Tag: Janet Evanovich

Dirty Thirty by Janet Evanovich

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Dirty Thirty (Stephanie Plum #30)Barbara’s rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Series: Stephanie Plum #30
Publication Date: 10/31/23
Period: Contemporary Trenton, New Jersey
Number of Pages: 332

This quirky, entertaining, witty series is always good for bringing a smile to my face. This one had the zany stuff we usually see – firebombed apartments, car smashes, viewings at the funeral home, grave digging – all of it. Then, to add to it, the mystery in this one was more front-and-center than they usually are, and I liked that. Yes, the books can be silly – really silly – but there is something about the outlandish characters and bizarre crimes and situations that keep me wanting to read more. I love everything about the series except the love triangle between Morelli, Stephanie, and Ranger – it is okay on-page I guess, but if I were to know Stephanie in real life, I suspect I wouldn’t have much respect for her. More about that later…

There haven’t been too many bail-skips lately and Stephanie is running short of money. So, when a jewelry store owner who has recently been robbed wants to hire her to find the man he is sure robbed him, she agrees. The person she is hired to find is someone with whom she went to school – Andrew Manley, AKA Nutsy. Stephanie cannot imagine Nutsy doing what he is accused of doing and wants to know more, but then, there is a rash of bail skippers and she has to juggle finding them while she is also trying to find Nutsy and solve the jewelry theft. During all of that chaos, it seems Lula has either lost her mind totally, or she is being stalked by someone/something she has named Grendel (from Beowulf) because he is a tall, hairy, monster who sneaks into her room at night. How in the world will this can of worms ever get sorted? Insanely, of course!

Joseph Morelli, Stephanie’s mostly significant other is in Miami testifying at a trial, so he isn’t there to give her backup and support when she needs it. However, she isn’t without resources – definitely not. Ranger is there to step in and save her – loan her cars, give her a place to stay when her apartment is firebombed – coax her into his bed. The book ends with a cliffhanger (I hate cliffhangers) that, when resolved in the next book, will certainly change the course of the series, and the romance, and could perhaps, I guess, be the end of the series. It will be interesting to see where it goes and how the author handles it. For my two cents worth – Stephanie isn’t IN love with either of them – nor are they IN love with her. I think Stephanie loves each of them – and I think each of them loves her – but the IN LOVE, to me, just isn’t there for any of them. I like all of them and am not rooting for one man over the other because I don’t think either of them is just the right one for Stephanie. If one was the right man – Stephanie would have already made a choice instead of flip-flopping between them.

So, we had a nice wrap-up of the mystery and a cliffhanger along with lots of zany shenanigans. I had a smile on my face the whole way through and cannot wait to read the next installment to see the resolution to the cliffhanger.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Going Rogue – by Janet Evanovich

On By BarbaraIn Audiobook, Barb's Reviews, Contemporary, Mystery, Part of a SeriesLeave a comment

Going Rogue (Stephanie Plum, #29)Barbara’s rating: 3.7 of 5 Stars
Series: Stephanie Plum #29
Publication Date: 11/1/22
Period: Contemporary – Trenton, New Jersey
Number of Pages: 336 (Audiobook)

What can I say about another Stephanie Plum book? While they are very formulaic and you pretty much know what is going to happen from scene to scene, they are also witty and entertaining. Just perfect for those times when you need a pick-me-up.

The mystery in this book was a bit different than usual because you have absolutely no idea who the villain is. There is just this voice over the phone threatening and demanding the return of a coin that was used as collateral during a bail hearing. Oh! My! The coin is missing and so is Connie Rosolli, the office manager at Vinnie’s Bail Bonds. Connie is never late and never misses work, so where is she? That is the question Stephanie and Lula have to solve after a mysterious caller tells them he has Connie and she won’t be returned until the coin is given to him. Easy enough, right? No, because the coin is missing from their office and they have no clue where to even begin looking.

Things become really intense when Vinnie is also kidnapped and they receive a picture of a mutilated hand. Is Vinnie being tortured? Add Stephanie’s near abduction and actual abduction and things are getting really dangerous. What is so very valuable about an old coin that came with a game that hasn’t been made in years?

You’ll just have to read the book to find all of the answers. You’ll also find a good bit of Ranger in this one and less of Morelli. In the last few books, Morelli seems to have been staying as clear of Stephanie’s investigations as possible – and I don’t blame him. Another character we get a good bit more of in this book is Bellissima Morelli, Joe Morelli’s grandmother. You see, Bella gives people the Evil Eye – so, what could be more entertaining than that?

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Lorelei King and enjoyed it very much. I believe she has done every book in the series and has done an excellent job of it. The voices she uses for each character are distinctive and fit that character perfectly. Her pacing and delivery are also excellent.

My bottom line for these books is that I enjoy them when I need a mindless, entertaining read – and that is an important thing to have in your life. Frankly, I’ll say I am overly tired of Stephanie and her wishy-washy love life. For the entire series, she’s been going back and forth between Morelli and Ranger. She sees and sleeps with Ranger when she and Morelli are on the outs – and the rest of the time she is with Morelli – but she is still lusting after Ranger. ENOUGH! Frankly, after all of this time, if one of them wanted to marry her, they’d have already done so. Of course, I’m not sure who else would put up with her, so maybe she has to stay where she is. She’s not ready for marriage either, so I guess we’ll continue bed-hopping for a while.

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