The Plum series is a victim of its own success and I know it must be hard for an author to come up with something new whilst satisfying her readers with the zany situations and clever dialogue that have made Stephanie Plum so successful. That's why smart authors stop when they are on top, but Janet Evanovich has her whole family employed by Evanovich Inc, so I guess she has to keep churning out these books even if they aren't very good any more.
The editing in the latest Plum books is pitiful, and, while recycling might be good for the planet, with novels it should be restricted to the paper and not the plot and dialogue. Janet Evanovich is contracted through to Book No 16, so I hope 15 and 16 will be a substantial improvement on 14.
Fearless Fourteen is not a terrible book, but it is definitely no better than okay. There are some laughs, but it relies too much on old lines and situations which we've heard again and again. Everyone has become silly caricatures.
This book has a plot with totally ridiculous situations, but I'm used to that with the Plum series. I suspend belief and just go with the flow, enjoying Stephanie et al using clever devices and sheer luck to triumph, but it is very contrived this time. In 14 there's a bank robbery, missing millions, kidnapping, search for the millions by the ex-con and others, but the ending was very poor and I felt cheated. It was wrapped up in such a stupid way that if I hadn't borrowed the book from the library, I would have thrown it into the rubbish bin on the train in total disgust.
Stephanie is becoming more self centred, rude and much more difficult to like and Morellie was a total wuss which was so disappoiting.
Instead of reading Fearless Fourteen, try the Mojo Sheepshank books by Linda Lael Miller -
Deadly Gamble and
Deadly Deceptions. Both excellent books.
