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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Should have been called FOURTEEN GREEN as this was recycled from earlier books, 10 July 2008
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.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
I volunteer to take care of Rex, 25 July 2008
When I was young(er) and foolish, I wouldn't even consider buying a used book. Now that I'm acquiring the wisdom of age and the price of food and gas is escalating, virtually all the books I purchase are second-hand. And FEARLESS FOURTEEN is the poster example of why not to waste good money on a pristine, new copy.
Reading any newest release in the Stephanie Plum series is like eating at the Golden Arches; you always know what you're going to get. But even McDonald's has been known to make radical changes (like offering politically correct healthful salads - to my mind, Yuk!, but that's just me). Author Janet Evanovich apparently doesn't know the meaning of the word "constructive change" and, in the case of this installment, has even lost the concept of "quality". Granted, she must be under enormous pressure from her publisher to keep churning out the Plum adventures, but it could be argued that she just slopped this one out any old way to meet a deadline. It may be time for JE to move on. I know that I am; WHATEVER FIFTEEN won't make it onto my Wish List, new or used, for any price. Free, maybe.
Here, we have the usual regulars of Stephanie, Ranger, Morelli, Lula and Grandma Mazur supplemented by the this-show-only guest cast of eccentric characters. But it didn't really hit me how absurdly silly this recipe has gotten until Zook and Mooner began blasting people with their home-made potato cannon. Moreover, the ending was absolutely flat. And, as has been mentioned by at least one other reviewer, where did the two amputated toes come from?
Plum's career as an accident-prone nabber of bail skippers and her dysfunctional love life only have appeal against a contrasting backdrop of relative normality, even if it's Trenton, NJ normality. But when the context and supporting props of her adventure become as ridiculously slapstick as Stephanie herself, she gets lost in it.
At one point in FEARLESS FOURTEEN, Stephanie asks Morelli to promise to take care of Rex, her pet hamster, should anything happen to her. Oh, please, put a merciful end to Plum now and I'll volunteer to take care of Rex forever.
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18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Don't bother...honestly!, 19 Jun 2008
All I can say about this book really is if you REALLY want to read it, borrow it from a friend or the library, don't pay for it. I've got every single Stephanie Plum book, but I won't be buying anymore.
Why? The plot, well it's not really there, it's muddled at best. It feels flat and worn out. There's no real character development. It feels as if Evanovich is lost and doesn't know where she's going with the series so is just stalling for time. The characters have seriously lost their sparkle and quirks, they're now over exaggerated and makes them stupid caricatures rather than likeable amusing characters.
There's lots of reviews on amazon.com (as opposed to co.uk)and it's a struggle to find many positive ones!
Ms. Evanovich, I think it's actually damn right disrespectul to make fans wait so long for such utter drivel and then expect them to pay for it.
Anybody who wants a real fix of Plum action, I suggest you try fan fiction!!
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