Title: Fearless FourteenPersonal vendettas, hidden treasure, and a monkey named Carl will send bounty hunter Stephanie Plum on her most explosive adventure yet.
The Crime: Armed robbery to the tune of nine million dollars
Dom Rizzi robbed a bank, stashed the money, and did the time. His family couldn’t be more proud. He always was the smart one.
The Cousin: Joe Morelli
Joe Morelli, Dom Rizzi, and Dom’s sister, Loretta, are cousins. Morelli is a cop, Rizzi robs banks, and Loretta is a single mother waiting tables at the firehouse. The all-American family.
The Complications: Murder, kidnapping, destruction of personal property, and acid reflux
Less than a week after Dom’s release from prison, Joe Morelli has shadowy figures breaking into his house and dying in his basement. He’s getting threatening messages, Loretta is kidnapped, and Dom is missing.
The Catastrophe: Moonman
Morelli hires Walter “Mooner” Dunphy, stoner and “inventor” turned crime fighter, to protect his house. Morelli can’t afford a lot on a cop’s salary, and Mooner will work for potatoes.
The Cupcake: Stephanie Plum
Stephanie and Morelli have a long-standing relationship that involves sex, affection, and driving each other nuts. She’s a bond enforcement agent with more luck than talent, and she’s involved in this bank-robbery-gone-bad disaster from day one.
The Crisis: A favor for Ranger
Security expert Carlos Manoso, street name Ranger, has a job for Stephanie that will involve night work. Morelli has his own ideas regarding Stephanie’s evening activities.
The Conclusion: Only the fearless should read Fourteen.
Thrills, chills, and incontinence may result.
Author: Janet Evanovich
Series: Stephanie Plum, Book 14
Start & Finished: 6/21/08
Published: 2008
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pages: 320 (Hardcover)
Genre: Contemporary Romance/Comedy
Janet Evanovich's fourteenth book in her award-winning Stephanie Plum Number series,
called aptly enough Fearless Fourteen, starts off another adventure with Jersey’s best amateur bounty hunter. A long-time romance author, Ms. Evanovich was inspired by the movie Midnight Run to try her hand at adventure romance and the rest is history. Her Plum series is always on the bestseller list, they’ve been optioned for a film, and she’s become one of the most recognizable names of contemporary romance today.
Being a Stephanie Plum novel, as a dedicated reader of the series, I’ve come to expect the laugh-out-loud quirkiness of the characters and the plot but what I didn’t expect was to find Plum’s latest story to be a little formulaic. Simply put, it just wasn’t as good as I have come to expect from Janet Evanovich.
Since I have read all of the other books in the series (including
the between-the-numbers books), it could very well be me because I’m probably just getting tired of this stand-off that Stephanie is doing between Ranger and Morelli. I like them both just about as equally as she does but it’s been time to go one way or the other for some time now and I think many readers agree with me. Or at the very least, I think she should do something different because I have a feeling that if the author has to choose between guys, the series could very well end. I think I enjoy the characters too much to give it up! However, if I had read this book by itself without having read all of the other Numbers first, I might have enjoyed it a lot and not experienced the let down I felt when it was over.
I'm not really sure what to say about Fearless Fourteen. I liked it, I like every Stephanie Plum book, I just didn't think it was quite as good as some of the earlier ones (no cars were blown up for one!). I also felt like it was way too short but it was still funny and even if it could have benefited if it had had more of Ranger in it, reading about Stephanie and Morelli having to play parents to Morelli's nephew since his mother got kidnapped was pretty funny. Oh and Grandma Mazur only had a few tiny scenes too. True, Janet Evanovich is one of the most popular writers alive but this read a lot like a cheap paperback and I know for a fact she's better than that. No more laziness Ms. Evanovich, we want a better story next time!Stephanie Plum Series: One for the Money, Two for the Dough, Three to Get Deadly, Four to Score, High Five, Hot Six, Seven Up, Hard Eight, To the Nines, Ten Big Ones, Eleven on Top, Twelve Sharp, Lean Mean Thirteen, Fearless Fourteen
Between the Numbers: Visions of Sugar Plums, Plum Lovin’, Plum Lucky
Links: Author & Book (Wikipedia), Fan Page (Fanpop), Fan Group (MySpace)
Interview: Book Page & The Today Show (video)
Picture Explanations
Rex-Stephanie's hamster
Apartment Fire- While staking out Jelly's apartment (and using his bathroom) the apartment explodes
Potato- Morelli hired Mooner to keep away the treasure seekers, he uses a potato launcher to do so.
Collage-a collage of all things Plum
I have this one in my tbr pile, but I have to read 1-13 first.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that after 16? books, Stephanie needs to decide between Joe & Ranger soon. It's getting frustrating...as was the lack of Ranger in #14. I would totally pick Ranger.
ReplyDeleteSerena: My mom finally talked me into reading this series right before the 12th one came out and I devoured 1-11 in about a week lol. This really did used to be a wonderful series (it's still good, just not as good) so I hope you get to read them soon!
ReplyDeleteMo: Mmm, I just love Ranger but I don't really think Stephanie and him would be well-suited in the long run :( I just think Evanovich doesn't want to give him up and to be honest, neither do I!
I'm not familiar with this author, but that's too bad...it's always sad when a series you enjoy ends up disappointing you.
ReplyDeleteYou are on 14! I'm just on two...maybe three...lol! I can't remember, but I know it's no where close to you. (lol)
ReplyDeletewow 14! I read the first 2 years ago, and liked them.
ReplyDeleteGreat review!
http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/
I stopped at #9. It just seemed like it was time to wrap up, at that point. You can only milk these things for so long before the subject matter becomes stale, IMHO.
ReplyDeleteNymeth: I know, and yet it usually happens anyway *sigh*
ReplyDeleteJ. Kaye: Lol. I have a problem with being patient. I find a series I like, I have to devour them all... usually in one sitting (and this includes TV shows too).
Naida: I think 2 years ago was when I picked them up for the first time too...
Bookfool: I can't remember which story was #9. They all start to run together for me at some point...
This is the first year in awhile I haven't raced to the bookstore to buy a copy of the latest Plum book as soon as it comes out. I'm waiting for the paperback or my book club copy (it's on my Zooba list) to come in the mail, whichever comes first. It's a fun series, but the 13th book just didn't hit the same satisfying spot that the ones before it did.
ReplyDeleteWendy: I think I actually let it sit awhile after I bought it before I read it. Then I had to send it to my mom. I don't think she enjoyed it as much either and she's the one who introduced me to the series.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read anything by this author before. I always see the books on display at the book store, but I've never picked one up.
ReplyDelete--Anna
Diary of an Eccentric
I ended up listening to this one, rather than reading it because I knew it would take me forever to get to and I REALLY wanted to read it. I really enjoyed it. I have read all of the series (including the in betweens) and really enjoy the series. I have listened to 3 of them in total and it was fun to hear all of the accents to match the characters, lol.
ReplyDeleteAnna: Her first maybe 11 books are incredible! I hope you get to try them one day.
ReplyDeleteApril: I might just have to go the audio book route myself next time. I use them every once and awhile but never thought to use them with the Plum books since I can read them fairly quickly. I bet the voices would have helped bring it alive even better!
I didn't think there was enough Grandma Mazur in this one.
ReplyDelete