Author: Janet Evanovich
Publisher: Bantam
Publication Date: November 2016
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible
Description: In the heart of Trenton, N.J., a killer is out to make sure someone gets his just desserts.
Larry Virgil skipped out on his latest court date after he was arrested for hijacking an eighteen-wheeler full of premium bourbon. Fortunately for bounty hunter Stephanie Plum, Larry is just stupid enough to attempt almost the exact same crime again. Only this time he flees the scene, leaving behind a freezer truck loaded with Bogart ice cream and a dead body—frozen solid and covered in chocolate and chopped pecans.
As fate would have it, Stephanie’s mentor and occasional employer, Ranger, needs her to go undercover at the Bogart factory to find out who’s putting their employees on ice and sabotaging the business. It’s going to be hard for Stephanie to keep her hands off all that ice cream, and even harder for her to keep her hands off Ranger. It’s also going to be hard to explain to Trenton’s hottest cop, Joe Morelli, why she is spending late nights with Ranger, late nights with Lula and Randy Briggs—who are naked and afraid—and late nights keeping tabs on Grandma Mazur and her new fella. Stephanie Plum has a lot on her plate, but for a girl who claims to have “virtually no marketable skills,” these are the kinds of sweet assignments she does best.
My Thoughts: Another installment of Stephanie Plum and company and this series has run its course for me in terms of story-lines and character growth and development. I don’t see much more for Stephanie in terms of career opportunities or her relationships. What keeps me coming back is the mindless fluff this series provides for me. Hours of entertainment whereby I can enjoy a laugh out loud story without worrying about the details or if the story-line remains consistently accurate to the rest of the series.
I also keep coming back for Ranger, of course. Why he keeps coming back is beyond me, but I am glad he does. He has no problem conveying to Stephanie that he wants her in his bed, but for the umpteenth time, Stephanie manages to avoid temptation. I honestly don’t know why she puts up a fight. Joe Morelli is a decent guy, but their entire relationship has become boring to me. I know he loves her, but sometimes he comes across as a little condescending when he’s interacting with her. We all know Stephanie is a hot mess and the fact that she is still alive is beyond miraculous, but if I could see Joe, I suspect he is eye rolling to the extreme and, God Forbid, patting her on the head like she’s some precocious child that we tolerate because she’s adorable. Ranger is there for her. He lets her crash at his place when it isn’t safe for her at her own, he doesn’t mind when she wears his t-shirts or uses his shower gel, and he looks out for her, literally. He has her wired with GPS in just about every place you can think of. OK, that sounds a little stalkerish and is probably illegal to track someone’s whereabouts without their permission, but come on, she needs a freaking babysitter!
I also come back for Grandma Mazur. She can always be counted on to keep Stephanie and her mother on their toes. Their problem is they underestimate her so when she does something zany, they freak out. Honestly, they should be expecting the unexpected where Grandma Mazur is concerned. At least that way, they won’t be shocked or upset when she pulls one of her stunts.
I enjoyed the addition of Randy Briggs in this installment. He is usually a reprehensible character and that hasn’t changed really, but his interaction with Lula in their quest to become movie stars was highly entertaining.
My Final Verdict: If you are deep into this series, character growth and fresh storylines are expected and should be the rule. The storyline for this installment was pretty interesting with Stephanie helping Ranger, which also helps herself. As we find out, the ice-cream business can be pretty cut-throat. Fans of the series should enjoy the interesting plot, but don’t expect anything else new in terms of any resolutions to Stephanie’s same old, same old situation.
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