Review of Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich

From The Reporter (California) --

Hamlin: 'Plum Spooky' packs plenty of paperback weirdness --

By Brian Hamlin --
03/07/2010 --

When it comes to finding the best and brightest supermarket paperbacks, it's usually a good idea to steer clear of established, best-selling authors.



Sure, they usually can write quite well, but most of them are caught in a kind of comfort zone created by years of success and fat wads of cash. Somehow they lack the off-the-wall spontaneity that unexpectedly launches a supermarket paperback to the top of the rack.

Fortunately, there are exceptions to this rule, and best-selling author Janet Evanovich has proved it with "Plum Spooky" (2010, St. Martin's Press, New York, N.Y., $7.99, 246 Pages).

In this fast-paced tale of murder, monkeys and missiles, Evanovich pulls out all the stops as her longtime heroine, bail enforcement agent Stephanie Plum, once again takes to the mean streets of Trenton, N.J., to round up a few forgetful clients who have somehow failed to show up in court after making bail.

In "Plum Spooky," however, events take a decidedly weird turn -- again and again and again.

Plum's problems begin when she's assigned to track down a young doctor of quantum physics named Martin Munch, who jumped bail after being arrested for smacking his boss in the nose with a Dunkin' Donuts coffee mug and then absconding with a one-of-a-kind cesium vapor magnetometer.

Under normal circumstances -- of which there are blissfully none in "Plum Spooky" -- Stephanie would be able to corral the boy genius without even working up a sweat, but he proves elusive and leads her and her cohorts on a merry chase through New Jersey.

Her cohorts?

Hey, everybody needs friends and Stephanie's got plenty of them backing her up. There's Lula, a plus-sized former prostitute who packs a nickel-plated Glock; Diesel, an international man of mystery who hunts down evildoers he refers to as "unmentionables"; Ranger, an armed and dangerous security consultant; and Carl, an itinerant monkey who was unceremoniously dumped on Stephanie's doorstep by a former bail jumper who wanted to have some quality, nonprimate time on her honeymoon.

With a team like that working around the clock, it's hard to believe Munch isn't back in custody within the hour, but he's teamed up with a sinister guy named Gerwulf Grimoire, a ne'er-do-well who drives a black Ferrari and looks like a stereotypical, albeit somewhat handsome, vampire. The pair have fled into the wilds of the Jersey Pine Barrens, where it appears they're working on a diabolical experiment involving rockets, barium and a half-dozen captive monkeys with helmets on their heads.

In pursuit of the pair, Stephanie soon finds herself confronted by everything from the legendary Jersey Devil -- a kind of flying, killer horse from hell -- to hordes of Jeep-eating, incontinent raccoons, a shotgun-wielding Sasquatch and a retiree who's been trapped in a threadbare pink bunny suit for years because the costume's zipper is stuck.

Weird? You betcha.

Janet Evanovich may be an established, best-selling author, but she certainly isn't in a rut and "Plum Spooky" proves it.

BOOK GROUPIE: Fantasize and laugh with Stephanie Plum (Janet Evanovich)

From Colorado Springs The Gazette --

BOOK GROUPIE: Fantasize and laugh with Stephanie Plum --

February 27, 2009 - 6:58 PM --
ANITA MILLER, COLUMNIST --

If I ask you "Ranger or Morelli?" and you have a ready answer, you're already a Janet Evanovich fan. You know the author is best known for her Stephanie Plum mystery series featuring a screwball bounty hunter heroine. And you, like Evanovich's heroine, have probably pondered the merits of silent, mysterious Ranger and loyal, hunky Morelli.

If you aren't an Evanovich fan and you appreciate fast and fun reads, I encourage you to give the author a shot. Book clubs are also sure to enjoy a round with Evanovich. Many of her books offer discussion questions at the end, and her Web site includes a list of frequently asked questions.

Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series starts with "One for the Money" and blazes through to the most recently published book in the series, "Fearless Fourteen." And Evanovich is continuing with the series. The book she is currently working on is "Finger Lickin' Fifteen." I learned this during an e-mail interview with Evanovich.

I found her as entertaining an interviewee as she is an author. You can read much of the interview here. For the whole shebang, please visit my blog (address below), where the interview is posted.

Question: When you wrote "One for the Money" nearly 15 years ago, did you ever in your wildest dreams think the series would be so successful?

Answer: I never thought very far ahead in terms of success. I just wanted people to like my book and I hoped I could make enough money to buy new bathroom towels.

Q: Once you knew you had a successful series, was there anything you wished you could go back to the first books and change?

A: My name! Janet Evanovich is too long to write when there are 2,000 people waiting to get books signed.

Q: If you could go shopping with a character from any of your books, who would he/she be and where would you go?

A: It would be a liquor store with Ranger.

Q: There have been many times while reading your books that I have laughed out loud. Is there a scene or a chapter in any of your books that particularly cracked you up while you were writing it?

A: I liked when Grandma shot the roast chicken in the gumpy in book one.

Q: If Stephanie Plum were required to bake her way out of a dangerous situation, could she do it?

A: Only if it involved peanut butter.

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CONTACT THE WRITER: Anita Miller welcomes your book suggestions. Participate in her blog at anitalaydonmiller.blogspot.com or e-mail anita.l.miller@worldnet.att.net.

Audio Reviews: Publishers Weekly, 3/2/2009 (Janet Evanovich)

From Publishers Weekly --

Audio Reviews: Publishers Weekly, 3/2/2009 --

Plum Spooky Janet Evanovich, read by Lorelei King. Macmillan Audio, unabridged, seven CDs, 6.5 hrs., $34.95 ISBN 978-1-4272-0599-5

Klutzy bounty hunter Stephanie Plum teams up with mysterious Diesel and the monkey left on her doorstep to track down a nerdy genius and his sinister business partner in the depths of the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Lorelei King does her usual superlative job for the Evanovich oeuvre, adding juice and dimension to each wacky character. She deftly handles everyone, from bail bond receptionist Connie’s classic New Jersey accent and outrageous sidekick Lula’s brash outbursts to Ranger’s smooth purr (it’s amazing how he, as voiced by King, can make the word “babe” mean so many different things). The structures of Plum novels tend to be similar; it’s the laughs that keep readers coming back. King enhances the humor of this series, so much so that Evanovich fans should consider putting down that book and plugging in the CD player instead. A St. Martin’s Press hardcover (reviewed online). (Jan.)

Bounty hunter’s adventures continue in new Evanovich volume

From Nashville City Paper --

Bounty hunter’s adventures continue in new Evanovich volume --

By: Ron Wynn, rwynn@nashvillecitypaper.com --
Posted: Friday, March 6, 2009 --

Even in the crowded universe of mystery and crime fiction, Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum stands out as a distinctive and enticing figure.

Instead of being a cop or private detective, Plum’s trade is bounty hunting, which often puts her as much in conflict with the police as the subjects she’s tracking.

She has a family that can’t understand why their daughter hasn’t already settled down and had children, and wonder about the hours she works and the company she keeps. Add Plum’s romantic misadventures, which include one on-again, off-again boyfriend and another male comrade far more interested in her than vice versa, and it’s all fodder that’s helped Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series frequently top The New York Times’ best-seller lists.

Her newest entry Plum Spooky adds an extra ingredient, with the return of the enigmatic Diesel. Plum never knows when or where he will surface, and though he adores her, she doesn’t completely trust him. But now Diesel becomes her ally when Plum walks into what she thought was a simple bail jumping case, but instead evolves into a murky and dangerous investigation.

Martin Munch is a 24-year-old genius with a doctorate in quantum physics as well as some severe anger management problems. His continual battles with his lab project manager escalated into physical altercations, and Munch not only knocked the guy out, he broke his nose.

Since this looked like a rather simple assault situation with a probable fine and/or even possible probation or suspended sentence, no one anticipated that Munch wouldn’t show up for court. Instead, he’s chosen to flee, leaving Plum’s employer holding the tab for the bond.

Plum thinks this will be an easy case, because how tough can it be to run down a 24-year-old who’s never been in trouble before and probably doesn’t know anyone except other scientists?

But that assumption proves a bad one.

It turns out Munch had discovered something in the lab, and couldn’t get anyone to pay attention to him. So he’s taken his findings elsewhere, and is now squarely in the middle of something big and potentially life-changing. Plum soon finds herself battling a contract killer, camping out in a deserted New Jersey area, and frequently encountering Munch and his newly found friends in less than desirable circumstances.

As the story progresses, Plum draws closer in an odd way to Diesel, while also enlisting the help of some other favorite characters from past Evanovich novels like Lula, the tough-talking but resourceful part-time assistant and even her grandmother Mazur, the only family member who seems to get a kick out of Plum’s livelihood.

There’s a clever blend of action, humor, philosophy and pathos in Evanovich’s crime novels. Stephanie Plum doesn’t hesitate to use a gun or her fists when necessary, but can be sentimental or alluring when the occasion calls for that type of behavior.

She neither wants nor needs to be married, but enjoys companionship with males who see her as an equal rather than a competitor or a threat. Plum Spooky continues the adventures of a great character, though she sometimes will irritate or surprise as much as delight and enlighten.