"Three to Get Deadly" by Janet Evanovich

"Three To Get Deadly" by Janet Evanovich
1997 Scribner
ISBN: 0-312-96609-1

"Three To Get Deadly" by Janet Evanovich is absolutely fantastic! I’d originally happened upon her book about writing, "How I Write", which I read a while back. Review of that one here. Then, because I was so impressed with what Janet had to say and how she said it I determined to read one of her novels. Because I couldn’t find One or Two in the library I began with Three. She’d said in her writing book that she’d deliberately written each book with the idea that if somebody hadn’t read her collection in sequence it wouldn’t matter. Which is always a consideration when you land in the middle of a series. Oh, what a blast.

The heroine is Stephanie Plum. She’s a bounty hunter. Like Dog. Only better. My God, what a mouth on that woman. She and the other characters in the story had me in stitches. I’d be sitting there, perfectly quiet, reading my book, my husband working away at his computer and I’d holler. Loud. And, start laughing. It really annoyed him. This book is great!

The love interest angle Stephanie has is terrific too. Two guys, Morelli and Ranger. Morelli is a cop Stephanie has known since she was a little kid. Ranger came into her life later and is a mysterious bounty hunter nobody seems to know much about.

The hometown setting of Jersey appeals to me too. I grew up as an Army Brat. I went to 13 different schools in 12 years. I have no hometown and I love to read about people who do. That Stephanie runs into her 3rd grade teacher on a regular basis is a hoot. That her family; mother, father and grandmother all live together in the house she grew up in is comforting. That she visits them on a regular basis; that they worry about her and think she could have a much better job at the button factory than working for her cousin Vinnie as a bounty hunter is precious. Lula, a bounty hunter in training, is a hoot too.

"Three To Get Deadly" is just a really good book. And, the best part? The 13th one, "Lean Mean Thirteen" is due to be released any day now.