THE RECOVERY AGENT

4 stars out of 5

I know I'm not the only one to have grown a bit weary of the overall silliness of the author's popular Stephanie Plum, her wacked-out family and friends and inability to decide between two hunky guys (at her age, she should be well beyond acting like a lovestruck eighth-grader). This new series doesn't fall far from that mold in terms of either quirky characters or plot, but it's far enough to make me a believer.

Yes, recovery agent Gabriela Rose is feisty - a good thing - and still pretending to fend off the advances of a hunky man (but this time it's just one, her ex-husband Rafer - a guy she's been best friends with since elementary school and with whom she's still in lust). Gabriela's grandma in storm-ravaged Scoon, South Carolina, regularly gets messages from a spirit named Annie, but at least she's not chasing ambulances and crashing wakes like Stephanie's Grandma Mazur. Gone, (happily, IMHO), is the equivalent of Stephanie's ridiculously off-the-wall cohort Lulu (she of the wild hairdos, skanky clothes and penchant for fried chicken). But one of the things I loved about the other series, the humorous lines that never failed to make me chuckle, thankfully have been carried over and sprinkled liberally herein.

As for the plot, that storm that damaged the small community didn't miss Gabriela's family home. But do or say what she might, she can't convince her relatives to cut their losses and move elsewhere. What they need, they say, is enough money to rebuild - $15 million ought to do it, they say. To get it, Gabriela's grandma begs her to go to Barbados, where she'll find maps belonging to the pirate Blackbeard (from whom Gabriela is descended, or so the story goes). How does grannie know of this treasure? She got it straight from her usual source - Annie.

Gabriela, it should be noted, lives in relative poshness in SOHO, is an expert in martial arts and a gourmet cook. Her job of recovering stolen heirlooms, lost treasures and such has taken her to some faraway places, but nothing quite like she encounters this time out. Once she decides that granny/Annie might be onto something, she makes a first stop at the house she once owned but gave to Rafer in the divorce. Wonder of wonders, she finds a treasure chest in the floorboards, exactly as Annie had predicted. No money, though; rather, the find is a very old journal from a well-known explorer who describes his quest to find the Treasure of Lima, notably the Seal of Solomon. That, in turn, is believed to have been held by Spanish conquistador Pizarro, who stashed it somewhere in the Incan city of Paititi.

Gabriela decides to head for the jungle, but Rafer - eyeing an opportunity to get both rich and lucky - insists on tagging along. Without too much fussing, she agrees, and off they go into what can only be called a wild adventure that nearly gets them both killed. And it is here that I'll stop; telling more would give away too much. What I will say is that those who have enjoyed Stephanie Plum should enjoy this series as well - or even agreeing with me that it's better. I'll also say thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to get in on the ground floor with a pre-release copy. Already, I'm looking forward to the next installment!

The Recovery Agent by Janet Evanovich (Atria Books, March 2022); 320 pp.

GAME ON

4 stars out of 5

When I finished the author's 24th installment of this series, I literally hung up my Kindle in frustration. I've read and enjoyed the action and humor in the previous books featuring bounty hunter Stephanie Plum, but over the last few years, they'd grown to be, well, downright silly - partly, IMHO, because despite getting older, Stephanie just didn't grow up.

An offer of a pre-release copy of this one from the publisher, via NetGalley, made me decide to take another look. And honestly? I'm glad I did. Yes, some parts are still on the silly side (a guy who makes a living mooning guests at parties, for instance) and Stephanie is still waffling among her three hunky guy friends, but for the most part she seems to have settled on longtime love, New Jersey detective Joe Morelli. 

One of those hunks, another "apprehension agent" named Diesel, shows up in Stephanie's bedroom unexpectedly (triggering both annoyance and one of those aforementioned waffling spells that permeate the rest of the book). Turns out they're on the trail of the same guy, an extremely talented computer hacker named Oswald Wednesday. Scuttlebutt has it he's working on something really big, so the sooner they catch him, the better. Stephanie hooks up with another hacker - a member of a hacking group that does it for fun, not profit. But one of the folks they hacked is Wednesday; when Morelli starts to investigate the murder of a man done in a rather grisly fashion, it brings the suspicion that the motive may be payback and this guy was only the beginning.

When the danger hits closer to home, Stephanie's third hunk and security firm owner Ranger makes an appearance. In between all this, Stephanie's wacky assistant Lula (she of the wild hairdos, skanky clothes and penchant for fried chicken) and crazy Grandma Mazur add some comic relief. All told, it's an entertaining romp that gave me a few chuckles and put me back in the mood to read the next one. To the publisher, many thanks!

Oh, and by the way - that really big project Wednesday was cooking up? It was a doozy!

Game On: Tempting Twenty-Eight by Janet Evanovich (Atria Books, November 2021); 320 pp.

THE BOUNTY

4 stars out of 5

From the first page to the last, I kept thinking that this would make a terrific action-packed motion picture. As for the book? Well, it would make a terrific action-packed movie.

Mind you, I haven't read any of the six preceding books in this series that feature FBI Special Agent Kate O'Hare and professional con man Nick Fox. But I'm intimately acquainted with virtually all of author Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books and am a big fan of author Lee Goldberg, who co-wrote the first five in this series. And, I've read and enjoyed two books by the co-author of this one. So when I got the chance to read and review a pre-release copy, I was delighted.

Now that I've finished, though, I'm a little less enthused; the whole thing struck me as a bit shallow. To be sure, the action never stops (think Indiana Jones on steroids) which, generally speaking, is a good thing - certainly in a movie. In written form, though, it just seemed to be too much, too fast. Beyond that, the limited conversation among the various characters - especially between O'Hare and Fox, despite a few humorous and sexually suggestive one-liners - failed to give me any real insights into their characters or entice me to develop anything close to camaraderie with any of them. 

The plot itself is intriguing; it begins at the Vatican Museum, as Kate and Nick try to thwart a robbery in progress. They're told the target is a priceless diamond-encrusted ring; but turns out it was a very old map which, rumor has it, leads to $30 billion in gold supposedly hidden after World War II by a group of Nazis called the Brotherhood. As it also turns out, the thief - who gets away in fine James Bond fettle - is someone very familiar to Nick.

The resulting chase takes Nick and Kate - who also gets help from a familiar figure - to historic locations in several countries, each adventure fraught with almost unimaginable danger. In fact, what impressed me most about the book is the attention to detail with regard to their surroundings at each new venue; clearly, effort was put into research and making those parts very interesting (at least to me). At each spot, the goal is to find the next piece of the map - hopefully leading to the final piece and, of course, the gold.

Was anyone harmed in the process? Several (but my lips are sealed). Did the gold really exist and did they find it? Still not talking. Overall, it's a thrill-a-minute adventure that most likely will be enjoyed most by those who read the previous books. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for this one.

Now when can we expect that movie? I've got a few ideas for casting (hint: call me).

The Bounty by Janet Evanovich and Steve Hamilton (Atria Books, March 2021); 320 pp.

HARDCORE TWENTY-FOUR

2 stars out of 5

When I opened this book, the 24th in the series featuring offbeat bounty hunter Stephanie Plum, it was not without a bit of trepidation. The previous installment, Turbo Twenty-Three, was so lackluster that I gave it just 3 stars (and grudgingly at that). Aside from the same old, same old characters who just can't seem to grow up, the story itself was borderline silly.

But alas, my hope of improvement just wasn't to be. Not only is Stephanie still trying to decide whose bed she prefers - that of her supposedly main squeeze, detective Joe Morelli, and studly security consultant Ranger - she adds yet another irresistable guy to her wishy washy list with the return of Diesel (a character who's made appearances in other books).

That she remains fixated on getting laid (or not) is bothersome, but in previous books the one-liners have pulled me out of my funk sufficiently to say that for the most part, I enjoyed them. Not so here; as I said to myself a few chapters into it, I guess in one sense I'm happy that at my advanced age I'm still able to chuckle at seventh-grade bathroom humor. But what's in here kicks the level down to the kindergarten level (and really, isn't this supposed to be a book for grown-ups)?

As for the plot, silly doesn't begin to cover it. From tracking down an errant boa constrictor to exploding groundhogs to zombies who steal brains from the living and the dead (yeah, you read that right), the whole thing quickly goes from bad to worse and stays that way. A mix of cucumbers and cat pee wards off zombies is supposed to be funny? Only Stephanie's rotund work buddy, Lulu (who, we're told more than once, is fond of wearing skirts that barely cover her hoo-hah with a purple thong underneath), would come up with that one.

If there's a saving grace humor-wise - and honestly, even it falls short - it comes from the antics of Stephanie's funeral-loving Grandma Mazur, who lives with Stephanie's parents and has found a new man online she's determined to go visit. She, and Stephanie's long-suffering mother, manage to provide a few real chuckles in an otherwise hopeless mess of a story.

My conclusion? Whichever of the guys - Morelli, Diesel or Ranger - ends up with Stephanie deserves what he gets, and I really don't care to who gets the spoils. Stick a fork in me: I'm done.

Hardcore Twenty-Four by Janet Evanovich (G.P. Putnam's Sons, Novembeer 2017); 304 pp.

TRICKY TWENTY-TWO

4 stars out of 5



If nothing else, the latest adventures of bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is a hoot. By the end of a handful of chapters, I'd laughed out loud at least twice and once the water I was dumb enough to be sipping as I read got snorted out my nose. Quite a few of the chuckles came at the antics of Stephanie's office cohort, Lula, who is always a trip to say the least. When it comes to length, it's practically a novella, making it a quick read (for anyone who wonders about such things, the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America defines "novella" as 17,500 to 40,000 words, or roughly 100 pages).

As usual, Stephanie is working at making a living, this time by chasing down Ken Globobic (Gobbles), who lives at the Zeta fraternity house at Kiltman College and was arrested for beating up the dean of students. When Gobbles didn't show up for his court date, Stephanie and Lula head out to check the frat house, where very strange things seem to be happening and some of the characters are weird by anybody's standards.

When a particularly unpopular campus big shot gets bumped off, things get stranger still; this time, though, Stephanie's main squeeze, Trenton, N.J. cop Joe Morelli, is on the case. Morelli also is fighting demons of his own in more ways than one, threatening his relationship with Stephanie and opening up the possibility yet again for dilly dallying with her hunka-hunka security guy Ranger (for me, most of that scenario has been a yawn over the span of several books).

Also as usual, the scrapes Stephanie and Lula get into border on the ridiculous (but somehow seems to me to be part of the appeal), as does the plot (ditto). There are the expected near-misses on losing life and/or limb and bullseyes on totaling at least one of Ranger's fancy cars, all of which is in good fun. All in all, reading this is a relatively fun way to wile away a few hours.

Tricky Twenty-Two by Janet Evanovich (Random House LLC, November 2015); 304 pp.

TAKEDOWN TWENTY

4 stars out of 5

After finishing the previous adventure of bounty hunter Stephanie Plum, Notorious Nineteen, I pretty much decided to pull the rug on this series (I gave that one just 3 stars). The one-liners that used to make me snort whatever I was drinking out my nose barely elicited a smile, and I was beyond weary of a woman well past the bloom of youth who spent much of the book flip-flopping between the two "hot" co-stars: The mysterious security expert Ranger and her cop boyfriend Morelli.


But this book, happily, leans more toward the Stephanie Plum of years past. By the time I was a quarter of the way through, I'd snorted at least three times and chortled several times more. And while things remain a bit tense in the boyfriend department, it no longer overwhelms the rest of the story. And as usual, that story takes funny twists and turns as it weaves its way through the offbeat (to put it mildly) families of Plum and Morelli.

In fact, this one starts in a family way: Plum is charged with finding "Uncle Sunny," a mobster who bailed on his court appearance after being charged with murder. Problem is, he's family - Morelli's godfather, in fact - and in true mobster family fashion, nobody's talking. And when she tries anyway, accompanied by her self-described former 'ho' Lulu, Morelli's wacky grandmother, Bella, puts the dreaded evil eye on Plum.

In between there's bingo, Plum's wild and crazy Grandma Mazur and an errant giraffe named Kevin (don't ask), so there's plenty of action to go around. Fun!

Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich (Bantam, November 2013); 321 pp.