crime occurs. He’s at the scene, he’s with the victim, and he’s the number one suspect. Manoso is former Special Forces turned soldier of fortune. He has a blue-chip stock portfolio and no known address. He moves in mysterious circles. He’s Stephanie’s mentor—the man who taught her everything she knows about fugitive apprehension. And he’s more than her friend.

Now he’s the hunted and Stephanie’s the hunter, and it’s time for Stephanie to test her skills against the master. But if she does catch him. . . what then? Can she bring herself to turn him in?

Plus there are other things keeping Stephanie awake at night. Her maternal grandmother has set up housekeeping in Stephanie’s apartment, a homicidal maniac has selected Stephanie as his next victim, her love life is in the toilet, she’s adopted a dog with an eating disorder, and she can’t button the top snap on her Levis.”

Well, at least this one gave the identity of the man Stephanie invited over for sex at the end of High Five. Good thing I had this one ready. I would’ve gone much more ballistic if I’d started reading this series as it came out and had to wait a year between books.

In this installment, Stephanie gets her most challenging apprehension target yet: the man who’s taught her most everything she knows about hunting for bounty. She, of course, has side jobs that range from the frustrating to the dangerous. Joyce the bounty-stealer is still a problem, but the goons bent on making Stephanie’s life miserable probably present her biggest challenge. The scariest character was Habib. I hope that Evanovich’s buffoonery treatment of him doesn’t lull her readers into a false sense of safety (“oh, they can’t really be that misogynistic”—yes, they can, and yes, I’ve seen it firsthand in my family).

We’ll just see if Morelli’s seriousness carries over to the next book…

Previously published on BookCrossing.com, 2003

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

From the back cover:
“Trenton native Stephanie Plum is out of work, out of money, and her car’s in repo-hell. So who does a hardly working girl turn to when the going gets tough? Meet cousin Vinnie, bail bondsman. Stephanie figures it’s nice work if you can get it—shagging bail jumpers for $10,000 a pop. So she joins up.
Her first assignment: nail Joe Morelli, a former vice cop on the run from a charge of murder one. There’s also a cranky ex-prize fighter dogging her and a nasty habit she has of leaping first and looking later. If Stephanie doesn’t wise up fast, the first dead body she sees could be her own.”

Have been handling books in this series via my (former) library job since I started working there. Knew they were very popular, but then so is Danielle Steel [disclaimer: no judgement is meant upon her as a person nor upon her fans, she simply isn’t my cup o’tea]. Finally decided to start reading the series after I leafed through a discard of #5.

Anyway, Evanovich decided to start her character out as a neophyte to the crime-solving business and to pair her up romantically with a vice cop. Good for development, but I hope that the mentor-student aspect doesn’t continue for the rest of the series. I realize that I’m being very picky, but if the mystery-solving involves as much direct danger as Stephanie will be getting herself into, I want her to become more independent and less chick-tied-to-the-tracks. Evanovich may be an entertaining author, but Stephanie is NO Kinsey [take that, Nora Roberts!].

For a first novel, Evanovich has created a likeable heroine, a plot that moves along easily (even for a 1-3:30 AM read),good twists, and colorful secondary characters.

Previously published on BookCrossing.com, 2003

Description from back cover:

” ‘The older the zombie, the bigger the death needed to raise it.’ After a few centuries, the only death “big enough’ is a human sacrifice. I know, because I’m an animator. My name is Anita Blake.
Working for Animators Inc., is just a job—like selling insurance. But all the money in the world wasn’t enough for me to take on the particular job Harold Gaynor was offering.
Somebody else did, though—a rogue animator. Now he’s not just raising the dead, he’s raising Hell. And it’s up to me to stop it.”

I was relieved to read Hamilton’s more toned-down sequel to Guilty Pleasures, that of course being a relative term. Since this novel focuses on Blake’s job as an animator combined with assisting a police investigation, it is more graphic in terms of the states of dead bodies than it is the oft-accused word porn.
Blake also goes through a few crises of an ethical bent. One involves going back to her roots (I am looking forward to learning more of her history if Hamilton will indulge us), the other an act of revenge (a.k.a. “they needed killing”). Jean-Claude makes a few appearances and demands but Blake still isn’t buying into the courtship. I hope that Hamilton can hold a good balance from here on out.
Overall, I think that Hamilton has a good handle on plot, description of setting, and secondary characters. If these elements were lacking, I’d definitely spend my time elsewhere.

Previously published on BookCrossing.com, 2003