“Finger Lickin' Fifteen” by Janet Evanovich

“Finger Lickin' Fifteen” by Janet Evanovich
2009, St. Martin’s Press
ISBN: 98-0-312-38328-2

I don’t often buy the books I read. I sort of ran out of room to store them and then I ran out of book money. Mostly, lately anyway, I get them from the Dimond branch of the Oakland Public Library or from the little library at the Curves I go to in the Dimond. This one, though, I flat out bought new. I was over at Luann’s book store, across the street from where I live. She keeps about one copy of everything. But, this just jumped out at me from where it was on the shelf and I didn’t even have to think twice about waiting for it to come out in paperback. No, I must have it even at top dollar which was $27.95

I’ve read all of the Stephanie Plum books. Each one is fabulous and this was no exception. Stephanie is currently on the outs with Morrelli and the smokin that’s going on with Ranger is exceptional. Lula witnesses what looks like a mob hit and from that moment on they’re after her. She sticks close by Stephanie and, as usual, it’s like Lucille Ball on wheels. I even read half a page to a co-worker at lunch today. Her eyes got real big. Now, I’m going to lend the book to her and I’m betting they’ll get a lot bigger.

If you have never read one of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum novels go read one now. It doesn’t have to be this one. It could be any of the previous fourteen. I believe I started with number five when I first started reading them. These are so good that I will often read them more than once. It’s sort of like a chocolate attack. Nothing will do but chocolate and sometimes nothing will do but some huge laughs with Stephanie Plum.

"Fearless Fourteen" by Janet Evanovich

"Fearless Fourteen" by Janet Evanovich
2008, St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 978-0-312-34951-6

Have you ever laughed so hard that you started crying? I did while I was reading, “Fearless Fourteen” by Janet Evanovich. I’m going to have to make a list of all the books I’ve read in the Stephanie Plum series so I’ll know which one to get next. I read a whole bunch of them out of order, though this one is the latest to come out in 2008. It doesn’t matter that I read them out of order because each and every one of them are fabulous as a stand alone book.

What’s so cool about Stephanie Plum is she’s got this quirky way of looking at life. I’m sort of matronly now at 53 and I really admire her pluck. Like I wish I was that way too. Maybe I should take notes while I’m reading. Ha.

Stephanie is a bounty hunter. She lives in New Jersey and loves Joe Morelli. He’s a cop, which comes in handy because in her line of business she needs the cops. A lot. Her side kick in bounty hunting is Lula who files in the bounty hunter office run by Stephanie’s cousin Vinnie. But, Lula would rather be out doing the bounty hunter thing. She’s real enthusiastic about it and while Stephanie usually forgets her gun, her handcuffs and her stun gun Lula always remembers.

What’s going on in this book starts in with Loretta who has failed to appear. They call that FTA in the business. It’s Stephanie’s job to go track her down, take her to jail and get another bond for her. As Loretta gets led off she makes Stephanie promise if she’s not out in time to pick her son up from school that Stephanie will go get Zook. That’s his code name. He’s into gaming and this is the first time I’ve ever gotten close to how gamers act. It was fascinating.

The problem is that nobody wants to put up the bail for Loretta. So, Stephanie assumes the responsibility of taking care of Zook. The first thing that happens is that he spray paints Bob. Bob is Joe Morelli’s dog. Then he spray paints Stephanie’s car.

Finally, Loretta gets bonded out, but then she disappears. And, if the story hadn’t taken off before it really takes off at this point. Time is of the essence. Bad stuff is happening. And, I really couldn’t put this book down. I started it this morning and finished it tonight. Just a terrific book.

“Hard Eight” by Janet Evanovich

“Hard Eight” by Janet Evanovich
2002, St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 0-312-98386-7

I usually wait until I’ve finished reading a book to write a review, but I had to make an exception with this one. “Hard Eight” by Janet Evanovich will leave you in stitches. I still can’t see straight I’ve laughed so hard. I mean the tears were streaming down my face. It’s page 214 where Albert Kloughn, the lawyer, gets stuck in the dryer at the laundromat. His office is next door and people are always coming over to ask him for quarters and to fix the machines when they break down.

“Hard Eight” is about Stephanie Plum who is a bounty hunter. Her family lives in a little house that sits beside another little house in New Jersey. It’s the neighbor lady who is in trouble. Actually, she’s worried about her daughter and her granddaughter. That’s where the story takes off. So, it’s not so much a bounty that Stephanie is working on, but a mystery.

And, as always, Stephanie is a trouble magnet. There’s another part that I had a hard time not making noise with and that’s where the annoying and abusive husband gets sawed in half and put back together again with duct tape.

So, even though I can’t tell you how the book ends up, not like I’d want to do that anyway, because that would spoil things if you were to read this one for yourself, I really, honestly don’t know how this story is going to end. And, I can’t wait to finish it. I think you’ll enjoy it too.

“Lean Mean Thirteen” by Janet Evanovich

“Lean Mean Thirteen” by Janet Evanovich
2007, St. Martin’s Press
ISBN: 978-0-312-34949-3

“Lean Mean Thirteen” by Janet Evanovich is a Stephanie Plum novel. Stephanie is a bounty hunter. You might have seen television shows lately featuring bounty hunters. Forget it. Television shows are tame compared to what goes on in a Stephanie Plum novel. And, if you’ve ever read any of the others (12 before this one and more in between the numbers) you will not be disappointed.

In “Lean Mean Thirteen” Stephanie is really working hand to mouth. She’s driving a really cruddy looking Crown Victoria that everybody thinks is a cop car. It probably was in a former incarnation. But, she’s driving it now. And, wanting anything else. But, she can’t afford it. So, she reports for duty at her cousin Vinnie’s bail bond business and picks up 3 skips. Those are people she’s supposed to go out, apprehend and take to the pokey. They can then get themselves bonded out again. Usually they are FTA (failure to appear) because they missed a court date or something like that.

So, one guy she’s after is a taxidermist waiting for the cable repair people. He cannot leave his house because he’s already been waiting for weeks. So, he builds these exploding animals as booby traps. The first one goes off in Stephanie’s Crown Victoria. Ugh. Squirrel guts all over the place.

Another guy she’s after is known for robbing the dead. Stephanie’s grandmother Mauzer’s favorite past time is to go to viewings at the local funeral homes and she reports back to Stephanie who was adorned with what tempting jewelry. So, Stephanie goes to lay in wait for the guy to rob one of the recently departed.

Lula, an ex hooker now file clerk and bounty hunter in training accompanies Stephanie on most of her missions. This is very helpful because Lula is terrific as backup. She isn’t afraid to use a stun gun and, although her aim isn’t the best, isn’t afraid to use her gun.

In the meantime Ranger, a really hot bounty hunter and Stephanie’s mentor and backup asks for a favor. Stephanie needs to plant a bug on her ex-husband Dickie. That whole thing flares up into some really bad news and the bad guys, the really bad guys are on the loose. Joe Morelli, Stephanie’s long time hot cop boy friend is also involved in the investigation.

That’s sort of it in a nutshell, but to get the close and in your face enjoyment from this story you really need to read it yourself. It’s a pip as Grandma Mauzer would say. You’ll enjoy it.

"Plum Lucky" by Janet Evanovich

"Plum Lucky" by Janet Evanovich

2007, St. Martin's Press

ISBN: 978-0-312-37763-2

Sometimes you just want to laugh. I know when I was in the library this afternoon and I moved smartly to the back corner where the Janet Evanovich books are kept in the mystery section that I was going to come upon something good. “Plum Lucky” by Janet Evanovich was terrific. And, I did laugh. A lot. I needed it. See, my week has been really crappy. My computer got a virus. It’s called Antivirus 2008 xp and it cost me over $200 for my computer guy to clean it up. Next step will be to beef up my virus protection software because; evidently Windows Live One Care just wasn’t enough. Thanks a lot Microsoft. Anyway, my computer guy recommended I purchase Micro Trend. Office Depot has it for $39. As if that wasn’t bad enough, when I got my computer back I discovered with a new user account (because the old one was corrupted) I have to reconfigure EVERYTHING. And, to top it all off my butt started bleeding. It does that when I get tense. I really, really needed something to make me laugh.

I started this book about 5 hours ago. It’s a real quick read. It’s called a Stephanie Plum Between-the-Numbers novel. Generally, it’s, “One for the Money” and “Two for the Dough”, “Three to get Deadly” all the way up to “Lean Means Thirteen”. So, this one isn’t numbered in the title, it’s just a real quick story, “Plum Lucky”.

Grandma Mazur starts it all off on Saint Patrick’s Day by sighting a rainbow. She closes her eyes, makes a wish and opens them to find a duffle bag of money at her feet. She starts lugging off the money and the guy who’d originally stolen it comes looking for it. See, when he was making his get-away he put it on the roof of his car and sped off. It rolled off at Grandma Mazur’s feet when he turned a corner.

There’s a lot of rushing around, back and forth as the bad guys want their money back and end up kidnapping Grandma Mazur and holding her for ransom. Lots of car chasing, gun fights and cars blowing up. There’s even a rocket launcher towards the end.

I can’t tell you any more about this story. You’ve got to read it. I was going to type out an excerpt, except it was pretty raunchy and the guides told me I’d better not. So, since I’m paying more attention to them lately, I decided not to. You’ll just have to get a copy of the book. Or, actually, just get anything by Janet Evanovich. You won’t be disappointed.

“The Rocky Road to Romance” by Janet Evanovich.

“The Rocky Road to Romance” by Janet Evanovich

2004, Harpertorch

ISBN: 0-06-059889-1

“The Rocky Road to Romance” by Janet Evanovich. I’m a dyed in the wool Evanovich fan. And, when I saw this in my library I snatched it up. Janet wrote it back in 1991 before she’d written any of the Stephanie Plum stories. You can tell how her energy was flowing back in those days; on full speed and it hasn’t stopped yet. The quality of this story is right up there with everything else I have read by Janet Evanovich.

This is, of course, a love story. But, it’s also got lots of bumps along the way. This is where Janet is trying out the characteristics that would someday become part of the folks who people the Stephanie Plum books. You’ve got Daisy Adams, a lady intent upon getting her doctorate, who is so focused that she’s been unable to really enjoy life lately. She's juggling several different jobs in her life and from the bit spot on the radio as the Dog Lady she gets the opportunity to fill in for the traffic reporter who's out sick. Enter Steve Crow, mysterious and her boss who falls in love with her. You’ve got her family, his family, Elsie a grandmotherly security guard and the bad guys who keep trying to hurt Daisy.

It was light. It was fun. It was fast. It was just what I needed coming out of having a bad summer cold. I really enjoyed this book and I’m really glad that Janet Evanovich is such a prolific writer. I will read whatever she writes and will certainly, in all probability, enjoy each and every last word.

“Ten Big Ones” by Janet Evanovich

“Ten Big Ones” by Janet Evanovich
2004, St. Martin’s Paperbacks
ISBN: 0-312-93622-2

You know how sometimes you feel like eating something in particular and only the one thing is going to satisfy you? I had a craving and only “Ten Big Ones” by Janet Evanovich fit the bill. I spent the weekend snorting and making funny noises in the back of the house. I had to do my reading away from my husband because I really annoy him when I read any of Janet Evanovich’s novels. This one was no different.

Stephanie Plum is off on another adventure. She’s a bounty hunter in New Jersey and works with a colorful group of characters. These folks are always in her books and I’ve grown to expect them to be there. Ranger is another bounty hunter; a very mysterious guy who watches and protects Stephanie because she’s like the Lucy Ricardo of bounty hunters. Joe Morelli, a cop, is her boyfriend.

Every time you turn around something bad is happening to her. She’s like a trouble magnet. In the book there is the main conflict that lasts throughout. This one was Stephanie is able to recognize the Red Devil Bandit. And, subsequently a contract is taken out on her. In between trying to catch this particular bad guy she goes around apprehending the FTA’s (Failure to Appear) folks who’ve violated their bonds. I loved the one about the lady who held up a Frito Lay truck and took all the bags of Fritos because she was having a fit.

But, what I really admire about Stephanie is her resilience. She can bounce back quickly from anything. She doesn’t hold a grudge except for the bimbo Joyce Barnhardt who boinked Stephanie’s husband early on in their short-lived marriage. Lula, an ex ho who is now employed to do filing in the bail bonds office Stephanie works out of frequently hot foots it out the door to help Stephanie on her bounty adventures. Lula always has some sort of weapon in her purse and isn’t afraid to use it.

Connie runs the bail bonds office and is connected to the mob so she is able to offer advice connected to those sorts of situations. Vinne is a slime ball. He is Stephanie’s cousin who owns the bail bond office.

Joe Morrelli is Stephanie’s main man. She’s been in love with him since they were kids, though their relationship is many times an on again off again one. In this book it is mostly on. But, Ranger’s interest intervenes and Stephanie is caught like a deer in the headlights because she is attracted to him in a major way too. Great romantic conflict.

You’ve also got Stephanie’s immediate family; her mother who despairs of the job her daughter has and all the trouble that seems to follow her around and would much rather she get a job at the button factory. Her father who doesn’t want to hear about it. Her Grandma Mazer who lives with Stephanie’s mother and father and who loves to go on bounty hunts with her granddaughter and who counts funeral parlor viewings as a part of her active social life. Valerie is Stephanie’s sister who in this book is living in Stephanie’s apartment while she waits to get married. Stephanie is living with Joe and that only lasts so long.

Anyway, I don’t want to get into everything that is happening in the book. There need to be some surprises for you. Those were just the folks in the book. I am serious if you’ve never read a Stephanie Plum book pick this one or any of them up. They are all 100% quality writing that will have you making very strange noises as you laugh and snort your way through the book.

“High Five” by Janet Evanovich

“High Five” by Janet Evanovich
1999 St. Martin’s Press
ISBN: 0-312-97134-6

“High Five” by Janet Evanovich is a terrific read. Stephanie Plum is who I would be if I were braver. But, since I’m not I’ll be content reading of her exploits sitting on the edge of my seat as she is in one car after another that gets blown up.

There’s a quirky humor that runs through these stories and the characters in them. Grandma Mazer is a pip as she refers to people occasionally. Stephanie’s mother is so understandable as she tries to cope with a daughter who she is convinced would be happier if she had a job at the button factory instead of being a bounty hunter.

And, Stephanie’s love life? Ah, only in the movies would you have two…count them two guys, Ranger and Joe, who you’ve got the hots for and who have the hots for you. At the same time. And, Stephanie tries to walk the tight rope between them. Well, too, because the same thread is repeated in the other Stephanie Plum stories.

What’s really neat? It’s that Janet Evanovich keep writing them.

Anyway, in “High Five” Stephanie tries to find out what happened to her Uncle Fred who’s gone missing. It’s something with the garbage company’s accounting that has gone wrong. The last time Uncle Fred was seen he was on his way to their offices to prove that he’d written a check for their service.

Stephanie unravels this mystery with much danger and mayhem to herself and those who hang around too closely to her. The bad guys become the good guys and the good guys sometimes look like the bad guys. Just like in real life.

You don’t have to have read the first four books before you read this one. Janet is such a great writer that you know right where you are wherever you pick up the thread of these stories. Haul your bony butt off to the library today and see what they’ve got on their shelf.

“Twelve Sharp” by Janet Evanovich

“Twelve Sharp” by Janet Evanovich is another gripping novel with Stephanie Plum doing her bounty hunter thing. This story is about the kidnapping of Ranger’s daughter. Ranger is the mysterious bounty hunter who competes with Joe Morelli, a Trenton cop, for Stephanie’s affections. She loves them both.

Running along underneath the story is the stuff of everyday life for Stephanie. It’s just like our lives. That’s what I love about how Janet Evanovich writes. It’s real and yet, it’s a story. Anyway, Grandma Mauzer begins playing with a band wearing really skimpy leather outfits and scandalizing Stephanie’s mother. Lulu, Stepahnie’s fellow bounty hunter and a former prostitute brings her own down to earth views of reality to each situation she’s involved with.

Donuts play a very large role in achieving a good mood for chasing bad guys.

This is what happens when I read a Stephanie Plum novel: I hate when they are over. It’s like eating chocolate. That last piece of chocolate is a wistful mouthful because you don’t want it to end. I guarantee that you will be laughing throughout the reading of this book and I’m wondering if I’ve read the entire series and I’m hoping I haven’t because I just can’t get enough. And, if it happens that I have to start reading them over again, hey, that’s okay too.

“Eleven on Top” by Janet Evanovich

“Eleven on Top” by Janet Evanovich
2005, St. Martin’s Press
ISBN: 0-312-30626-1

“Eleven on Top” by Janet Evanovich is the eleventh book in the Stephanie Plum bounty hunter series. It’s not the eleventh book I’ve read. You can read them all out of sequence and each is terrific by themselves. What I love about this book is how I laugh. It’s like craving a jelly doughnut or a beer or some exactly particular thing. If you don’t get it, if you try to substitute something else for it you will not cure the craving. That’s what happened to me when I went to the library craving another Stephanie Plum story.

In this one Stephanie has had it with the bounty hunting business. She quits. Resourceful as she’s always been in the other stories she goes right out looking for work. All along her mother has yammered away at her to get a respectable job at the button factory or at the sanitary napkins factory. So, she does. First she goes to the button factory. She doesn’t last one day and gets fired. It’s not really her fault though, there’s a homicidal maniac stalking her.

Then, she sets fire to the second place that hires her. Her cars keep getting blown up. There’s a terrific love triangle between her, Joe Morelli her cop boyfriend and Ranger a fellow bounty hunter. Ex-bounty hunter friend because she’s not a bounty hunter anymore. But, he hires her too to keep her from being a target for more blowing up.

Oh, and you’ve got to read about Mama Marconi’s mole. I can’t tell you any more about the story. You’ve got to read it for yourself. It’s hilarious. I was reading in the living room while my husband was watching, “Forensic Files” on television. And, I was annoying the heck out of him with all the snorting I was doing. See, a snort is a smothered laugh the way I do it. Anyway, I had to remove myself to another room to finish the book.

I think you’ll love this book. I know I did.

“Motor Mouth” by Janet Evanovich

“Motor Mouth” by Janet Evanovich
2006, Harper Collins
ISBN: 978-0-06-058403-0

This is the first Alexandra “Barney” Barnaby and NASCAR driver Sam Hooker story I’ve read. I’m pleased to see there are more of them.

I’ve been a huge fan of the Stephanie Plum bounty hunter books. This is the first I’ve read any of the Barney books. I do have to say that I learned a lot about racing cars.

Janet Evanovich brings her same fresh and right-to-the-point story telling to bear here in “Motor Mouth” that she does in the other books I’ve read that she has written.

I really enjoyed this story. It’s a mystery. It’s hilarious at times. Right away I got interested in all of the characters. I’m looking forward to more of these books. Reading anything by Janet Evanovich is more and more like me wanting chocolate. When you want it the only thing that is going to satisfy is the real thing.

“One for the Money”, by Janet Evanovich

“One for the Money”, by Janet Evanovich

1994, Charles Scribner's Sons

ISBN: 0-684-19639-5

Finally, finally I got to read, "One for the Money" by Janet Evanovich. She didn’t let me down. See, I’ve gotten hooked on the series. This is Stephanie Plum, once a lackluster buyer of underware for a local department store, laid off and without funds any longer. She is forced to start pawning all of her furniture and major appliances as she looks for work. Someone suggests she touch up her cousin Vinnie for a job as a bailbonds person. And, that’s how it started.

Involved through the years as she grew up in Trenton, New Jersey with Joe Morelli, now a cop on the run, he becomes her first assignment. She’s still got feelings for him. He convinces her he is not a bad guy and gets her to agree to help him. In exchange for her being able to get the bounty (she could never catch him…he’s going to let her turn him in) she will help him to clear his name.

It’s scary. It’s hilarious. My husband walked past the bathroom last night (my favorite place in the house to read) and said, “What’s all that laughing going on?” You won’t be able to put it down.

I have wanted to read this first in the series ever since I got started. I think I’ve read close to six of them so far, but I kept having this hankering to see how it all began. I’ve had a hold on this book from my library for months and they finally came through. You won’t be disappointed. This is the book introducing all the major characters in the series, all the characters who continue throughout. This isn’t like what I did with my book where I killed off too many of them in the beginning and had to introduce more supporters to make the story move along. Well, hey, I was new at it.

Janet Evanovich is an absolute master story teller. She’s written a boatload of books, but it’s this series where I first began to read her and I’m telling you I just can’t stop. What will happen when I run out of Stephanie Plum books? I’ll start in on the other ones Janet has written or, being as how I’m getting old I can just read them over again. See, I forget a lot. I enjoy the heck out of them as I’m reading them, but I tend to be more forgetful now. Instead of that being a bad thing, I get to enjoy more books than ever.

“Seven Up” by Janet Evonovich

“Seven Up” by Janet Evonovich
2001, St. Martin’s Press
ISBN: 0-312-26584-0

“Seven Up” by Janet Evonovich is a Stephanie Plum novel. Stephanie Plum is a bounty hunter. You know the tv shows, “Dog” and “Bounty Hunter Girls”? Right. This is better. Those are G rated. This one is R. Plus, it’s funnier than hell.

Stephanie is on the job trying to bring Eddie DeChooch in because he didn’t go to court. He’s got to be in his 80’s. He can’t see. He can’t pee. He can’t get an erection. He eludes her throughout the book. Every time she gets this close to having him in cuffs he leaves. It gets embarrassing, except I laughed so hard reading this book.

Grandma Mazur gets kidnapped by Eddie. At first she thought it might be some sort of kinky sex game until she realized that she’d been kidnapped. Stephanie rescues her grandmother and then gets kidnapped herself. Dougie and Mooner, stoned throughout the book, get kidnapped. Everybody gets kidnapped.

I know when I pick a Stephanie Plum book up from the library I’m going to be enjoying myself. It’s a sense of anticipation I used to get when I bought a fifth of rum. Weird. I used to drink. I stopped drinking 8 years ago. But, I remember what it was like. Fine. Rum and coke. Yup. I can’t do that anymore, but I can read and I dearly love to read this fine series of books. I think Janet Evonovich has written 13 for Stephanie. I’ve got a ways to go before I finish.

“To the Nines” by Janet Evanovich

“To the Nines” by Janet Evanovich
2003 St Martin's Press
ISBN 0-312-26586-7

“To the Nines” by Janet Evanovich. This is maybe the 3rd or 4th book I’ve read by Janet Evanovich and I can’t seem to get enough of Stephanie Plum’s exploits. Stephanie, the heroine in all of these stories, is a bounty hunter. My husband and I got hooked watching, “Dog – The Bounty Hunter” and more recently a couple of spin off shows, “Wife, Mom and Bounty Hunter” and now, “Bounty Girls – Miami”. But, all of those shows pale in comparison to what Stephanie Plum gets to do in the pages of her books.

In this story, “The Game” is deadly, dangerous and scary. Stephanie (a little like Lucille Ball at times) is like a trouble magnet. The bad guys sort of zero in on her and she becomes the prize in the Game. Catching the guy who is at the bottom of all the dead bodies that begin to litter the pages of this book is what captivates you and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Also, there is the sex angle. Always nice to have a hot love interest and Joe Morelli, policeman and boyfriend of many years and Ranger, fellow mysterious bounty hunter, provide both. Hey, give a girl some choices and life suddenly gets really interesting.

The other characters in this book are the same folks in the other books and you come to know them and expect they will be there and they all sing together making another really terrific read. You’ve got Lula, a former ho turned file clerk and wanna be bounty hunter who accompanies Stephanie and helps out with accidentally breaking windows all over the place with her purse so they can get in and search places for fugitives. There is Connie, office manager of the bounty hunter business. Vincent, a slime ball guy if ever there was one, but he’s Stephanie’s cousin and he owns the bounty hunter business. He gave Stephanie the job when she got laid off.

Stephanie’s immediate family is the hoots too, her mother who’s constantly appalled at the gossip that circulates about her daughter in the New Jersey town they live in. There’s Grandma Mazer who lives with the family and reminds me of Ethel on hormones. And, Stephanie’s father, retired from the post office but occasionally drives a taxi part-time and tries his hardest to stay out of the way of the rest of his family.

It’s like a sit-com in a book. I was thinking the other day about how I’ve been reading lots of these books and have plans to read all the rest of them. I thought about how some day I’m going to run out and then what will I do? That’s when one of the guides said, “Just start reading them over again.” Yeah. That’s what I’ll do.

“Hot Six” by Janet Evonovich

“Hot Six” by Janet Evonovich
2000 by Martin’s Press
ISBN: 0-312-20540-6

Ah, terrific. “Hot Six” by Janet Evonovich had me in worse than stitches in the 3 days it took me to read this book. It would have been sooner than 3 days, except I had to go to work in between.

You’ve got to read this book. Stephanie Plum, bounty hunter and great lady from New Jersey is as fabulous as she’s been in the other Plum books I’ve read. I haven’t been able to read them in order and I still haven’t gotten hold of a copy of the first one, but it just doesn’t matter. These books are all terrific and, “Hot Six” is great.

You’ve got hot sex. You’ve got laughs like you won’t believe. There are some really scary characters and there are other just as loveable ones. Stephanie always gets away and she always gets her man. This is just a totally engaging story. Janet Evonovich rocks.

“Four to Score” by Janet Evanovich

“Four to Score” by Janet Evanovich
1998, St. Martin’s Press
ISBN: 0-312-18586-3

“Four to Score” by Janet Evanovich. I want to say this is the best book I’ve read in awhile. I have this personal gauge of judging books that if I cry at the end it was a good book. “Four to Score” had me howling with laughter many times throughout the book. I have a new standard for judging books. I couldn’t turn a page and I was laughing. This isn’t the first book I’ve read by Janet Evanovich and it sure won’t be the last. Same caliber of excellent writing. Same fantastic one-liners and wonderfully quirky witticisms.

Stephanie Plum is a bounty hunter. “Four to Score” is another one of her attempts to bring in somebody who has jumped bail. Actually, it isn’t an attempt. She does get her man; or her lady in this case. But along the way she has terrific sex with a cop, she gets assistance from a rock star who dresses as a woman for success and a former prostitute now file clerk who yearns to be a bounty hunter too. They go after the bad guys. And, this has got to be the best few hours you will spend during the summer you can imagine.

"Two for the Dough" by Janet Evanovich

"Two For the Dough" by Janet Evanovich

1996, Pocket Books

ISBN: 0-671-00179-5

Two For the Dough by Janet Evanovich will have you on the edge of your seat and turning the pages like mad. You won't want to cook dinner. You won't want to do the laundry and you especially will not want to get your sorry little butt to work because you cannot put this book down.

I liked it.

This is actually the third I've read by Janet. The first was a how to write book. Her sense of humor caught my attention in a big way. Also, she was using examples from her Stephanie Plum bounty hunter books. That also caught my attention. So, I set upon a course reading her books and there are a lot of them. Twelve, I think. This one is the second in the series. They are all named with the number in their title, which I also think is catchy.

So, Stephanie Plum, bounty huntress extraordinaire, well, actually learning to be, moves through this book trying to nab Kenny Mancuso, slime ball forevermore. Kenny is actually related to Joe Morelli, hero cop who is constantly thinking of ways to put the moves on Stephanie, but good cop that he is thinks of her and Grandmother Mazur's safety first. It's hilarious, actually. You can tell where Stephanie gets her smart mouth....from her grandmother who figures prominently in the take down of the bad guy in this book.

All I have to say is go to the library, find one of the books. Doesn't matter if you pick up the eighth one or this one. They can all be read out of sequence because you get the background you need to keep folks straight. But, I recommend, "Two For the Dough". Highly recommended.