Plum Lucky (Stephanie Plum: Between the Numbers)

Plum Lucky (Stephanie Plum: Between the Numbers)
by Janet Evanovich

Plum Lucky (Stephanie Plum: Between the Numbers)
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Book Summary Information

Author: Janet Evanovich
Edition: Hardcover
Format: Bargain Price
Published: 2008-01-08
ISBN: N/A
Number of pages: 176
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Book Reviews of Plum Lucky (Stephanie Plum: Between the Numbers)

Book Review: Plumb Unlucky
Summary: 2 Stars

Plumb Unlucky

Janet Evanovich meets her January 2008 deadline with Plum Lucky. This New York Times Best-selling author sells herself short with this release. Short on character, short on romance, short on mystery - perhaps she was short on time - Evanovich disrespects her audience of faithful readers by sending this nightmare to press. I've had dreams that were both more thrilling and more believable.

In Plum Lucky, Evanovich's characters are thinner than the pages on which they're printed. Evanovich has been writing about Stephanie Plum since 1994, and newer readers may have to venture backwards in order to learn who her characters really are and avoid being left wafting on a cloud of confusion.

Our protagonist, Stephanie Plum describes herself the same way this novel comes across, "a little boring and incredibly pale." Evanovich shies away from creating a real visual of Stephanie, a bounty hunter, by supplementing her description with the word "unexceptional." Stephanie has "shoulder-length, unexceptional, curly brown hair." It's questionable what this really means, and leaves Evanovich's readers' imaginations to make up for the writer's use of subjective language.

Despite her plain appearance, three hunky men adore Stephanie: her boyfriend, Joe Morelli; coworker, Ranger; and friend, Diesel. Stephanie's obvious lack of charm causes readers to wonder why three exceptional men are pursuing her. Does she possess a special un je ne se sais quoi? Douse herself in pheromones? Does her strong and stubborn demeanor leave men hoping to be the only one to whom she'll succumb? Or, is Stephanie the Xena: Warrior Princess of the bail bonds world and Evanovich failed to tell us? With so little said about our protagonist, our other characters barely merit mention.

In Plum Lucky, Stephanie Plum and her cohorts travel between Trenton and Atlantic City, New Jersey in a somewhat comedic rescue attempt of Grandma Mazur. Faced with certain predictable obstacles, including a shortage of cash, a lack of appropriate transportation and threats from the mob, Stephanie must save Grandma from the many perils of living in Jersey.

Stephanie's need to retrieve Grandma Mazur and return her to her home propels the story forward while certain unrealistic circumstances lead the reader to wonder if Grandma Mazur will make it back to Trenton alive. Mob boss, Lou Delvina, asserts regularly that he "really [wants] to shoot the old lady" and would even forego the ransom for such an opportunity.

Besides Grandma, Lou Delvina also kidnaps an injured racehorse named Doug. Regaining custody of the steed provides for the impossible feats of transporting and accommodating a full-size horse in a recreational vehicle, an elevator, and a one-bedroom apartment. Because her content is less than breath taking, Evanovich insists on literally taking one's breath away when she describes doug farting in the elevator. Anyone who has smelled a horse fart is surely holding his or her breath.

Mutated mobsters, heavy artillery, and leprechauns help to distract readers from the fact that this cozy is missing two essential elements: mystery and romance. Amidst the first twenty pages lies a great question - not a mystery, but the closest thing this novel offers: Where's Grandma? Unfortunately, opening Grandma Mazur's bedroom door and picking up the pamphlet for Daffy's Casino in Atlantic city provides an efficient and tidy answer. I have spent longer contemplating the lost socks in the dryer phenomenon than Stephanie Plum spent deducing Grandma Mazur's whereabouts.

The love square that Stephanie finds herself in adds more to the novella's classification as a romantic mystery novel than it does to the story itself. Stephanie's suitors - Morelli, Ranger, and Diesel - are all strong, handsome men who supply resources and come to her aid as needed, but fail to contribute to the breadth of the story. Instead, these three serve as a writer's convention for rescuing Stephanie from unconceivable situations and eliminating barriers to progress when Evanovich has written herself into a corner. In fact, the introduction of new characters to supply a need appears to be one of the most-used literary devices in Evanovich's repertoire.

Need a car? Enter Lula and her firebird. Need to house a horse? Enter the rarely mentioned Ranger and his own parking garage. Need to identify or locate a suspect? Enter Diesel, armed with a current case file that just so happens to correspond. Need romance? Well, you're not going to find that here.

Plum Lucky falls short of Evanovich's previous novels as her deadline, or her standards, appear to have interfered with her creative abilities. Character descriptions from previous novels could remedy the absence of character. A focus on Diesel as her "leading man" could fuel a reader's desire for romance. And the mystery? Perhaps it's time for a more leisurely schedule. Or time to fire the ghostwriter responsible for Plum Lucky.

-0-

Summary of Plum Lucky (Stephanie Plum: Between the Numbers)

Looking to get lucky?

Stephanie Plum is back between-the-numbers and she?s looking to get lucky in an Atlantic City hotel room, in a Winnebago, and with a brown-eyed stud who has stolen her heart.

Stephanie Plum has a way of attracting danger, lunatics, oddballs, bad luck . . . and mystery men. And no one is more mysterious than the unmentionable Diesel. He?s back and hot on the trail of a little man in green pants who?s lost a giant bag of money. Problem is, the money isn?t exactly lost. Stephanie?s Grandma Mazur has found it, and like any good Jersey senior citizen, she?s hightailed it in a Winnebago to Atlantic City and hit the slots. With Lula and Connie in tow, Stephanie attempts to bring Grandma home, but the luck of the Irish is rubbing off on everyone: Lula?s found a job modeling plus-size lingerie. Connie?s found a guy. Diesel?s found Stephanie. And Stephanie has found herself in over her head with a caper involving thrice-stolen money, a racehorse, a car chase, and a bad case of hives.

Plum Lucky is an all-you-can-eat buffet of thrills, chills, shrimp cocktail, plus-size underwear, and scorching hot men. It?s a between-the-numbers treat no Evanovich fan will want to miss! 

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