A few years ago a whole group of my friends were reading Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum books. We’d pass them around and make jokes that required you had read the books. It was the most fun book club I’ve ever been in. The highlight was a supper of KFC and donuts with prizes for best costume and the trivia quiz winner.
Stephanie Plum is an incompetent bounty hunter in Trenton, NJ. She’s more likely to taser herself than the person she’s trying to apprehend and if it wasn’t for her cop boyfriend Morelli and her heart throb security expert Ranger she’d be in serious trouble. Unable to commit to Morelli she maintains a basic apartment with her hamster Rex with frequent sleep overs with Morelli and occasional chaste sleepovers with Ranger who always smells good. Her side kick is Lulu, a former prostitute who wears outrageous clothing, all tight, and spike heels but who is very good at sitting on people if Stephanie is able to bring them down. When they aren’t chasing bad guys they are eating lots of terrible junk food. Occasionally her grandma gets involved in her cases. Grandma Mazur’s favourite social event is checking out the good looking seniors at funeral home visitations. She is often packing and is prone to opening caskets should it not already be open.
These are not profound books. They follow a formula and over 25 books I don’t think we can really talk about character development. But they make me laugh. Book 16 is Look Alive Twenty Five and it did not let me down. I laughed out loud.
60 Before 60 