Finally! After reading the previous 18 books in this series all last year, I feel like I've had to wait forever for this book. Even after it came out, I had to put my name on a long hold list at the library. While I am happy that so many other people want to read Evanovich's books, I didn't want to have to wait for my turn!
Stephanie Plum doesn't seem to be getting much better at being a bounty hunter, despite the fact that she's been working at it since book one. But with the amount of crazy that seems to find her, I can't blame her. Her partner is proud ex-ho Lula who's eating habits make me look like I'm dieting, even on my worst day.
Then there's Stephanie's grandma, who sneaks out of the house in order to try to help investigate. She takes her fashion cues from Lula and complains that she can't get lucky because all of the men her age keep up and dying before she can round the bases.
All of these books are structured in the same fashion - a bond is introduced at the beginning of the book which always ends up being more complicated than it should be. Stephanie goes back and forth with Joe Morelli and Ranger, as they both want to help her with more than just the case. Lula and Stephanie eat enough junk food to induce heart attacks. Somehow, Stephanie's life is always in danger, but the boys are there for back up and in the end, everything turns out ok. If it weren't for Morelli and Ranger, she would end up in jail or dead in every book.
The thing is, even though the overall structure is predictable, these books are still a ton of fun to read. The cases are never the same, and I haven't yet been able to figure them out before the end. The characters in series are so enduring. I genuinely want to know what happens to them.
Is it time for the next book yet? One is just not enough. I wonder how many more of these books she will write. I just hope that when she does decide to end the series, she has Stephanie settle down with one of her hunky boys.
