TEST
Janet Evanovich’s books about Stephanie Plum just keep getting better and better. High Five was so funny that I had to stop reading several times and hold my ribs.
When the book begins, Stephanie Plum has several irons in the fire. Business is pretty slow, so she takes her fellow bounty hunter Ranger up on his offer to do a little moonlighting. Ranger calls it interior decorating. You and I would call it throwing crazy junkies out of the apartments they are appropriating. To add a little spice to this, the senior citizens who also live the apartment building come out and begin to shoot. Unfortunately, their eyesight and aim is not so good. This is a little too much even for a kick-butt Jersey Girl like Stephanie – “Man, you don’t like to get shot. You don’t like to get arrested. You don’t know how to have fun at all.” – so she tries something a little more tame – trying to find her missing Uncle Fred.
Uncle Fred was a cantakerous old coot last seen when he left to go chew out someone at the garbage company. He hasn’t showed up since. Actually, nobody really misses him – but family is family so Stephanie starts to snoop. Pretty soon she is up to her spandex miniskirt in trouble. Uncle Fred is still missing and Stephanie finds photos of what looks like body parts in his desk. Then a weird guy who calls himself Bunchy starts showing up claiming to be Fred’s bookie. A tightwad like Fred has a bookie? Then employees of the garbage company start turning up dead. Then psycho fighter Benito Raimirez gets out of jail. Benito has found God and wants to go meet with Him and take Stephanie along.
And I haven’t even gotten to the part about the dwarf.
What is so wonderful about the Stephanie Plum mysteries is the large cast of supporting characters and they are all here in full glory. There’s Stephanie’s sleazy employer Vinnie, her fellow bounty hunter the former ho Lula, her Grandma Mazur who is packing a stun gun in this one. And let’s not forget that sexier than sin bad-boy cop and Stephanie’s sometime lover Joe Morelli. Then there is the mysterious bounty hunter Ranger, who is beginning to show some real interest in Stepanie. And of course Rex the hamster – the greatest pet in the world.
High Five and all Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum books are told in the first person by our heroine herself. The books are full of funny dialogue punctuated by Stephanie’s asides and observations. They have it all – great characters, interesting mysteries, a style that is unique and colorful and even a dollop of sexual tension. Unlike some former romance writers who have forsaken the genre, Evanovich still puts in enough romantic tension between Stephanie, Joe and Ranger to keep us happy.
This is a perfect summer read – heck, it’s perfect for any season. I’ve introduced several readers to the Stephanie Plum books and they have all come back to thank me. I just love the series and am breathlessly waiting for number six – especially since this book ends on a cliffhanger to end all cliffhangers.
Grade: A
Book Type: Mystery
Sensuality: Subtle
Review Date: 04/07/99
Publication Date: 2000
Related Reviews
Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.