Review: Janet Evanovich "Takedown Twenty"

Publisher: Bantam

ISBN: 9780345542885

My rating: 3/5


New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum knows better than to mess with family. But when powerful mobster Salvatore “Uncle Sunny” Sunucchi goes on the lam in Trenton, it’s up to Stephanie to find him. Uncle Sunny is charged with murder for running over a guy (twice), and nobody wants to turn him in—not his poker buddies, not his bimbo girlfriend, not his two right-hand men, Shorty and Moe. Even Trenton’s hottest cop, Joe Morelli, has skin in the game, because—just Stephanie’s luck—the godfather is his actual godfather. And while Morelli understands that the law is the law, his old-world grandmother, Bella, is doing everything she can to throw Stephanie off the trail.

It’s not just Uncle Sunny giving Stephanie the run-around. Security specialist Ranger needs her help to solve the bizarre death of a top client’s mother, a woman who happened to play bingo with Stephanie’s Grandma Mazur. Before Stephanie knows it, she’s working side by side with Ranger and Grandma at the senior center, trying to catch a killer on the loose—and the bingo balls are not rolling in their favor.

With bullet holes in her car, henchmen on her tail, and a giraffe named Kevin running wild in the streets of Trenton, Stephanie will have to up her game for the ultimate takedown. (Evanovich.com)



My thoughts

Same old, same old. More or less.

Nothing much really has changed. Stephanie and Lula are after a big bond Salvatore Sunucchi, but doesn't get very far - and after a few failed attempts, even Stephanie gives up her job.

Rest is the same ... it's a toss up between Ranger and Morelli (there are a few good one-liners from Ranger in this one!), Lula does her thing and Grandma Mazur is in the midst of all.

And then there's the Giraffe. But I won't even go there. 

 

Janet Evanovich - Notorious Nineteen

Publisher: Bantam

ISBN: 9780755385010

My rating: 3/5

 
After a slow summer of chasing low-level skips for her cousin Vinnie’s bail bonds agency, Stephanie Plum finally lands an assignment that could put her checkbook back in the black. Geoffrey Cubbin, facing trial for embezzling millions from Trenton’s premier assisted-living facility, has mysteriously vanished from the hospital after an emergency appendectomy. Now it’s on Stephanie to track down the con man. Unfortunately, Cubbin has disappeared without a trace, a witness, or his money-hungry wife. Rumors are stirring that he must have had help with the daring escape . . . or that maybe he never made it out of his room alive. Since the hospital staff’s lips seem to be tighter than the security, and it’s hard for Stephanie to blend in to assisted living, Stephanie’s Grandma Mazur goes in undercover. But when a second felon goes missing from the same hospital, Stephanie is forced into working side by side with Trenton’s hottest cop, Joe Morelli, in order to crack the case.
The real problem is, no Cubbin also means no way to pay the rent. Desperate for money—or maybe just desperate—Stephanie accepts a secondary job guarding her secretive and mouthwatering mentor Ranger from a deadly Special Forces adversary. While Stephanie is notorious for finding trouble, she may have found a little more than she bargained for this time around. Then again—a little food poisoning, some threatening notes, and a bridesmaid’s dress with an excess of taffeta never killed anyone . . . or did they? If Stephanie Plum wants to bring in a paycheck, she’ll have to remember: No guts, no glory. (evanovich.com)


My thoughts

I didn't mind this story. It wasn't exciting, and it wasn't the as good as the first Plum novels, but much better than the ones of late.
The plot is the same as the previous novels, Steph needs money, one big bond is Cubbin, who's disappeared, but unlike the few before this one, one doesn't lose the oversight of who she's actually chasing at the time. Lula is ok, but the jokes are the same. Grandma Mazur has a few more lines in it, but they're getting old, as well. Morelli / Ranger - same here as well. So it's basically the plot that keeps the story going.

Better than the previous ones, but no 'halelujahs' in that one either. Lots of 'Babes' - I DID LIKE THAT :-)


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Janet Evanovich - Explosive Eighteen

Publisher: Bantam Books

ISBN: 978-0-345-52771-4

My rating: n.a.

 

Before Stephanie can even step foot off Flight 127 from Hawaii to Newark, she’s knee deep in trouble. Her dream vacation turned into a nightmare, she’s flying back to New Jersey solo, and Sasquatch is snoring in row 22. Worse still, her seatmate never returned to the plane after the L.A. layover. Now he’s dead, in a garbage can, waiting for curbside pickup. His killer could be anyone. The FBI, the fake FBI, and guns-for-hire are all looking for a photograph the dead man was supposed to be carrying.

Only one other person has seen the missing photograph– Stephanie Plum. Now she’s the target, and she doesn’t intend to end up in a garbage can. With the help of a FBI sketch artist Stephanie recreates the person in the photo. Unfortunately the first sketch turns out to look like Tom Cruise, and the second sketch like Ashton Kutcher. Until Stephanie can improve her descriptive skills, she’ll need to watch her back.
Over at the Bail Bonds Agency it’s business as usual– until the bonds bus serving as Vinnie’s temporary HQ goes up in smoke, Stephanie’s wheelman, Lula, falls in love with their “largest” FTA yet, lifetime arch nemesis Joyce Barnhardt moves into Stephanie’s apartment, and everyone wants to know what happened in Hawaii?!
Morelli, Trenton’s hottest cop, isn’t talking about Hawaii. Ranger, the man of mystery, isn’t talking about Hawaii. And all Stephanie is willing to say about her Hawaiian vacation is…it’s complicated. (evanovich.com)


My thoughts

Not my cup of tea - 'nuff said!

"One for the Money" Movie Trailer

Am I looking forward to seeing the movie ?? You bet I am :-)
Trailer looks great, don't you think?

Details on the book - click here.

I'm sure you'll like it so why not check out Number "Explosive Eighteen" !!!

Janet Evanovich - Smokin' Seventeen

Publisher: Random House, Inc

ISBN: 978-0-345-52768-4

My rating: 2/5

Where there's smoke there's fire, and no one knows this better than New Jersey bounty hunter, Stephanie Plum.

Dead bodies are showing up in shallow graves on the empty construction lot of Vincent Plum Bail Bonds. No one is sure who the killer is, or why the victims have been offed, but what is clear is that Stephanie's name is on the killer's list.
Short on time to find evidence proving the killer's identity, things get even more complicated for Stephanie when family and friends decide it's time for her to decide between long-time off-again-on-again boyfriend, Trenton cop, Joe Morelli, and the bad boy in her life, security expert, Ranger. Stephanie's mom is encouraging Stephanie to dump them both, and choose a former high school football star who has just returned to town. Stephanie's sidekick, Lula, is encouraging Stephanie to have a red-hot boudoir "bake-off". And Grandma Bella, Morelli's old world grandmother, is encouraging Stephanie to move to a new state when she puts "the eye" on Stephanie.
With a cold-blooded killer after her, a handful of hot men and  a capture list that includes a dancing bear and a senior citizen vampire, Stephanie's life looks like it's about to go up in smoke. (www.evanovich.com)


My thoughts

See - I have no idea what to write or for that matter what to think about "Seventeen". I thought it was boring, confusing and here and there an affront to the readers.

I read a review on goodreads the other day and even though slightly harsh, it pinpoints more or less what I've been thinking. Click here to read the review.

So, okay, there was lots of Ranger, I always like that. He's my favourite without a doubt! Morelli is a sex addict who is not interested in spending any time with SP if it doesn't end up in the bedroom. Anybody else who finds that irritating?  Lula is slightly funny and Grandma Mazur is being neglected. As for Steph - the Vordo thingy is ridiculous and not enough reason for hopping into bed with the two men in her life within a day!

Anybody else who had figured out the killer half way through the book? Yup, it was too obvious, I thought.

Read it if you're a die hard Plum fan, otherwise, read the first few installments - They're brilliant!

Janet Evanovich - Plum Spoky

Publisher: St Martin's Press

ISBN: 978-0-312-38334-3

My rating:  3 / 5


A Between-the-Numbers Novel
Turn on all the lights and check under your bed. Things are about to get spooky in Trenton, New Jersey.

According to legend, the Jersey Devil prowls the Pine Barrens and soars above the treetops in the dark of night. As eerie as this might seem, there are things in the Barrens that are even more frightening and dangerous. And there are monkeys. Lots of monkeys.
Wulf Grimoire is a world wanderer and an opportunist who can kill without remorse and disappear like smoke. He's chosen Martin Munch, boy genius, as his new business partner, and he's chosen the Barrens as his new playground.
Munch received his doctorate degree in quantum physics when he was twenty-two. He's now twenty-four, and while his brain is large, his body hasn't made it out of the boys' department at Macy's. Anyone who says good things come in small packages hasn't met Munch. Wulf Grimoire is looking for world domination. Martin Munch would be happy if he could just get a woman naked and tied to a tree.
Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has Munch on her most-wanted list for failure to appear in court. Plum is the all-American girl stuck in an uncomfortable job, succeeding on luck and tenacity. Usually she gets her man. This time she gets a monkey. She also gets a big guy named Diesel.
Diesel pops in and out of Plum's life like birthday cake - delicious to look at and taste, not especially healthy as a steady diet, gone by the end of the week if not sooner. He's an uber bounty hunter with special skills when it comes to tracking men and pleasing women. He's after Grimoire, and now he's also after Munch. And if truth were told, he wouldn't mind setting Stephanie Plum in his crosshairs.
Diesel and Plum hunt down Munch and Grimoire, following them into the Barrens, surviving cranberry bogs, the Jersey Devil, a hair-raising experience, sand in their underwear, and, of course . . . monkeys. (www.evanovich.com)


My thoughts

I'm not really sure what to think. This was actually a more unusual Plum story because the background of the actual crime seemed to me to have some oomph. So short version is: the start was boring, then I got confused with all the side stories and then it actually got interesting - in a Plum-in-between-kinda-way.
Personally, Diesel is getting to much like Ranger so his character is not really growing on me, but he has his good moments. Morelli gets neglected in a side-plot - not sure why that was included. But there's a bit of Ranger - AND THAT I LIKE !

It's the best in-between so far I reckon though I'm still not convinced - next on the list is "Wicked" !

Janet Evanovich - Plum Lucky

Publisher:  St. Martin's Press

ISBN: 9780312377649

My rating: 3/5



A Between-the-Numbers Novel
Looking to get lucky?

Stephanie Plum is back "between-the-numbers" and she's looking to get lucky in an Atlantic City hotel room, in a Winnebago and with a brown-eyed stud who has stolen her heart.
Stephanie Plum has a way of attracting danger, lunatics, oddballs, bad luck... and mystery men. And no one is more mysterious than the unmentionable Diesel. He's back and hot on the trail of a little man in green pants who's lost a giant bag of money. Problem is the money isn't exactly lost. Stephanie's Grandma Mazur has found it, and like any good Jersey senior citizen she's high-tailed it in a Winnebago to Atlantic City and hit the slots. With Lula and Connie in tow, Stephanie attempts to bring Grandma home. But the luck of the Irish is rubbing off on everyone. Lula's found a job modeling plus size lingerie. Connie's found a guy. Diesel's found Stephanie. And Stephanie has found herself in over her head with a caper involving thrice stolen money, a racehorse, a car chase and a bad case of hives. PLUM LUCKY is an all-you-can-eat buffet of thrills, chills, shrimp cocktail, plus-size underwear and scorching hot men. It's a "between the numbers" treat no Evanovich fan will want to miss! (evanovich.com)



My thoughts

Another quick in-between Plum read for a rainy day. This one was much better than the previous one. Funnier! Though still not a Stephanie Plum, but I had quite a few good giggles.

Grandma Mazur is missing and Stephanie Plum, with the help of Diesel, Lula and Connie tracks her down in Atlantic City, where she's been gambling with what turns out to be a Lou Delvina's money (a mob guy). Add Snuggy O’Connor who thinks he's a leprechaun and Doug, the horse and you have a group that is guaranteed to not only cause chaos, but get the job done as well - in their own special way.

I liked it and if you a fan of Evanovich, I'd definitely recommend this one as the best of the in-betweens so far.

Janet Evanovich - Plum Lovin'

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

ISBN: 9780312306342

My rating: 2/5

A Between-the-Numbers Novel
A Stephanie Plum novel that takes adventure, action, suspense (and maybe even true love?) to new heights...
WATCH YOUR BACK  ... LOOK BOTH WAYS  ...  BECAUSE LOVE IS IN THE AIR  ...  AND THAT MEANS BIG TROUBLE!
Mysterious men have a way of showing up in Stephanie Plum's apartment. When the shadowy Diesel appears, he has a task for Stephanie-and he's not taking no for an answer. Annie Hart is a "relationship expert" who is wanted for armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. Stephanie needs to find her, fast. Diesel knows where she is. So they make a deal: he'll help her get Annie if Stephanie plays matchmaker to several of Annie's most difficult clients. But someone wants to find Annie even more than Diesel and Stephanie. Someone with a nasty temper. And someone with "unmentionable" skills. Does Diesel know more than he's saying about Annie Hart? Does Diesel have secrets he's keeping about Stephanie and the two men in her life-Ranger and Morelli? With Stephanie Plum in over her head, things are sure to get a little dicey and a little explosive, Jersey style! (http://www.evanovich.com/)

My thoughts

Not much I can say or want to say .... nice read as an inbetween BUT you do need to love love love Evenovich, if not, give it a miss. The storyline is far fetched and not even funny, it's hectic, it's .... I don't know .... an inbetweener that says it all !!!

Janet Evanovic - Visions of Sugar Plum

Publisher: St Martin's Paperback

ISBN: 978-0312947040

My rating: 2/5


A Between-the-Numbers Novel

A holiday treat from #1 New York Times bestselling author Janet Evanovich--spicier than gingerbread, with more nuts than a fruitcake--it's Visions of Sugar Plums
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! (www.evanovich.com)

 
My thoughts
 
It felt really good to have a Stephanie Plum book in my hand, though this one was .... hmmmm .... different.

So, it’s just before Christmas and Steph wakes up one morning with some handsome guy named Diesel in her kitchen. She’s got no idea, how he got in, what he wants or even worse, how to get rid of him. She pushes him in front of the door, but magically he can make the way back int! But to my surprise, Steph doesn’t ring anybody for help ...

After a while Steph leaves to find her FTA, Sandy Claws – with Diesel in tow. And that’s about the story, we have a bit of Plum family, Morelli pops up a few times, not majorly concerned about the strange man on Steph’s side.

Admittedly, it’s an “in-between”, but it was quite a disappointment I’ve got to say. A story packed into a mere 190-something pages – it was fast paced, too fast and rushed though, with scenes and characters not properly developed. Especially the ending! Hang on, was there an ending?

I thought a few days about whether I liked it or not and I hate to say it, but I wouldn’t recommend this one ....

NEWS ! Janet Evanovich - Smokin' Seventeen

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!

Now this year is already starting out good .... have a look what I found in my mail box today:

June 21 is the publication date for Smokin' Seventeen. We'll start posting chapter one on the site in March. Can't wait that long, and want a hint as to what it's about? Here's a little teaser from the publisher's catalog. If you don't want to know anything about Seventeen, skip the following paragraph...

"Where there's smoke there's fire, and no one knows this better than New Jersey bounty hunter, Stephanie Plum. The bail bonds office has burned to the ground, and bodies are turning up in the empty construction lot. To make matters worse, Stephanie is working out of a motor home she shares with a dancing bear, and Joe Morelli's old world grandmother has declared a vendetta against her. And just when Stephanie decides it might be time to choose between the two men in her life, Morelli and Ranger, a third man from Stephanie's past moves back to Trenton...Break out a cold drink and slap on some sunscreen, this summer is sure to be a scorcher with Smokin' Seventeen."


CAN'T WAIT !!!!
 

Smokin' Seventeen: A Stephanie Plum Novel

Janet Evanovich - Sizzling Sixteen

Publisher: St Martins Press

ISBN: 978-0312383305

My rating: 3/5


Trenton, New Jersey, bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has inherited a “lucky” bottle from her Uncle Pip. Problem is, Uncle Pip didn’t specify if the bottle brought good luck or bad luck....

BAD LUCK:
Vinnie, of Vincent Plum Bail Bonds, has run up a gambling debt of $786,000 with mobster Bobby Sunflower and is being held until the cash can be produced. Nobody else will pay to get Vinnie back, leaving it up to Stephanie, office manager Connie, and file clerk Lula to raise the money if they want to save their jobs.
GOOD LUCK:
Being in the business of tracking down people, Stephanie, Lula, and Connie have an advantage in finding Vinnie. If they can rescue him, it will buy them some time to raise the cash.
BAD LUCK:
Finding a safe place to hide Vinnie turns out to be harder than raising $786,000. Vinnie’s messing up local stoner Walter “Moon Man” Dunphy's vibe and making Stephanie question genetics.
GOOD LUCK:
Between a bonds office yard sale that has the entire Burg turning out, a plan that makes Mooner’s Hobbit-Con look sane, and Uncle Pip’s mysterious bottle, they just might raise enough money to save Vinnie and the business from ruin.
BAD LUCK:
Saving Vincent Plum Bail Bonds means Stephanie can keep being a bounty hunter. In Trenton, this involves hunting down a man wanted for polygamy, a Turnpike toilet paper bandit, and a drug dealer with a pet alligator named Mr. Jingles.
GOOD LUCK:
The job of bounty hunter comes with perks in the guise of Trenton’s hottest cop, Joe Morelli, and the dark and dangerous, Ranger. With any luck at all, Uncle Pip’s lucky bottle will have Stephanie getting lucky---the only question is . . . with whom?
 
Sizzling Sixteen . . . so hot, the pages might spontaneously combust!Nothing really sizzling about Sixteen! (http://www.evanovich.com/)


My thoughts
The plot is slightly more interesting than Fifteen (which wasn’t all that hard to achieve I assume), but still very confusing!

So here the short version: Steph is still on a break with Morelli so we get to have lots of Ranger. That has to be good – right? But for once Steph showed a bit of backbone and I respect her more by not jumping into Ranger’s bed just because she’s on a break with Morelli – though the reasoning was quite odd.

The plot? Not sure. Vinnie gets kidnapped because of gambling debts. Steph, Lula and Connie first try to find him and then to pay the debt.

And finally; what was it with all the hobbits?

Janet Evanovich - Finger Lickin' Fifteen

Publisher: St Martins Press

ISBN:  9780312383299

My rating: 3/5


UNBUCKLE YOUR BELT AND PULL UP A CHAIR. IT'S THE SPICIEST, SAUCIEST, MOST RIB-STICKING PLUM YET.


Recipe for disaster:
Celebrity chef Stanley Chipotle comes to Trenton to participate in a barbecue cook-off and loses his head --literally.
Throw in some spice:
Bail bonds office worker Lula is witness to the crime, and the only one she’ll talk to is Trenton cop, Joe Morelli.
Pump up the heat:
Chipotle’s sponsor is offering a million dollar reward to anyone who can provide information leading to the capture of the killers.
Stir the pot:
Lula recruits bounty hunter Stephanie Plum to help her find the killers and collect the moolah.
Add a secret ingredient:
Stephanie Plum’s Grandma Mazur. Enough said.
Bring to a boil:
Stephanie Plum is working overtime tracking felons for the bonds office at night and snooping for security expert Carlos Manoso, A.K.A. Ranger, during the day. Can Stephanie hunt down two killers, a traitor, five skips, keep her grandmother out of the sauce, solve Ranger’s problems and not jump his bones?
Warning:
Habanero hot. So good you’ll want seconds (http://www.evanovich.com/)


My thoughts

Another bad day for Evanovich, but a slight improvement on the previous book

Lula is a witness to a murder. Promising? Well, I thought so, because I love Lula. So with the help from Steph and Grandma Mazur, she tries to figure out the “whodunit”.

The other plot is Steph helping Ranger (Yes, I got to get lots of Ranger in this one!), but this time with his security business. Some clients’ house and businesses have been broken into and Ranger’s reputation is on the line.

Joyce Barnhard is around, too, but honestly I have no idea what is she doing in the story.

And what is it with the farting? Call me old fashioned but I didn't think that was funny, not even a wee bit.

Apart from that I had problems with following the actual "crime" in this plot, I couldn't really understand that someone "like" Ranger couldn't solve the problem that was slowing ruining his company's reputation - I thought he was the "ueber-guy"!

Yes I know Evanovich throws in scenes which are sometimes stretching the imagination, and mostly they have been funny - but the barbeque at the end was simple cheap.

C'mon Janet, we know you can do better!!!!