Lean Mean Thirteen

I don't feel as special posting review #201, but I had to review the latest Janet Evanovich Stephanie Plum novel. For those of you who aren't familiar with this series, it is about Stephanie Plum, a bounty hunter, whose misadventures are funny and suspenseful. The characters in this series are what make it so appealing: there's Lula, a reformed ho who now works in the bond office doing filing and traipsing around with Stephanie catching FTAs (failure to appear). Connie is the secretary, a feisty Italian woman who loves all the Burg (New Jersey) gossip. Grandma Mazer is Stephanie's spunky, gun wielding grandma who also likes to tag along with Stephanie and get her in all kinds of trouble.

Stephanie has two loves in her life: Joe Morelli, an Italian cop whose down-to-earth nature and knee-weakening good looks make Stephanie want to be a better woman; and Ranger, a Cuban bounty hunter who lives in the mysterious bat cave and is very good at everything he does, makes being good even more difficult.

Among the main characters, who appear in every novel, there are a variety of sick twisted bad guys who are constantly trying to make Stephanie's life a nightmare. In this book, Stephanie has to put up with her cheating ex husband and his stalker girlfriend, Joyce, a psychopath with a flame thrower, and a taxidermist FTA who specializes in road kill bombs.

The Stephanie Plum series is hilarious to listen to. I find myself laughing out loud every time. I recommend listening to the audio version narrated by Lorelei King. She is so good you forget that when Ranger speaks, its a woman narrating!