Notorious Nineteen by Janet EvanovichMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Synopsis:
"New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is certain of three truths: People don’t just vanish into thin air. Never anger old people. And don’t do what Tiki tells you to do.
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. . . ." -Goodreads.com
Review:
Continuing the disastrous fortune of Stephanie Plum, this book has a great mystery as Plum tries to figure how people are disappearing from the local hospital. Riddled with other little mysterious nuances, I found the book light, fun and a delightful read. Towards the middle, things started to become clear, and the mystery's conclusion felt predictable. I loved the zing of adding "Tiki" in the mix, as it created some sort of fun psycho atmosphere, haha! The situations Plum ends up in add good action and suspense as she encounters the tough, crazy, or just plain deadbeat side of society, as per her job entails.
"Even when I was a kid I had a knack for pushing the boundaries of common sense and normal behavior. I walked into the boys' bathroom in grade school because I was convinced I was invisible. I jumped off the roof of my parents' garage because I thought I could fly. And that was the tip of the iceberg.
And I'm still pushing boundaries, flopping around in water that's over my head. And here's the scary part that I wouldn't say out loud to anyone ...I'm a little addicted to it." (210)
Character-wise, I found everyone, old and new, to have great and distinctive personalities, which with this series, really make the book. Stephanie continues to be ever vigilant in catching her targets, her grandmother takes on the role of a saucy spy, Lula is her usual outgoing wild self, which I loved, and Morelli & Ranger to just get in the way. I know Ranger helps Plum out a lot throughout the book, but it's their relationship that I found got in the way. Neither Plum's relationship with Morelli, nor Ranger, seem to develop in this book. This unfortunately also means that the series as a whole didn't develop much, as there are no startling revelations that could impact anything in Plum's life. Morelli makes several references towards love and marriage, but truthfully with Plum still having some sort of feelings towards Ranger, I can't see that happening any time soon. In all, this book is a nice installment in the Plum series and should be a great read if your looking for a little adventure and fun.
First Line: " 'I don't know why we gotta sit here baking in your car in the midle of the day, in the middle of the summer, in the middle of this crummy neighborhood,' Lula said." (3)
Last Line: "I need a date." (302)
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Quotes
" 'Just remember who got you into the building,' briggs said. 'I want to be there when you get Cubbin. And I don't want to be left out of the television show either. Little people are sexy now. Have you seen Game of Thrones? We're hot.' " (154)
" 'Say what? I'm a 'ho, not Donald Trump. I don't got that kind of money. Would you be willing to hold a mortgage?'
'We should go now,' I said to Lula." (162)
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Kindle Edition, 320 pages
Published November 20th 2012 by Bantam
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