Finger Lickin’ Fifteen by Janet Evanovich. St. Martin’s Press, 2009.
It was a tough slog through Fred Pearce’s With Speed and Violence. While I wanted to learn more about the important topic it investigates, the facts and figures and depressing picture they paint did not make for a quick or easy read. After a brief foray through The End of the Alphabet, I started into another long and inevitably depressing environment-related book. I was just well settled into it when I received a phone call from the library to say a copy of Finger Lickin’ Fifteen was in for me. Hurray! I was happy to set aside serious matters for a few days and enjoy instead a quick romp through Stephanie Plum’s latest adventure.
Finger Lickin’ Fifteen is, as the name suggests, the 15th book in the Stephanie Plum series. Stephanie was introduced in One for the Money and quickly acquired a devoted following. Evanovich turns out a new book for fans every year and there is always a waiting list at the library. Evanovich has her formula down pat. Each book features a set of predictable ingredients and characters. You can expect to find Lula squeezed into her loud, too-tight wardrobe, Grandma Mazur keeping up on the latest funeral viewings, Ranger and Joe Morelli competing for Stephanie’s affections as they wrestle with murder and mayhem in The Burbs of Trenton, and of course, Stephanie herself. Stephanie, a bond enforcement officer for Vincent Plum Bail Bonds, can be counted on to get herself into one sticky situation after another, with at least one blown-up car along the way.
In this outing, Stephanie is called upon to help Ranger investigate a series of burglaries that seem to have been committed by a member of Ranger’s own staff. Meanwhile, Lula is the only witness to the nasty murder of Chef Chipotle, making her a target for the murderers. Evanovich has turned out another fun, quick-moving tale, perfect for lazy summer reading.
Willow House Chronicles 