Plum Lucky [Paperback]

In this Between the Numbers novella, Stephanie Plum teams up once more with the eerily supernatural character Diesel. Diesel is hunting a man who thinks he is a leprechaun and who can communicate with animals a la Doctor Doolittle.

In the meantime Stephanie is hunting Grandma Mazur, who after having found a duffel bag full of money has gone on the lam to Atlantic City to play the slots.

This is a predictable trot through the usual Evanovich themes. Because this is a between the numbers, Ranger and Morelli only get a mention and the action focuses on the peripheral figures of the main novels.

I quite like the between the numbers series, but it is frustrating that the supernatural stuff is clearly never going to be explained, and as enjoyable as these may be to write, the conceit here is wearing a little thin. This is a slim volume and will take a couple of hours to trot through at most, which is the other thing I find tricky. Paying the same price for one of these as for one of the regular Plum outings seems a little unfair when you get considerably less novel for your money.

As a die hard fan, however much I grumble I'm always going to read them and I guess that's where she's got you. If you have stuck with Evanovich this long you're going to be reading it whatever. And don't get me wrong, it's still amusing and ticks all the Plum boxes, just not for very long.

If you don't already know, there are two types of stories about Stephanie Plum, Trenton's most discombobulated bounty hunter of those out on bail who fail to show up in court when scheduled. The better ones are full novels and involve a number in the title (there are 13 to date with a 14th in the wings). The less good ones are novellas called "Between-the-Numbers" novels. Plum Lucky is one of the latter.

If you haven't read any of the books before, Ms. Evanovich does a fine job of bringing in the background in the first ten pages or so. Feel free to start here . . . although you won't like it as much as if you start with One for the Money and proceed through the numbers from there.

Grandma Mazur (Stephanie's man-loving, good-time-seeking older relative) is first seen fighting off a man who is trying to take a shopping bag away from her. Before long, grandma is gone and Stephanie's long-suffering mom wants her mother found. The trail soon leads to a casino in Atlantic City where Grandma Mazur is living it up, senior citizen style. That seemingly straightforward story is soon complicated by an injured race horse that needs a home, a Mob baron who looks more toad-like every day, and a marriage that needs repairing. With Lulu exploring her super model potential, Diesel looking to find a missing man who thinks he's a leprechaun, Connie taking target practice, and Stephanie trying to bring grandma home, it's a wild, but brief, ride.

The frenetic story has a predictability to it that makes potential humor a ho-hum affair in many cases. In addition, there's little interaction with either Joe Morelli (her main squeeze) or Ranger (her sometimes wannabe squeeze). Although there's a little sexual tension between Stephanie and Diesel, the huge finder of smart people who don't want to be found, it's just not the same as when Morelli and Ranger are raising Stephanie's hormones.

If you cannot survive until the next full-blown Plum, this one will do. But don't expect to be thrilled. Instead, you'll be looking for the action surprise on every page. William Faulkner used to put one remarkable sentence on every page that kept you reading closely. Janet Evanovich in Plum Lucky throws a major comic plot development onto every page. It's like reading a serial that changes episodes every 30 seconds.

If you like St. Patrick's Day, you might find you'd enjoy this book if you first drank some green beer and then settled down with Plum Lucky.

I know this was a between the numbers book, but I was really hoping for more original material. Die-hard fans will probably overlook the typical blown up cars, the crazy antics of some of the characters, and the usual, predictable humor. I gave the series one more shot, but it's time to move on. No character growth here, at all. Just the same old story with a different cover and title. Some people might say that you should take these books at face value and go with the flow, but these books cost far too much to keep plunking down big dollars for repeat performances. Add to that the fact that this book is only 166 pages and 24 pages shorter than Plum Lovin, and I feel cheated. Diesel was cute, and Lula was fun--glad to see she finally had some good fortune come her way! I'm keeping Twelve Sharp on my shelf--Evanovich had SO much potential with that book to build upon, so what happened?--and I'm packing everything else away and moving on. It was fun while it lasted but, as they say, all good things... Pity. I'd recommend reading Tino Georgiou's bestselling novel--The Fates--if you haven't yet!