To the Nines

Starred review from June 23, 2003
"My same is Stephanie Plum and I was born and raised in the Chambersburg section of Trenton, where the top male activities are scarfing pastries and pork rinds and growing ass hair." Within pages of this elegant introduction to the latest installment in Evanovich's bestselling numbered series, the less-than-stellar bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has managed to haul in a fat, naked and, yes, furry "skip" who has greased himself up with Vaseline to literally give her the slip. In the midst of taking him to the police station, however, Plum drops everything to help her beloved Grandma Mazur, who calls to say that Stephanie's mom locked herself in the bathroom to escape the craziness of the Plum family. Finally, Plum checks in at the office, where her employer and cousin, the bailbondsman Vinnie, assigns her back-up duty on the thorny case of a missing Indian man, Samuel Singh. Vinnie previously wrote a bond ensuring that Singh would leave the country when his visa expired, so the latter's disappearance drives Vinnie to call in the devastatingly attractive Ranger, his star enforcer, and assign Stephanie to help him. As fans know, the mysterious Ranger has long competed with the equally sexy Morelli to be the object of Plum's desire, so his presence—just as Plum has temporarily moved in with Morelli—keeps the sexual tension high. An awkward plot that takes Plum to Vegas is the weakest course in this meal. Yet Evanovich's many fans will be more than happy with their latest serving of Stephanie Plum—that cute, bumbling, irresistibly average Jersey girl—who just happens to have more laughs, more sizzling sexual tension, and more nonstop, zany adventure than anybody else around. (One-day laydown July 15)FYI:Look for an Innovators Series feature on Janet Evanovich in the June 30 issue of
PW.

July 1, 2003
In her I Love Lucy way, bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is at it again. Singh has jumped ship, abandoning his fianc e, stealing her dog, and owing his landlord back rent. Through their sleuthing, Stephanie and Ranger track him down in Vegas. Unfortunately, owing to a previous problem with the law, Ranger isn't allowed to go to Vegas. This leaves Stephanie with Lulu and Connie as her traveling companions. Even though Evanovich is in her storytelling prime, and readers get a lot of laughs at Stephanie's expense, this ninth story is definitely not as strong or as funny as earlier titles in the series. Part of the problem is the lack of exciting and colorful characters. Grandma Mazur has little more than a brief cameo, and we both need and want to see more of her. In addition, taking Stephanie out of New Jersey for half of the novel diminishes the enjoyment of seeing her in her element. But despite such slight weaknesses, this is still a decent installment in the series. Readers will be clamoring for their Stephanie fix. Recommended for all libraries.-Marianne Fitzgerald, Charlotte Mecklenburg Sch. Dist., NC

Copyright 2003 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from June 1, 2003
Stephanie Plum is a Jersey Girl, a bounty hunter, and a resident of a part of Trenton where you can still go to Mom's for dinner and your cop boyfriend Morelli's grandmother has visions that include you in a coffin. Stephanie is on the trail of an Indian contract worker named Singh who disappeared when his visa was up. When she interviews a McDonald's employee who knew him, he's shot as she stands there. Then rose-and-carnation bouquets with very sinister notes start appearing in Stephanie's apartment and in her e-mail, and a few more bodies turn up with bullet holes. Meanwhile, Stephanie's sister, Valerie, is about to give birth; her sidekick, Lula, goes on the loudest diet ever written; and a trip to Vegas--yes, it's business--involves both Elvis " and "Tom Jones impersonators. Evanovich, and Stephanie, are at the top of their form here: laugh-out loud moments jostle with sticky, visceral terror; Stephanie's mentor, Ranger, and Morelli don't so much vie for her favors as bestow them in turn. Ever smarter, funnier, sexier, scarier.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)

October 6, 2003
Narrator King somehow makes the crazy, comic antics of Evanovich's irresistible bond agent, Stephanie Plum, seem almost rational in this fine audio adaptation. The story opens with the outrageous apprehension of a nude, Vaseline-coated fugitive by Stephanie and her plus-sized, ex-hooker, "sometimes partner" Lula. Soon after, Stephanie sets off on the trail of Samuel Singh, an illegal immigrant who apparently fled a Visa bond and his fiancée. With plenty of prior experience narrating Evanovich titles (Hard Eight
, etc.), King has no trouble highlighting the eccentricities of the author's invariably quirky cast of characters, as well as the ongoing romantic triangle between Stephanie, her sexy partner Ranger and Joe, a Trenton cop with whom she shares a "long, strange history." Evanovich's quick-witted, sarcastic and often raunchy dialogue takes the edge off the story's suspense, but King's chameleon voice and ease with accents make this a lively listening experience. Simultaneous release with the St. Martin's hardcover (Forecasts, June 23).