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To the Nines  
Author: Janet Evanovich
ISBN: 0312991460
Format: Handover
Publish Date: June, 2005
 
     
     
   Book Review


From Publishers Weekly
Narrator King somehow makes the crazy, comic antics of Evanovich's irresistible bond agent, Stephanie Plum, seem almost rational in this fine audio adaptation. The story opens with the outrageous apprehension of a nude, Vaseline-coated fugitive by Stephanie and her plus-sized, ex-hooker, "sometimes partner" Lula. Soon after, Stephanie sets off on the trail of Samuel Singh, an illegal immigrant who apparently fled a Visa bond and his fiancee. With plenty of prior experience narrating Evanovich titles (Hard Eight, etc.), King has no trouble highlighting the eccentricities of the author's invariably quirky cast of characters, as well as the ongoing romantic triangle between Stephanie, her sexy partner Ranger and Joe, a Trenton cop with whom she shares a "long, strange history." Evanovich's quick-witted, sarcastic and often raunchy dialogue takes the edge off the story's suspense, but King's chameleon voice and ease with accents make this a lively listening experienceCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
Evanovich once again delivers an entertaining mystery in the blunt, wisecracking voice of working-class New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum. Unfortunately, Lorelei King's interpretation makes Plum sound smooth, seductive, and upper crust. Fortunately, the writing--funny and compelling--will reward readers able to listen past the off-key narration. Cousin Vinnie, a bail-bondsman, sends Plum in search of a missing immigrant, but the tables are turned when sedative-laced darts, mysteriously delivered flowers, and creepy email messages make it clear that Plum has become the prey in a strange, deadly game. Lust, love, and family dysfunction break up the steadily intensifying tension with humor. TO THE NINES deserves a more suitable reader. E.S. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Booklist
*Starred Review* Stephanie Plum is a Jersey Girl, a bounty hunter, and a resident of a part of Trenton where you can still go to Mom's for dinner and your cop boyfriend Morelli's grandmother has visions that include you in a coffin. Stephanie is on the trail of an Indian contract worker named Singh who disappeared when his visa was up. When she interviews a McDonald's employee who knew him, he's shot as she stands there. Then rose-and-carnation bouquets with very sinister notes start appearing in Stephanie's apartment and in her e-mail, and a few more bodies turn up with bullet holes. Meanwhile, Stephanie's sister, Valerie, is about to give birth; her sidekick, Lula, goes on the loudest diet ever written; and a trip to Vegas--yes, it's business--involves both Elvis and Tom Jones impersonators. Evanovich, and Stephanie, are at the top of their form here: laugh-out loud moments jostle with sticky, visceral terror; Stephanie's mentor, Ranger, and Morelli don't so much vie for her favors as bestow them in turn. Ever smarter, funnier, sexier, scarier. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Review
"Evanovich's many fans will be more than happy with their latest serving of Stephanie Plum who just happens to have more laughs, more sizzling sexual tension, and more nonstop zany adventure than anybody else around."-Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Evanovich and Stephanie are at the top of their form here: laugh-out loud moments jostle with sticky, visceral terror...ever smarter, sexier, scarier."-Booklist (starred review)

"It didn't matter diddly if you haven't read Nos. 1 through 8 of the Plum saga. Start right here, right now. This is the best of the bunch...it's pure Evanovich."-The State (Columbia, SC)

"Evanovich comes up a winner with the funny, fast-paced To the Nines, which has more plot than some of its predecessors...[its]subplots don't detract from the main premise-keeping Stephanie Plum alive, well and more than ready for her next outing. Us too."-Orlando Sentinel

"To the Nines may be the edgiest of the Stephanie Plum books...Evanovich is brilliantly evocative...she has a genius for almost palpably recreating low-rent scenery like [the] description of the Indian man's industrial-park workplace...these miniatures...and the sizzling sex scenes strike such a wonderfully Hitchcock-like implicitness [and] are what make the Stephanie Plum books such a treat for sore eyes."-Denver Post

"The fun is right on target in the 10th Stephanie Plum adventure, To the Nines...Evanovich returns year after year with one of the genre's most recognizable and irresistible heroines, and in this year's addition, shows she has what it takes to stay on top."-Houston Chronicle

"Continues Evanovich's standards for over-the-top situations...an enjoyable read, with many laugh-out-loud situations...the 'apprehension' that begins To the Nines is the kind of lowbrow comedy that Evanovich has made into an art...longtime fans won't be disappointed."
-Las Vegas Review Journal

"Few characters in modern mystery fiction are better loved than Janet Evanovich's...the Stephanie Plum novels are all about characters...and their strange and wonderful interactions. Longtime Evanovich readers cite humor and sense of family among the reasons for reading her books, and I concur wholeheartedly."-Bookpage

"The appeal of Janet Evanovich's popular creation is that she's not much better than the average Jersey girl would be at nabbing criminals...the charms of Evanovich's writing have less to do with intricate plotting than with the characters in Stephanie's working-class neighborhood and her glamour-free job apprehending bail jumpers."-Entertainment Weekly



Review
"Evanovich's many fans will be more than happy with their latest serving of Stephanie Plum who just happens to have more laughs, more sizzling sexual tension, and more nonstop zany adventure than anybody else around."-Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Evanovich and Stephanie are at the top of their form here: laugh-out loud moments jostle with sticky, visceral terror...ever smarter, sexier, scarier."-Booklist (starred review)

"It didn't matter diddly if you haven't read Nos. 1 through 8 of the Plum saga. Start right here, right now. This is the best of the bunch...it's pure Evanovich."-The State (Columbia, SC)

"Evanovich comes up a winner with the funny, fast-paced To the Nines, which has more plot than some of its predecessors...[its]subplots don't detract from the main premise-keeping Stephanie Plum alive, well and more than ready for her next outing. Us too."-Orlando Sentinel

"To the Nines may be the edgiest of the Stephanie Plum books...Evanovich is brilliantly evocative...she has a genius for almost palpably recreating low-rent scenery like [the] description of the Indian man's industrial-park workplace...these miniatures...and the sizzling sex scenes strike such a wonderfully Hitchcock-like implicitness [and] are what make the Stephanie Plum books such a treat for sore eyes."-Denver Post

"The fun is right on target in the 10th Stephanie Plum adventure, To the Nines...Evanovich returns year after year with one of the genre's most recognizable and irresistible heroines, and in this year's addition, shows she has what it takes to stay on top."-Houston Chronicle

"Continues Evanovich's standards for over-the-top situations...an enjoyable read, with many laugh-out-loud situations...the 'apprehension' that begins To the Nines is the kind of lowbrow comedy that Evanovich has made into an art...longtime fans won't be disappointed."
-Las Vegas Review Journal

"Few characters in modern mystery fiction are better loved than Janet Evanovich's...the Stephanie Plum novels are all about characters...and their strange and wonderful interactions. Longtime Evanovich readers cite humor and sense of family among the reasons for reading her books, and I concur wholeheartedly."-Bookpage

"The appeal of Janet Evanovich's popular creation is that she's not much better than the average Jersey girl would be at nabbing criminals...the charms of Evanovich's writing have less to do with intricate plotting than with the characters in Stephanie's working-class neighborhood and her glamour-free job apprehending bail jumpers."-Entertainment Weekly



Review
"Evanovich's many fans will be more than happy with their latest serving of Stephanie Plum who just happens to have more laughs, more sizzling sexual tension, and more nonstop zany adventure than anybody else around."-Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Evanovich and Stephanie are at the top of their form here: laugh-out loud moments jostle with sticky, visceral terror...ever smarter, sexier, scarier."-Booklist (starred review)

"It didn't matter diddly if you haven't read Nos. 1 through 8 of the Plum saga. Start right here, right now. This is the best of the bunch...it's pure Evanovich."-The State (Columbia, SC)

"Evanovich comes up a winner with the funny, fast-paced To the Nines, which has more plot than some of its predecessors...[its]subplots don't detract from the main premise-keeping Stephanie Plum alive, well and more than ready for her next outing. Us too."-Orlando Sentinel

"To the Nines may be the edgiest of the Stephanie Plum books...Evanovich is brilliantly evocative...she has a genius for almost palpably recreating low-rent scenery like [the] description of the Indian man's industrial-park workplace...these miniatures...and the sizzling sex scenes strike such a wonderfully Hitchcock-like implicitness [and] are what make the Stephanie Plum books such a treat for sore eyes."-Denver Post

"The fun is right on target in the 10th Stephanie Plum adventure, To the Nines...Evanovich returns year after year with one of the genre's most recognizable and irresistible heroines, and in this year's addition, shows she has what it takes to stay on top."-Houston Chronicle

"Continues Evanovich's standards for over-the-top situations...an enjoyable read, with many laugh-out-loud situations...the 'apprehension' that begins To the Nines is the kind of lowbrow comedy that Evanovich has made into an art...longtime fans won't be disappointed."
-Las Vegas Review Journal

"Few characters in modern mystery fiction are better loved than Janet Evanovich's...the Stephanie Plum novels are all about characters...and their strange and wonderful interactions. Longtime Evanovich readers cite humor and sense of family among the reasons for reading her books, and I concur wholeheartedly."-Bookpage

"The appeal of Janet Evanovich's popular creation is that she's not much better than the average Jersey girl would be at nabbing criminals...the charms of Evanovich's writing have less to do with intricate plotting than with the characters in Stephanie's working-class neighborhood and her glamour-free job apprehending bail jumpers."-Entertainment Weekly



Book Description
Stephanie Plum's got rent to pay, people shooting at her, and psychos wanting her dead every day of the week (much to the dismay of her mother, her family, the men in her life, the guy who slices meat at the deli...oh, the list goes on). An ordinary person would cave under the pressure.

But hey, she's from Jersey.

Stephanie Plum may not be the best bounty hunter in beautiful downtown Trenton, but she's pretty darn good at turning bad situations her way...and she always gets her man. In
To The Nines, her cousin Vinnie (who's also her boss) has posted bail on Samuel Singh, an immigrant who becomes an illegal alien by violating his Visa and extending his stay in the United States. When the elusive Mr. Singh goes missing, Stephanie is on the case. But what she uncovers is far more sinister than anyone imagines and leads to a group of killers who give new meaning to the word "hunter..."

In a race against time that takes her from the Jersey Turnpike to the Vegas strip, Stephanie Plum is on the chase of her life.



From the Inside Flap
Praise for To The Nines
"Evanovich's many fans will be more than happy with their latest serving of Stephanie Plum who just happens to have more laughs, more sizzling sexual tension, and more nonstop zany adventure than anybody else around."-Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Evanovich and Stephanie are at the top of their form here: laugh-out loud moments jostle with sticky, visceral terror...ever smarter, sexier, scarier."-Booklist (starred review)

"It didn't matter diddly if you haven't read Nos. 1 through 8 of the Plum saga. Start right here, right now. This is the best of the bunch...it's pure Evanovich."-The State (Columbia, SC)

"Evanovich comes up a winner with the funny, fast-paced To the Nines, which has more plot than some of its predecessors...[its]subplots don't detract from the main premise-keeping Stephanie Plum alive, well and more than ready for her next outing. Us too."-Orlando Sentinel

"To the Nines may be the edgiest of the Stephanie Plum books...Evanovich is brilliantly evocative...she has a genius for almost palpably recreating low-rent scenery like [the] description of the Indian man's industrial-park workplace...these miniatures...and the sizzling sex scenes strike such a wonderfully Hitchcock-like implicitness [and] are what make the Stephanie Plum books such a treat for sore eyes."-Denver Post

"The fun is right on target in the 10th Stephanie Plum adventure, To the Nines...Evanovich returns year after year with one of the genre's most recognizable and irresistible heroines, and in this year's addition, shows she has what it takes to stay on top."-Houston Chronicle

"Continues Evanovich's standards for over-the-top situations...an enjoyable read, with many laugh-out-loud situations...the 'apprehension' that begins To the Nines is the kind of lowbrow comedy that Evanovich has made into an art...longtime fans won't be disappointed."
-Las Vegas Review Journal

"Few characters in modern mystery fiction are better loved than Janet Evanovich's...the Stephanie Plum novels are all about characters...and their strange and wonderful interactions. Longtime Evanovich readers cite humor and sense of family among the reasons for reading her books, and I concur wholeheartedly."-Bookpage

"The appeal of Janet Evanovich's popular creation is that she's not much better than the average Jersey girl would be at nabbing criminals...the charms of Evanovich's writing have less to do with intricate plotting than with the characters in Stephanie's working-class neighborhood and her glamour-free job apprehending bail jumpers."-Entertainment Weekly

Hard Eight
"Evanovich does it again, delivering an even more suspenseful and more outrageous turn with the unstoppable Stephanie."-Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"The things Evanovich does so well-family angst, sweet eroticism, stealth shopping, that stunning mix of terror and hilarity-are done better than ever here."-Booklist (starred review)

"Keeps up Evanovich's standards for over-the-top situations" -Chicago Tribune

"[A] must read...readers will want to finish this delightful work in one sitting."--Midwest Book Review

"The girl mercenary is as fresh as ever." -People

"Hard Eight is most emphatically not Raymond Chandler but, like his work, a piece of finely crafted prose." -San Francisco Chronicle

"Plum is one of fiction's most irresistible heroines."-Seattle Post Intelligencer

"Evanovich has certainly come a long way since One for the Money."--Library Journal

"Well plotted and cleverly resolved...her wickedly funny characterizations and the intriguing love triangle are what keep her readers coming back for more."-Bookpage

"As close to summer escapism as you can get. A great addition to a well-stocked beach bag."
-Houston Chronicle

Seven Up
"A madcap comic mystery-Jersey-girl style."-The New York Times

"Expect a laugh per page...Bottom line: Plum Pick."-People

"If you like your summer reads hot and sassy, try SEVEN UP."-Boston Herald

"Evanovich is the crown princess of detective fiction...SEVEN UP is brassy, comical, and light-hearted."-Bookpage

"Edgy romance triangle, the loopy family relationships, or the bounty-hunting jobs that skate between absurdity and genuine tension."-Denver Post

"Romantic and laugh-out-loud funny, this caper is the perfect summer antidote to serious reading."-St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"The dialogue's snappy...the pace is quick...Evanovich's great gift is an ability to create situations zany enough to provoke bursts of laughter."-Philadelphia Inquirer

"Evanovich continues...her successful formula...[she] provides a beginning that illustrates all that is right with this series and an ending that ties the story together, gives us a dose of reality, and leaves us with a cliffhanger."-Chicago Tribune



From the Back Cover
Janet Evanovich's Novels
Are The Hottest Bestsellers In America!

# 1 New York Times
# 1 Wall Street Journal
#1 Los Angeles Times
#1 Entertainment Weekly
#1 Publishers Weekly

Stephanie Plum's got rent to pay, people shooting at her, and psychos wanting her dead every day of the week (much to the dismay of her mother, her family, the men in her life, the guy who slices meat at the deli...oh, the list goes on). An ordinary person would cave under the pressure.

But hey, she's from Jersey.

Stephanie Plum may not be the best bounty hunter in beautiful downtown Trenton, but she's pretty darn good at turning bad situations her way...and she always gets her man. In
To The Nines, her cousin Vinnie (who's also her boss) has posted bail on Samuel Singh, an immigrant who becomes an illegal alien by violating his Visa and extending his stay in the United States. When the elusive Mr. Singh goes missing, Stephanie is on the case. But what she uncovers is far more sinister than anyone imagines and leads to a group of killers who give new meaning to the word "hunter..."

In a race against time that takes her from the Jersey Turnpike to the Vegas strip, Stephanie Plum is on the chase of her life.

"Evanovich's sharpest, funniest, sexiest entry in the series since the early days."
-People (Critics Choice)



About the Author
Bestselling author Janet Evanovich is the recipient of the Crime Writers Association's John Creasy Memorial, Last Laugh, and Silver Dagger awards, as well as the Left Coast Crime's Lefty award, and is the two-time recipient of the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association's Dilys award. She lives in New Hampshire, where she is at work on her next Stephanie Plum adventure.

Visit Janet Evanovich's Web site at: www.evanovich.com or write her at PO Box 5487, Hanover, NH 03755



Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
CHAPTER 1, PART 1

My name is Stephanie Plum and I was born and raised in the Chambersburg section of Trenton where men pretty much only drop their drawers in private. Thank God for small favors because the top activities for men in the Burg are scarfing pastries and pork rinds and growing ass hair. The pastry and pork rind scarfing I've seen first hand. The ass hair growing is for the most part rumor.

The first butt I saw up close and personal belonged to Joe Morelli. Morelli put an end to my virgin status and showed me an ass that was masculine perfection ...smooth and muscular and blemish free. Back then Morelli thought a long term commitment was twenty minutes. I was one of thousands who got to admire Morelli's bare ass as he pulled his pants up and headed for the door.

Morelli's been in and out of my life since then. He's currently in and he's improved with age, butt included.

So the sight of a naked ass isn't exactly new to me, but the one I was presently watching took the cake. Punky Balog had an ass like Winnie the Pooh ...big and fat and furry. Sad to say, that was where the similarity ended because, unlike Pooh bear, there was nothing endearing or cuddly about Punky Balog.

I knew about Punky's ass because I was in my new sunshine yellow Ford Escape, sitting across from Punky's dilapidated row house, and Punky had his huge Pooh butt plastered against his second story window. My sometimes partner, Lula, was riding shotgun for me and Lula and I were staring up at the butt in open mouthed horror.

Punky slid his butt side to side on the pane and Lula and I gave a collective, upper lip curled back eeyeuuw!

"Think he knows we're out here," Lula said. "Think maybe he's trying to tell us something."

Lula and I work for my bail bonds agent cousin, Vincent Plum. Vinnie's office is on Hamilton Avenue, his front window looking into the Burg. He's not the world's best bonds agent. And he's not the worst. Truth is, he'd probably be a better bondsman if he wasn't saddled with Lula and me. I do fugitive apprehension for Vinnie and I have a lot more luck than skill. Lula mostly does filing. Lula hasn't got luck or skill. The thing Lula has going for her is the ability to tolerate Vinnie. Lula's a plus size black woman in a size seven white world and Lula's had a lot of practice at pulling attitude.

Punky turned and gave us a wave with his Johnson.

"That's just so sad," Lula said. "What do men think of? If you had a lumpy little wanger like that would you go waving it in public?"

Punky was dancing now, jumping around, wanger flopping, doodles bouncing.

"Holy crap," Lula said. "He's gonna rupture something."

"It's gotta be uncomfortable."

"I'm glad we forgot the binoculars. I wouldn't want to see this up close."

I didn't even want to see it from a distance.

"When I was a 'ho I used to keep myself from getting grossed out by pretending men's privates were Muppets," Lula said. "This guy looks like an anteater Muppet. See the little tuft of hair on the anteater head and then there's the thing the anteater snuffs up ants with... Except ol' Punky here's gotta get real close to the ants on account of his snuffer isn't real big. Punky's got a pinky."

Lula was a 'ho in a previous life. One night while plying her trade she had a near death experience and decided to change everything but her wardrobe. Not even a near death experience could get Lula out of spandex. She was currently wearing a skin tight hot pink mini-skirt and a tiger print top that made her boobs look like big round over-inflated balloons. It was early June and mid-morning and the Jersey air wasn't cooking yet, so Lula had a yellow angora sweater over the tiger top.

"Hold on," Lula said. "I think his snuffer is growing."

This produced another eeyeuuw from us.

"Maybe I should shoot him," Lula said.

"No shooting!" I felt the need to discourage Lula from hauling out her Glock, but truth was, it seemed like it'd be a public service to take a potshot at Punky.

"How bad do we want this guy?" Lula asked.

"If I don't bring him in, I don't get paid. If I don't get paid, I don't have rent money. If I don't have rent money, I get kicked out of my apartment and have to move in with my parents."

"So we want him real bad."

"Real bad."

"And he's wanted for what?"

"Grand theft auto."

"At least it's not armed robbery. I'm gonna be hoping the only weapon he's got, he's holding in his hand right now ...on account of this don't look like much of a threat to me."

"I guess we should go do it."

"I'm ready to rock and roll," Lula said. "I'm ready to kick some Punky butt. I'm ready to do the job."

I turned the key in the ignition. "I'm going to drop you at the corner so you can cut through the back and take the back door. Make sure you have your walkie talkie on so I can let you know when I'm coming in."

"Roger, that."

"And no shooting, no breaking doors down, no Dirty Harry imitations."

"You can count on me."

Three minutes later, Lula reported she was in place. I parked the Escape two houses down, walked to Punky's front door and rang the bell. No one responded so I rang a second time. I gave the door a solid rap with my fist and shouted bond enforcement. Open the door.

I heard shouting carrying over from the back yard, a door crashing open and slamming shut and then more muffled shouting. I called Lula on the talkie but got no response. A moment later the front door opened to the house next to me and Lula stomped out.

"Hey, so excuse me," she yelled at the woman behind her. "So I got the wrong door. It could happen, you know. We're under a lot of pressure when we're making these dangerous apprehensions."

Copyright © 2003 by Evanovich, Inc.





To the Nines

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Stephanie Plum's got rent to pay, people shooting at her, and psychos wanting her dead every day of the week (much to the dismay of her mother, her family, the men in her life, the guy who slices meat at the deli...oh, the list goes on). An ordinary person would cave under the pressure.

But hey, she's from Jersey.

Stephanie Plum may not be the best bounty hunter in beautiful downtown Trenton, but she's pretty darn good at turning bad situations her way...and she always gets her man. In
To The Nines, her cousin Vinnie (who's also her boss) has posted bail on Samuel Singh, an immigrant who becomes an illegal alien by violating his Visa and extending his stay in the United States. When the elusive Mr. Singh goes missing, Stephanie is on the case. But what she uncovers is far more sinister than anyone imagines and leads to a group of killers who give new meaning to the word "hunter..."

In a race against time that takes her from the Jersey Turnpike to the Vegas strip, Stephanie Plum is on the chase of her life.

FROM THE CRITICS

The New York Times

Wherever she goes, Stephanie manages to cause more trouble than she cleans up (she's particularly rough on the bodyguards that her rival boyfriends, Morelli and Ranger, put on her tail). Just the same, it's a relief to have this frisky life force back in the tight circle of nutty friends and neighbors whose idiosyncratic values she honors and defends. — Marilyn Stasio

Publishers Weekly

Narrator King somehow makes the crazy, comic antics of Evanovich's irresistible bond agent, Stephanie Plum, seem almost rational in this fine audio adaptation. The story opens with the outrageous apprehension of a nude, Vaseline-coated fugitive by Stephanie and her plus-sized, ex-hooker, "sometimes partner" Lula. Soon after, Stephanie sets off on the trail of Samuel Singh, an illegal immigrant who apparently fled a Visa bond and his fianc e. With plenty of prior experience narrating Evanovich titles (Hard Eight, etc.), King has no trouble highlighting the eccentricities of the author's invariably quirky cast of characters, as well as the ongoing romantic triangle between Stephanie, her sexy partner Ranger and Joe, a Trenton cop with whom she shares a "long, strange history." Evanovich's quick-witted, sarcastic and often raunchy dialogue takes the edge off the story's suspense, but King's chameleon voice and ease with accents make this a lively listening experience. Simultaneous release with the St. Martin's hardcover (Forecasts, June 23). (July) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is assigned the case of Samuel Singh, an immigrant who has vanished on a Visa bond. The case will take her to Las Vegas, while her personal life involves rooming with Joe, working with Ranger, and dealing with her mother, who is stressed out owing to having Valerie, Steph's sister, in the house, unwed and about to give birth. As usual, there is lots of humor, a gaggle of unusual characters, the exploits of Stephanie's colleague Lulu, and, this time, a serial killer who is after Stephanie. Lorelei King brings a sultry yet wry voice to Stephanie's story, capturing the absurdity of many of the situations. Ranger and Joe are well voiced, and King's characterization of Lulu captures her unique personality without verging into caricature. Even minor players, such as Singh's landlord/mother-in-law-to-be, are brought to vivid life. Highly recommended for public libraries.-Melody A. Moxley, Rowan P.L., Salisbury, NC Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

AudioFile

In this high-energy story of abduction and murder in two cities—Trenton, New Jersey, and Las Vegas—Stephanie Plum becomes the murderer's prime target, wooed with flowers and photos that reveal how a web master stalks her through the electronic kingdom of cyberspace. The novel has Plum's usual sidekicks—the larger-than-life Lula; the alcohol-saturated Connie, assistant to Stephanie's boss, Vinnie; and Tank, Stephanie's bodyguard. Stephanie is relentless in her pursuit of the missing Samuel Singh, whom she has been hired to track down. Occasionally, King groups and accents words and phrases in a way that sets up a singsong rhythm. M.D.H. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

"Nothing defeats us in Jersey," says Stephanie Plum—not smog, the Mob, heart-threatening cuisine, or, this time, a killer who￯﾿ᄑs set his sights on Trenton￯﾿ᄑs least likely bounty hunter (Hard Eight, 2002, etc.). The case looks routine compared to Stephanie￯﾿ᄑs last assignment: wrestling with a naked car thief who￯﾿ᄑd coated himself with Vaseline to avoid capture. Samuel Singh, whose visitor￯﾿ᄑs visa had been bonded by Stephanie￯﾿ᄑs cousin and boss Vincent Plum, has disappeared, together with his promise to marry Nonnie Apusenja, his landlady￯﾿ᄑs daughter, and Boo, his landlady￯﾿ᄑs dog. By the time Vincent traces his quarry to Las Vegas, however, three others have already died, with every indication (playfully threatening notes accompanying floral tributes, taunting e-mails, the occasional tranquilizing dart) that Stephanie will be next. Wrong. Samuel himself is next, leaving Stephanie in her role as designated victim—assuming she can get time off from dealing with her eternal romantic partners, Trenton cop Joe Morelli and industrial-strength skip-tracer Ranger Manoso, both eager as ever to bed her (and vice-versa); her hugely pregnant sister Valerie, who￯﾿ᄑs threatening to have her baby any minute if she can just stop guzzling gravy; and the other cast regulars badly in need of their own tranquilizing darts. The plot is—as usual—a shambles, but the people and their dialogue are as sharp and funny as ever. Though no high point in Stephanie￯﾿ᄑs saga, this installment, like a weekly sitcom fix, won￯﾿ᄑt disappoint her fans either.

     



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