Fearless Fourteen (Stephanie Plum, No. 14)

Author: Janet Evanovich
ISBN: 0312349513
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
Customer Rating:

, based on 344 reviews

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Editorial Review:

Personal 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.

Customer Reviews:

Fearless Fourteen

I thought this book was good and can't wait for the next one! Stephanie and Lula continue to make me laugh. Keep 'em coming!

2008-08-07

End of a good run?

It must be difficult for a writer to maintain the same level of story line and entertainment for 14 books. I have loved this series and look forward to a new book every June. Fearless Fourteen, I'd swear, was written by a ghost, or Evanovich had three or four assistants come up with outrageous ideas and she strung them together in a ridiculous plot with undefined, goofy characters no one can believe (even for Stephanie Plum).

Joe Morelli never approves of Stephanie getting herself in dangerous situations and yet in this book he even wires her up and sends her out in what could be a life-threatening circumstance. The ever-hot Ranger fizzles in his brief appearance. Grandma? What happened to her this time out? And is Rex the hamster dead for lack of care or companionship? Stephanie used to value her independence, not this time.

My advice to Evanovich is take your time. Even if a new book comes out every two years instead of one, if it is like your previous books in the series, it would be worth the wait. Get back to your Plum Zone like the old days, give your characters some substance, make the plot cohesive. I miss Stephanie, the real one. Get her back. Please.

2008-08-06

Time for Stephanie and I to part ways

First Sentence: In my mind, my kitchen is filled with crackers and cheese, roast chicken leftovers, farm fresh eggs, and coffee beans ready to grind.

Stephanie keeps suspecting someone has been in the basement of her boyfriend, police detective Joe Morelli. Stephanie is baby-sitting teenaged "Zook" after him mother was arrested. Zook's uncle isn't happy that the kid is spending time at Morelli's house and claims Joe is Zook's actual father. But the uncle, Dom Rizzi, is no saint as he did time for a bank robbery in which the money was never recovered.

Having grown up in "Jersey," I loved the earlier Plum books. Not this one.

It's one sight gag after another--oh, but wait, we're reading. What would probably be very funny visually, just doesn't quite work here, in spite of Ms. Evanovich's best efforts. She's a good writer, but this is so chaotic, you lose the focus, and the impact, of the main story.

Stephanie is a character who hasn't grown. She's the type I might enjoy at first, but would never have as a friend as she is just too much of a ditz. Men might love her; most women would just shake their heads in disbelief.

Give me a strong, smart, independent female protagonist; I think Stephanie and I are done.

2008-08-06

Fearless Fourteen is Fulfillingly Funny

Stephanie & Morelli are stuck playing mommy & daddy to teenage internet gamer, Zook, who could possibly be Morelli's son.

After getting bailed out of jail, Zook's mom, Loretta, is kidnapped by one of the guys that helped her brother rob a bank 10 years prior. The accomplice hopes to gain possession of the entire 9 million by killing two of the other partners.

Wedding plans are being made...
no Stephanie has not chosen Morelli or Ranger. Tank, one of Ranger's men, woke up one morning and found himself engaged to Stephanie's friend, Lula. Tank doesn't want to get married but Lula is really getting into the planning of the unexpected event. (Personally, I think it's going to very hard to turn the ex ho' into a housewife.)

Check out Janet Evanovich's current book, you'll be glad you did.

2008-08-05

Getting old

I have read all of this series and find now that they are becoming predictable and becoming old. Being raised in the Trenton, NJ area it is still a fun beach read, but needs to be spiced up with more reality and less stupidity in Stephanie's adventures. Love Grandma and the immediate family, they are real.

2008-08-04

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