What I've Read This Week

What I've Read This Week . . .

Explosive Eighteen : A Stephanie Plum Novel by Janet Evanovich -- Contemporary Mystery

When last we met Stephanie, she was given two plane tickets to Hawaii and had to decide which one of her men she was going to take. The book picks up after the vacation and Stephanie is on her way home - alone. Stephanie is exhausted and her stomach is in knots over the mess she has made with her love life. She's not talking about what happened in Hawaii but there's a telltale ring tan line on her finger and Grandma and Lula really want to know what happened. All Stephanie will say is "it's complicated." Her life gets even more complicated when some phony FBI guys, followed by some real ones, come searching for a photograph a man on the plane may have slipped into her bag. The man has turned up dead and everyone wants the photo but Stephanie doesn't have it. She's followed by the FBI agents (real and fake), a crazy Somali terrorist and a mourning fiance (or so she says). Meanwhile, the bail bonds office is being rebuilt by a mafioso who won't play nice with Vinny and there are the usual FTAs to apprehend. Finally, Joyce Barnhardt shows up in Stephanie's apartment nearly sending Stephanie over the edge of sanity. Stephanie has decided to turn over a new leaf where men are concerned but having to rely on Ranger and Morelli for protection from the bad guys isn't helping. And so goes another chapter in Stephanie's crazy life. The good news is the mystery was pretty good. There were some unrelated mysteries that didn't really belong but the central mystery was different from the past dead body in Trenton plots. The funny moments come mostly from Lula and are gross enough to please a 12 year old boy. Lula has been getting more page time than Grandma lately and I think Grandma is a better written, funnier character. The bad news is Stephanie's love life. Don't read this book looking for answers. The only good thing is Stephanie realizes she doesn't like herself very much but then she really doesn't do anything about it. This book is infinitely better than the last but if you're new to the series, quit reading no later than book 12.