Tuesday, July 25, 2017

BOOK REVIEW - FEARLESS FOURTEEN by JANET EVANOVICH - STEPHANIE PLUM # 14 - HEADLINE - CONTEMPORARY CRIME


By: Janet Evanovich
Published By: Headline
Released: Available Now
Details: Paperback from OP Shop find, 308 Pages

RATING: 4 SHENANIGAN STARS!

Blurb: Goodreads

Personal vendettas, hidden treasure, and a monkey named Carl will send bounty hunter Stephanie Plum on her most explosive adventure yet.


The Crime: Armed robbery to the tune of nine million dollars

Dom Rizzi robbed a bank, stashed the money, and did the time. His family couldn't be more proud. He always was the smart one.

The Cousin: Joe Morelli

Joe Morelli, Dom Rizzi, and Dom's sister, Loretta, are cousins. Morelli is a cop, Rizzi robs banks, and Loretta is a single mother waiting tables at the firehouse. The all-American family.

The Complications: Murder, kidnapping, destruction of personal property, and acid reflux

Less than a week after Dom's release from prison, Joe Morelli has shadowy figures breaking into his house and dying in his basement. He's getting threatening messages, Loretta is kidnapped, and Dom is missing.

The Catastrophe: Moonman

Morelli hires Walter "Mooner" Dunphy, stoner and "inventor" turned crime fighter, to protect his house. Morelli can't afford a lot on a cop's salary, and Mooner will work for potatoes.

The Cupcake: Stephanie Plum

Stephanie and Morelli have a long-standing relationship that involves sex, affection, and driving each other nuts. She's a bond enforcement agent with more luck than talent, and she's involved in this bank-robbery-gone-bad disaster from day one.

The Crisis: A favor for Ranger

Security expert Carlos Manoso, street name Ranger, has a job for Stephanie that will involve night work. Morelli has his own ideas regarding Stephanie's evening activities.

The Conclusion: Only the fearless should read Fourteen.

Thrills, chills, and incontinence may result.



BOOK REVIEW:
I’m gonna be up front and say this was probably the least favorite in the series for me, but I had a couple of laugh-out-loud moments, mainly to do with sub characters.

I enjoyed Fearless Fourteen enough to keep reading, but it was a bit stagnant all round with the Steph Plum formula.

Lula has always been my go to gal for the funniest sidekick, but this time round she plain annoyed me with her wedding plans for her completely made up wedding to Tank. I kinda got irritated; more than found it funny. There was a lot of eye rolling from me every time the topic came up.

Now the real funny came in the form of Mooner, Gary and Zook. Well, mainly Mooner and Gary—homegrown security. Bahahaha.



Mooner was already at the open living-room window when we walked into the room. He was holding a two-foot section of white PVC pipe that had a smaller pipe glued toward the base.

“Lieutenant Zook,” he said into a two-way attached to his shirt. “Are you in position?”

“Yessir, Captain,” Zook answered from the kitchen.

“Munitions Expert Gary, are you ready?”

“Yessir,” Gary said.

Gary was in the dining room, halfway between Mooner and Zook. He was wearing a utility belt that carried a can of hairspray, and a grill lighter. And he was holding a basket of potatoes. Tucked into the potato basket was a large bag of M&Ms and a large order of fast-food fries still in the cardboard container.

“It’s in case we need a shotgun.”

“Makes sense,”Lula said. And she turned and looked at me and made the crazy signal with her finger going around alongside her head.

Zook’s voice whispered over the two-way. “I got a bandit at two o’clock. I need a partial baked.”

Gary ran into the kitchen and handed Zook a potato. Zook dropped it into the PVC pipe and rammed it down. Gary sprayed hairspray into the pipe and jumped back. Zook pointed the spud gun out the door and phoonf!




Steph is still… well… Steph.



I shoved Morelli’s gun into the waistband of my jeans at the small of my back, and I stood beside Mooner and looked out the window. The gun was cold and hard and uncomfortable. I popped the snap on my jeans, but it didn’t help a lot. I removed the gun and shoved it under a couch cushion for safekeeping. It was a semi-automatic Glock, and I didn’t actually know how to use it, anyway.


This installment started off as an FTA, but somewhere along the way, Steph became more than a bounty hunter, making it her mission to solve police business.

There was a lot of OTT, more than usual with a monkey and panty eating Bob, Tank fainting and Brenda who was kind of a PITA of a side story.

Safe to say, least fave installment, but I didn’t give up… because I am addicted—regardless.

Ranger was sadly not his usual sexy self. #teamranger

Joe and Steph act more like a twenty year married couple when he isn’t wanting in her panties. Eh, these things happenWe did get more Joe airtime this installment.

Oh and Steph’s car didn’t blow up. Never thought I would miss her car blowing up.

Go figure.

14 books in and there isn't any growth in characters, they are all just the same. In 14 books I doubt anybody has aged. I mean how old are they after this many books? Going on story it is probably only six months down the track. 

I'm curious. 

Anyhoo, I'll be back. I can't seem to stay away.

I've still got two more OP shop finds with #15 and #16, so I shall power along.

#teamranger




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