"Notorious Nineteen" by Janet Evanovich (A Book Review)

I enjoy Janet Evanovich's books, but for the last couple of years, I've been on a hardcore mystery roll.  My tastes tend to veer more toward the hair standing up on the back of my neck, jumping when someone enters the room-type mysteries.

Last year, my book club went to see "One for the Money" (with Sandra Bullock as Stephanie Plum) at the theater.  Cute movie.  Totally enjoyed it.

So, it was nice to pick up "Notorious Nineteen" and find all my favorite characters there, along with a couple of others that I missed somewhere between 14 and 18.

At any rate, sometimes it's nice to just have a few laughs without being so serious about everything.  It is a form of entertainment, right?  Even though some of the slapstick humor isn't necessarily going to win a Pulitzer. I get enough of that during the day.  Remember, I work in a law firm.

Stephanie Plum is cute and funny but Lula, that's my girl!  Oh, and Ranger is one hot dude.

Book Description:

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.  (from Janet Evanovich.com)

And, I get an email today from Barnes and Noble - and what do you know?  "Takedown Twenty" is in stores now!