I love the books because they're fun, funny and are shot through with a good bit of mayhem and mystery, and a little bit of romance.
Still, we're up to the 19th book in the series now, and I'm hoping Evanovich is drawing the story to a close.
In Notorious Nineteen Stephanie's latest mission is to track down Geoffrey Cubbins, who's gone missing from hospital. Cubbins is one of Trenton's most hated - as manager of a local care home he's stolen thousands and thousands from its elderly residents, who are on the warpath. Cubbins' disappearance, however, doesn't seem convenient.
Meanwhile, the tall, dark, handsome and mysterious Ranger has drafted Stephanie in to help him protect a long-term friend of his, who is getting married. Ranger and his friend are being threatened, and they think the threats are from a former Army buddy.
And, of course, Stephanie's still trying to figure out whether she wants to spend the rest of her life with hot cop Joe Morelli, or have fun with Ranger.
Notorious Nineteen has all the usual Evanovich highlights - a gaffe-prone Stephanie, a mystery that kept me guessing and a good dollop of danger.
As per usual, Lula had me in stitches, and the side story of the Tiki made me chuckle throughout. Grandma Mazur made a few appearances, but not nearly enough, and Stephanie's ability to land herself in strange situations and make 'friends' with the weirdest people never fails to amuse me.
But, after 19 books, I'm kind of ready for Stephanie to choose between Morelli and Ranger. While the mysteries in the last few books have been fun, they've not been nearly as fun as when the series started, and it's now all about Stephanie's Choice (yes, in capitals).
Evanovich is a great writer whose books make me laugh out loud - it's a rare writer who's good at writing funny. But I feel ready to move on now, and am hoping that the next book is the last. I'm largely with the series out of loyalty now (and for Lula and Stephanie's family). Oh, and if this series must carry on, perhaps the focus can move from Morelli/Stephanie/Ranger to Lula and Tank - they've always been hilarious.
I only read the first in the series, yet I do own a couple more that I should read. She is still undecided between the two men? Wow. I really should pick up the series again. Thanks for your review.
ReplyDelete-Dilettantish Reader
I think there's a lot of good to the series, but the last few books have been a bit repetitive in some ways. Don't worry though, you've got a while to go before the standard slips slightly!
DeleteSarah