Twelve Sharp by Janet Evanovich

Genre:  Adult Detective

Stephanie Plum Series, Book 12

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Description (taken from Janet Evanovich's website):

FIRST A STRANGER APPEARS
While chasing down the usual cast of miscreants and weirdos Stephanie discovers that a crazed woman is stalking her.

THEN, THE STRANGER REVEALS HER SECRETS
The woman dresses in black, carries a 9mm GLOCK, has a bad attitude and a mysterious connection to dark and dangerous Carlos Manoso… street name, Ranger.

NEXT, SOMEBODY DIES
The action turns deadly serious, and Stephanie goes from hunting skips to hunting a murderer.

SOON, THE CHASE IS ON
Ranger needs Stephanie for more reasons than he can say. And now, the two are working together to find a killer, rescue a missing child, and stop a lunatic from raising the body count. When Stephanie Plum and Ranger get too close for comfort, Vice Cop Joe Morelli (her on-again, off-again boyfriend) steps in.

Will the ticking clock stop at the stroke of twelve, or will a stranger in the wind find a way to stop Stephanie Plum… forever. Filled with Janet Evanovich’s trademark action, non-stop adventure, and sharp humor.

Welcome back to the world of Stephanie Plum.  She's got the job every body wants: a bounty hunter.  Or maybe it's the job only the crazy take?  But she's also got Trenton's two hottest guys falling for her.  Will she ever decide which one to take?

Stephanie is helping Vinnie's Bonds business by locating FTAs and getting them rebonded.  But when the lunatic FTA brings a shooting war, Stephanie backs off and finds herself being stalked.  Stalked by a random lady that she can't quite figure out the connection.  But once she does, her mind begins to make unlikely connections with what's going on.  As she works with Ranger to figure it all out, she finds Morelli not being keen to taking the back seat.

Another book in the Stephanie Plum series.  I find I'm able to enjoy them a lot more if I'm not reading one right after the other.  Because sure, the stories are different.  But they tend to end the same: the bad guys are taken care of and Stephanie Plum has Morelli on the right side and Ranger on the left.

Eleven on Top by Janet Evanovich

Genre:  Adult Detective

Stephanie Plum Series, Book 12

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Description (taken from Janet Evanovich's website):

Stephanie Plum is thinking her career as fugitive apprehension agent has run its course.

She’s been shot at, spat at, cussed at, fire-bombed, mooned, and attacked by dogs. Time for a change, Stephanie thinks. Time to find the kind of job her mother can tell her friends about without making the sign of the cross. So Stephanie Plum quits. Resigns. No looking back. No changing her mind. She wants something safe and normal. As it turns out, jobs that are safe and normal for most people aren’t necessarily safe and normal for Stephanie Plum. Trouble follows her, and the kind of trouble she had at the bail bonds office can’t compare to the kind of trouble she finds herself facing now. Her past has come back to haunt her. She’s stalked by a maniac returned from the grave for the sole purpose of putting her into a burial plot of her own. He’s killed before, and he’ll kill again if given the chance. Caught between staying far away from the bounty hunter business and staying alive, Stephanie re-examines her life and the possibility that being a bounty hunter is the solution rather than the problem. After disturbingly brief careers at the button factory, Kan Klean Dry Cleaners, and Cluck-in-a-Bucket, Stephanie takes an office position in security, working for Ranger, the sexiest, baddest, bounty hunter and businessman in two continents. It might not be the job she’ll keep for the rest of her life, but for now, it gives her the technical access she needs to find her stalker. Tempers and temperatures rise as competition ratchets up between the two men in her life — her off-again, on-again boyfriend, tough Trenton cop, Joe Morelli, and her bad-ass boss, Ranger. Can Stephanie Plum take the heat? Can you?

Stephanie is throwing in the towel in regards to her bounty hunter gig.  She's done rolling around in trash just to catch an FTA (failure to appear) and get some bucks for rent.  She's going to get a grown-up, settle-down job.  And this is a definite turn-on for Morelli.  But Morelli and Stephanie are going to find out quickly that the craziness doesn't leave just because we've given up the bounty hunting...

Stephanie's being stalked.  And she's trying to figure out what's going on based on all of the clues.  But when she's faced with decisions like boinking Ranger or saying the infamous L word in front of Morelli, it's no surprise that her mind ends up elsewhere.  That is until a car catches fire.

I liked this one.  It had a definite change of pace as we watched Stephanie try new jobs and fail at them.  And the Ranger romance is getting hot.  But I've also got a soft spot for Morelli.  That's a definite love triangle that I don't ever want to see end (unless we can split Stephanie in two).

A super fun series that's going to keep you laughing.  Read them!  I've got ten more books to go...

Ten Big Ones by Janet Evanovich

Genre:  Adult Detective

Stephanie Plum Series, Book 10

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Description (taken from Janet Evanovich's website):

She’s accidentally destroyed a dozen cars. She’s a target for every psycho and miscreant this side of the Jersey Turnpike. Her mother’s convinced she’ll end up dead…or worse, without a man. She’s Stephanie Plum and she kicks butt for a living (well, she thought it would sound good to put it that way…)

It begins as an innocent trip to the deli-mart, on a quest for nachos. But Stephanie Plum and her partner, Lula, are clearly in the wrong place at the wrong time. A robbery leads to an explosion, which leads to the destruction of yet another car. It would be just another day in the life of Stephanie Plum…except that she becomes the target of a gang. And the target of an even scarier, more dangerous force that comes to Trenton. With super bounty hunter Ranger acting more mysteriously than ever (and the tension with vice cop Joe Morelli getting hotter), Stephanie finds herself with a decision to make: how to protect herself and where to hide while on the hunt for a killer known as the Junkman. There’s only one safe place, and it has Ranger’s name all over it-if she can find it. And if the Junkman doesn’t find her first. With Lula riding shotgun and Grandma Mazur on the loose, Stephanie Plum is racing against the clock in her most suspenseful novel yet. Ten Big Ones is page-turning entertainment and Janet Evanovich is the best there is.

This book takes off right away with Stephanie witnessing a robbery gone wrong, her car going up in flames and everyone whipping out their guns.  Once Lula and Stephanie talk themselves into locating a fugitive by driving through gang streets, there's a certain gang that notices Stephanie Plum, for better or worse.  This forces Stephanie to try to protect her loved ones by staying away.  But all Joe wants is Stephanie to stay home and lose the bounty-hunting gig.  Which of course isn't going to happen.  And we enter the Stephanie Plum entertainment world.....

I enjoyed this book because we got to know a little more about Ranger.  The story's main plot is similar to all of the others, but it's the side plots and the side characters that keep you going.  However, I do have to say this: the whole Ranger-Joe-Stephanie triangle is getting old fast.  And that's probably why I pick up these books once every other month.  I'm going to keep reading them because they're addicting, but it's the same-ol', same-ol'.

If you haven't started the Stephanie Plum series, there's 21 books out there.  I'm not even halfway through them.  So you'll be like me: on the long road of Stephanie Plum-ism.  It's a fun series to try.

To the Nines by Janet Evanovich

Genre:  Adult Detective

Stephanie Plum Series, Book 9

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Description (taken from Janet Evanovich's website):

Stephanie Plum’s got rent to pay, people shooting at her, and psychos wanting her dead every day of the week (much to the dismay of her mother, her family, the men in her life, the guy who slices meat at the deli… oh, the list goes on). An ordinary person would cave under the pressure.
But hey, she’s from Jersey.

Stephanie Plum may not the best bounty hunter in beautiful downtown Trenton, but she’s pretty darn good at turning bad situations her way… and she always gets her man. In TO THE NINES her cousin Vinnie (who’s also her boss) has posted bail on Samuel Singh, an illegal immigrant. When the elusive Mr. Singh goes missing, Stephanie is on the case. But what she uncovers is far more sinister than anyone imagines and leads to a group of killers who give new meaning to the word “hunter…”

I really enjoy the slapstick humor in this series.  And some of the most bizarre happenings occur when Stephanie Plum's involved.

While trying to find an AWOL, Stephanie finds herself chasing ghosts.  And somehow, those ghosts leave her flowers on her doorstep with death-threatening letters.  And she's off to Vegas with Connie and Lula in tow to find that AWOL.  If the last sentence hasn't made you face-palm, then you need to go read this series.

I know it's a short review, but honestly, if you're not on the Stephanie Plum bandwagon, you may never get on it quite frankly.  I was worried with how many books are in this series if they would begin to lose steam.  But I believe this one kept the story going, the humor going, and the real-life situations going.  My only pet peeve is will there ever be a decision made between Morelli and Ranger?  But maybe that's what keeps this series rolling...

Go read the first couple of books in this series, then get back to me.  I'm slowly working my way through...

Visions of Sugar Plums by Janet Evanovich

Genre:  Adult Detective

Stephanie Plum Series, Book 8.5

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Description (taken from Janet Evanovich's website):

It’s four 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 Stephanie Plum before. Strangers, weirdos, 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 ever 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 before 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 niece 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. Visions of Sugar Plums–the world of Plum has never been merrier!

What a great way to get myself into the spirit of Christmas, right?  We've got Stephanie Plum who's too busy to buy a Christmas tree and too broke to buy Christmas presents.  Doesn't that describe us all?

Diesel randomly shows up in Stephanie's kitchen one day and decides to follow Stephanie around.  He's there as some muscle, to offer advice, to talk her into buying a Christmas tree, and to give the Plums something to talk about over dinner.  Meanwhile, Stephanie's trying to find Sandy Claws, the guy who skipped out on bail.  What crazy story follows her in this short tale?

This book was a super quick read and had lots of slapstick humor.  With Ranger being out of town on business and Morelli busy with work, we don't see too much of them.  Which is a nice breather.  It's kind of a fun tale to read right before Christmas to get yourself in the reluctant Christmas mode.  My only drawback is this book introduced supernatural themes that haven't been introduced before.  You can't do that to me and get away with it.  Gah!  But then again, maybe it's the whole aspect of Christmas: that has some supernatural part to it even though we ignore it.  I don't know; I'm reaching here.

A nice Christmas read.  And a quick plunge into Stephanie's world before reading the next novel.

Hard Eight by Janet Evanovich

Genre:  Adult Mystery

Stephanie Plum Series, Book 8

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Description (taken from Janet Evanovich's website):

Fugitive Apprehension Agent Stephanie Plum has a big problem on her hands: Seven-year-old Annie Soder and her mother, Evelyn, have disappeared.

Evelyn’s estranged husband, Steven, a shady owner of a seedy bar, is not at all happy. During the divorce proceedings, he and Evelyn signed a child custody bond, and Steven is demanding the money guaranteed by the bond to find Annie. The money was secured by a mortgage on Evelyn’s grandmother’s house, and the True Blue Bonds Bail Agency wants to take possession of the house.

Finding a kidnapped child is not an assignment for a bounty hunter. But Evelyn’s grandmother lives next door to Stephanie’s parents, and Stephanie’s mother and grandmother are not about to see their neighbor lose her house because of abduction.

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! So she follows the trail left by Annie and Evelyn– and finds a lot more than she bargained for. Steven is somehow linked with a very scary Eddie Abruzzi. Trenton cop and on-again, off-again fiance Joe Morelli and Stephanie’s mentor and tormentor, Ranger, warn Stephanie about Abruzzi, but it’s Abruzzi’s eyes and mannerisms that frighten Stephanie the most. Stephanie needs Ranger’s savvy and expertise, and she’s willing to accept his help to find Annie even though it might mean becoming too involved with Ranger.

Stephanie, Ranger, Lula (who’s not going to miss riding with Ranger), and Evelyn’s lawyer/laundromat manager set out to find Annie. The search turns out to be a race among Stephanie’s posse, the True Blue Bonds’ agent, a Rangerette known as Jeanne Ellen Burrows, and the Abruzzi crew. Not to mention the fact that there’s a killer rabbit on the loose!

Strap on your helmet and get ready for the ride of your life. Hard Eight. The world of Plum has never been wilder.

Oh my goodness, Stephanie Plum has a strange, strange life.  And it makes for a very amusing story.

Stephanie, the not-so-smart-but-super-lucky bounty hunter, is doing a favor for her neighbor by trying to locate her granddaughter.  Of course in the world of Plum, nothing is as easy at it seems, and everybody has their own scheme to deal with.  While trying to find Evelyn, Stephanie somehow gets her hands messy as she ends up in a web of war games.  But lo and behold, we've got Ranger and Morelli here to save the day.  Only problem is Stephanie only needs one of them, which one will she choose?

I have to say there's a lot of slapstick humor in these stories.  And they're down to earth even though the plots always seem to be bizarre.  I enjoy the humor, but I feel like I'm in a slight slump with Stephanie Plum, and I can't figure out why.  I didn't laugh enough even though the scenes were funny.  I kind of rolled my eyes at Stephanie's ridiculous behavior.  So why didn't I love it like I loved the earlier ones?

I've got to get my hands on the next one and see if I can get myself out of the Stephanie Plum downs.  I know her books are funny, and I enjoy them.  I just want to enjoy them more.

Challenges:  TBR Pile Reading Challenge

Seven Up by Janet Evanovich

Genre:  Adult Detective

Stephanie Plum Series, Book 7

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Description (taken from Janet Evanovich's website):

Semi-retired mob guy, Eddie DeChooch, is caught trafficking contraband cigarettes through Trenton, New Jersey. When DeChooch fails to show for a court appearance, bond enforcement agent Stephanie Plum is assigned the task of finding DeChooch and dragging his decrepit ass back to jail. Not such an easy job, it turns out, since DeChooch has learned a lot of tricks over the years and isn’t afraid to use his gun. He’s already shot Loretta Ricci and left her for worm food in his shed. He wouldn’t mind shooting Stephanie next.

Especially since Steph has discovered that likeable losers (and former high school classmates) Mooner and Dougie have inadvertently become involved with DeChooch. They’ve gotten sucked into an operation which is much more than simple cigarette smuggling and holds risks far greater than anyone could have imagined.

When Dougie disappears, Steph goes into search mode. When Mooner disappears, she calls in the heavy artillery and asks master bounty hunter Ranger for help. His price for the job? One night with Stephanie, dusk to dawn. Not information she’d want to share with her some-time live in roommate, vice cop Joe Morelli.

A typical dilemma in the world of Plum.

And on the homefront, Stephanie’s “perfect” sister Valerie has decided to move back to Trenton, bringing her two kids from hell. Grandma Mazur is asking questions about being a lesbian, and Bob, the bulimic dog, is eating everything in sight — including the furniture.

You think if I commit to reading one Stephanie Plum book a month, I'll eventually get caught up?  It's been over a year since I picked up the last one.  And I think that's why I didn't think this was fantastically awesome.  I got out of the Plum groove.

We've got the very likeable characters here, two love interests, wedding dresses, and slapstick humor.  Honestly, I think I could drop my life for a couple of days and be Stephanie Plum (as long as I live through the experience).

I guess I just didn't find this one as satisfying as the others.  It wasn't as funny.  And as good as Janet Evanovich is at giving minor cliffhanger endings that drive you nuts, I just didn't love this one as much.  Which is why I've got to go read the next one soon...

Challenges:  TBR Pile Reading Challenge

Hot Six by Janet Evanovich

Genre:  Detective

Stephanie Plum Series, Book 6

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Description (taken from Janet Evanovich's website):

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.

I honestly love these books!  Seriously, if you've ever fantasized about taking on a dangerous job and then wondering how on earth you'd ever pull it off, then you should read these books.  These books will make you laugh!

There's a lot of humor in these books.  There's action.  And there's mystery that ties up nicely at the end.  And there's a bit of romance, but it's not overwhelming like some other books can be.  Who would I recommend this to?  Any girl/woman out there who needs a good laugh...

Now I need to read the next one...

Challenges:  TBR Pile Challenge

High Five by Janet Evanovich

Genre:  Detective

Stephanie Plum Series, Book 5

Janet Evanovich's website
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Description (taken from Janet Evanovich's website):

What’s Stephanie up to now?


Her Uncle Fred has disappeared. A body turns up in a garbage bag. She’s got a nasty bookie following her around town. Grandma Mazur has her hands on the stun gun. Stephanie can’t keep a car for more than forty-eight hours. Two men are trying to get her into bed. She has nothing to wear to the Mafia wedding. And there’s an angry little man (don’t call him a dwarf!) who won’t leave her apartment. 


Bail jumping in Trenton is down to small potatoes. Stephanie’s only open case is a small bond for a small violation, committed by a small person who raises Stephanie’s frustration level in big ways. So short of money and long on bills, Stephanie comes up with a plan –diversify! Signing on as an intern with entrepreneurial Super Bounty Hunter Ranger, Stephanie ventures into Ranger’s mostly morally correct and marginally legal operations.


None of this makes vice cop Joe Morelli a happy man. The cop in him can’t help but wonder as to the source of Stephanie’s expensive new cars. And the rest of him, the man who’s been friend and lover to Stephanie, can’t help but wonder if there’s more to the partnership than meets the eye.


The internship is downgraded to second priority when Uncle Fred goes missing. Even though Grandma Mazur is sure he was abducted by aliens, Stephanie sets out to look for Fred. He’s a perfectly average senior citizen, and he’s disappeared without a trace while running errands. He’s left his ten-year-old Pontiac station wagon locked up nice and neat in the Grand Union parking lot, the cleaning is carefully arranged on the back seat, and his wife is at home, waiting for him to return with the bread and the milk and the olive loaf bologna. Locked in the top drawer of his desk are photos of a body, dismembered and stuffed into a garbage bag. And locked away in the computer files of a another average citizen are the clues that will lead Stephanie to Fred.




I think I'm in love the Stephanie Plum books.  Stephanie has some real-life reactions to an out-of-this-world plot.  I think these books are drawing me to the mystery genre.  I like second guessing who done it or what happened.  And the non-stop laughing.  My husband makes fun of me because I laugh a little too hard with these books.

If you haven't read these books, I dare you to read them.  It'll be time well-spent...