Like a junk food junkie who goes looking for that last Little Debbie Snack Cake, I was delighted to see that the Waterloo Library had the newest Stephanie Plum book -- Plum Spooky. I had to have it--and finished it off in under a day. Evanovich began her writing career as a romance writer, and there is something about her writing style that retains some of those qualities. However, her characters are fun, plots sometimes take some crazy twists and turns, and the mini series of novels "between the numbers" are developing something of their own personality. The setting is also fun: Trenton, New Jersey.
For the uninitiated, Stephanie Plum works as a bounty hunter for her cousin Vinnie; she is not the caliber of Dog the Bounty Hunter, however. She is more like a work study bounty hunter--who doesn't like guns and seems to blow up cars and lose her hand cuffs. What she does have is determination, some good friends, and dumb luck. She has a cute boyfriend, Joe Morelli, who is a cop but they seem to both have some commitment issues, so the relationship heats up and cools down. She also flirts with danger in the form of Ranger, a professional bounty hunter with other business interests, a crew of helpers, lots of tech toys, and a soft spot for Stephanie. From time to time, he rescues her or provides her another car or helps her take down a tough guy; sometimes, he uses her talents to get closer to a bad guy.
Stephanie hangs out with Lula, a plus size former hooker turned clerical worker and side kick at the bounty office. Connie,the office manager, is good with computers, stays cool, and has an endless supply of handcuffs and file folders with "perps" needing to be brought in by Stephanie. Stephanie also visits her family, especially at meal time. Her mother is a little upset by Stephanie's unusual career but is a good cook; her father mumbles a lot and seems like a nice man driven crazy by Grandma Mazur, who lives with them. Grandma is a handful, to say the least; she likes going to the funeral home for viewings, and if it is a closed casket, she wants to take a peek.
In Plum Spooky a mysterious man named Diesel shows up; he has some remarkable powers and has appeared in previous between the numbers novels. Diesel has some special powers, and is on the hunt for a bad guy, and needs Stephanie's help; it just so happens that one of her current fugitives is hanging out with the bad guy that Diesel is tracking. So they work together. At the same time, a friend of Stephanie's leaves her pet monkey at the apartment door; Carl needs to be babysat while his "mommy" goes on her honeymoon. Since this was not pre-arranged, Stephanie is rather surprised and not sure how to care for Carl. As it turns out, however, Carl becomes rather important in the story.
I liked the book, but it made me hungry for junk food; Stephanie could really use some of my Weight Watchers literature, to learn about the basic food groups and incorporate a little more fresh fruits and vegetables in her diet. I woke up today craving chocolate cake. If you're craving a good read, check out Plum Spooky. You can find it in the Express Books display; I promise it is going back tomorrow.
c Waterloo Public Library 2008
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