Twelve Sharp (Stephanie Plum, No. 12) (Stephanie Plum Novels)
by Janet Evanovich
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Book Reviews of Twelve Sharp (Stephanie Plum, No. 12) (Stephanie Plum Novels)
Book Review: Best of the lot - finally Ranger is a person!
Summary: 5 Stars
I only just started reading the Plum novels, and not in order, but of the six or so I've finished, this is by far the best one. Instead of a cardboard horny gang member with an attitude, Ranger turns out to be a real - and really unusual - person. He's still got his hard-ass Special Forces persona, but we see way under it. We find out he gave his child up for adoption so she would have a better life than he could give her, that Julie resembles him in important ways, that even he can be overwhelmed by circumstances, and that he loves Stephanie (OK, so he says "emotionally involved"...but in the context of that paragraph, that's what he means). Yes, he keeps crawling into bed with her, but mostly because he needs someone to hold for comfort. I thought the whole book was genuinely suspenseful, which in turn made the slapstick interludes even funnier.
And wow, is the slapstick funny! Some of the other books try too hard - there's too much, it's too silly, and the narrative doesn't hold together. This one, though, avoids those problems - the humor builds around Sally's band as the tension builds in the increasingly desperate search for the little girl. The dinner scene with Steph trying to get her Dad out of the house before the band starts rehearsing - particularly Grandma Mazur imitating Mick Jagger - is priceless. (I just love Grandma Mazur, and it was interesting to see her contrasted with Ranger's Cuban grandmother - presumably the one who raised him through high school).
We get less character development with Joe, but still some: Morelli doesn't do his usual Maalox routine when Steph decides to meet Scrog - he's quietly supportive and asks her what she wants him to do. Stephanie's scenes with little Julie are very warm and sweet, despite the violence around them. I do wish Stephanie had been developed a little more, though - she does comfort Ranger in a couple spots, and finally tells Morelli she loves him, but given what Evanovich managed to do with Ranger's character, it could be better. The one problem with the book (in fact all of them) is that Stephanie never seems to learn anything - Evanovich develops male characters better than female ones. Can't be earnest or serious - that would kill the fun - but there ought to be something.
I do disagree with the voices claiming that Steph should just make up her mind between Morelli and Ranger - it is entirely possible to love more than one person at a time, particularly when both of them have wonderful qualities mixed with serious drawbacks. Morelli is dependable, responsible, and family oriented, but he's usually trying to get Steph to be quieter and more civilized. She'd hate that. Ranger, on the other hand, notices and tries to help develop her talent, but he apparently has some awful secret in his past that makes him unable to promise her anything more than sex. It's a good setup for a lot more story, and I'll be disappointed if Evanovich eventually wraps this up with some trite, Hallmark card-style solution. A three-cornered outcome of some sort would be much more interesting, particularly since Ranger and Morelli have become, well, not close friends, but complementary.
Anyway, still not Dorothy Sayers (if you're not familiar with her Lord Peter Wimsey crime novels, you're missing out), but hilarious, suspenseful, and worth a repeat reading.
Book Review: Twelve Sharp
Summary: 5 Stars
Stephanie Plum is back at it again. Sitting in the office at her cousin Vinnie's Bail Enforcement Agency, she is faced with a mountain of skips that need to be tracked down. Finally admitting that they might need some help, they decide to post a job offer to see if they can get another bounty hunter. Vinnie is off at a convention and Ranger has left to take care of his own business, leaving Stephanie and Lula, the ex-prostitute, to take over the slack.
Stephanie's life gets even more complicated when a woman claiming to be Ranger's wife shows up, waving a 9mm at Stephanie. Not sure how she feels about this new woman, Stephanie is determined to get to the bottom of this.
It seems that Ranger needs her now more than ever. He is being accused of a crime he didn't commit and needs Stephanie to help him track down the real culprit. Ranger's daughter has been kidnapped, and a man impersonating him is out to worm his way into Ranger's life, including his relationship with Stephanie. Just when things start to heat up with Ranger, Joe Morelli, Stephanie's on-again, off-again boyfriend decides to move in to her apartment to keep a closer eye on her.
Stephanie is a great character; she knows that nothing solves a problem quite like a dozen doughnuts! All of my favourite characters make an appearance in this latest in the Stephanie Plum novels. Sally Sweet is back in all his drag queen glory, and Grandma Mazur is out to terrorize the new owners of Stiva's Funeral Parlor. Add in the crazy antics of Stephanie and Lula as they chase down a variety of skips, including a man accused of whacking off in the movie theatre and a 70 year-old woman who works at an adult toy store and this is another crazy Plum adventure. Joe and Ranger are so very different and yet so very appealing, it is no wonder Stephanie has trouble choosing between them. A word of warning: If you don't want some very strange looks as you belly laugh and clutch your sides at the funny parts, you might want to read Twelve Sharp inside!! Add in some very steamy dialogue and this is a fantastic new addition from Janet Evanovich.
Shannon
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed
Book Review: One of the better books in the series - like meeting up with an old friend
Summary: 4 Stars
This is the kind of book that you're sorry when it's done because it was like being with an old friend again -- the plots in the series may take a massive suspension of disbelief, but Stephanie and her family and friends are full of life -- it's hard to believe that you couldn't go to Trenton and find them.
The story begins when a woman, who says she's Ranger's recently married wife, accosts Stephanie and tells her to stay away from her husband. Stephanie isn't with Ranger and isn't sure where he is -- he's in Miami, he says, but not answering his cell phone. This is unfortunate, because Stephanie is trying to reach him about this woman, who takes to stalking her.
All your favorite characters are here -- Grandma and her visits to the funeral home for viewings, Sally, Lulu in outrageous outfits, Morelli, Stephanie's parents... and there are some very funny scenes and lines. And a car or two come to harm, as always seems to happen when Stephanie's around. All great fun and a pretty good plot.
I do get tired, however, of Stephanie lusting after two men for what seems like decades. I realize that the author has enough sense to know that Stephanie can't get married and settle down, because somehow that just wouldn't work.
But Ranger is probably the least "real" of the characters in the book, and this would have been a chance to get to know him (the plot involves the kidnapping of his daughter). But all Ranger does is be the strong silent type when he isn't trying to get Stephanie into bed (and for more than sleeping!) A little less emphasis on the romance and a little more getting-to-know-Ranger and perhaps a somewhat more complicated plot would have helped.
For that reason, I could only give this four stars, although I found the book quite an enjoyable read anyway.
Book Review: DECISIONS, DECISIONS
Summary: 3 Stars
The tenacious trio, Joe Morelli, Stephanie Plum and Carlos Manoso (alias Ranger) are at it again. This time they are drawn into a case of kidnapping that hits a little too close to home. With adversaries including an irate wife and a Ranger wannabe the trio experiences a multitude of problems not the least of which are being tazered and/or shot at. As in all the previous Plum books, Stephanie's talents as a bounty hunter leave a lot to be desired as do her spontaneous declarations of love. Does her heart belong to Morelli or Manoso? The capricious Ms. Plum doesn't seem to be willing to commit for more than one night.
There is a little more meat on the bones of this story than in previous Plum offerings and we even get a little inside info on the life and times of the ever elusive Ranger. The continuing cast of eccentric characters like LuLu, the ex-hooker turned hunter....and part time cabaret singer and zany Grandma Mazur are, as usual, good for a few chuckles. Then there's Melvin a new employee at the agency. He's a bail jumping movie house perv upon whom Stephanie has taken pity. His personality is so over the top that you just know that he will end up being a continuing character in subsequent novels.
All in all, there are very few new developments in the life of the ambivalent Stephanie Plum. Individually and as a group she and her cohorts are, and continue to be, a bunch of wise cracking smart-asses with abilities so limited you wonder how they survive from day to day.
If you are seeking a thought provoking read, you're barking up the wrong tree. If, however, it's sheer mindless amusement you're after, you've definitely come to the right place.
Book Review: A Climax in the Series
Summary: 5 Stars
The return of Stephanie Plum, New Jersey's sassy and sexy bounty hunter in Twelve Sharp is a climax in the series. Stephanie is back to her fast filled FTA retrieval days when she gets a strange visitor, Carmen Manoso. Carmen is outfitted in head to toe black and carries a loaded gun, but her claim that she is married to Ranger is what really sets Stephanie off. Startled, Stephanie tries in vain to reach Ranger, but he is out of town. When Carmen is discovered executed and Ranger's daughter is kidnapped from Miami, Stephanie is at a complete loss. To make matters worse, Stephanie's archenemy Joyce Barnhardt has joined Vincent Plum Bail Bonds to help pick up some of the criminals at large. Stephanie is worried about Ranger, until he finally shows up at her door and they discover that someone is attempting to steal Rangers identity. Working together and living together with Ranger to try and catch a crazy man on the loose, helps provide some sexy moments. That is until the other man in Stephanie's life, Joe Morelli moves in as well. Trying to help rescue Ranger's daughter and control the tension in her life, Stephanie becomes bait for a killer. The suspense and action will have you panting until the very end, not to mention the sexy scenes. Janet Evanovich, as always also adds some laugh till you cry moments with some of our favorite characters. The storyline is one of the best, filled with the action and suspense yet perfectly paired with comic relief. Twelve Sharp is by far one of the best novels in the series. Valerie Jones [...]