Scootsa1000’s #CBR5 Review 3: Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich

I can’t help myself. I keep reading these books.

For the uninitiated, these books (all 19 of them — PLUS the weird books with magical Diesel) are about Stephanie Plum, worst bounty hunter in New Jersey. She lives with her hamster, has a cop boyfriend named Joe, sometimes sleeps with her gorgeous coworker Ranger, has a best friend who used to be a ‘ho, eats a ton of junk food, has an insane grandmother, and has her car blow up a lot.

And of course, this book was no different.

Stephanie and Joe are still together and still dancing around the subject of marriage. Stephanie’s car blows up once. And Joe’s car blows up once, too. Stephanie and Lula eat A LOT of donuts and fried chicken. Ranger looks hot and says “babe” a lot. Stephanie’s mother drinks at dinner to get over the fact that her daughter will never have a normal life. And Stephanie chases after some of the strangest characters New Jersey has to offer.

Her main target in this book is a guy who embezzled millions from the nursing home that he managed. He disappeared in the middle of the night from the local hospital after having his appendix removed. Not a trace left behind on hospital security cameras, and none of the staff remembers seeing him. Meanwhile, Stephanie is also chasing after a local kook who is trying to bring a Hawaiian Tiki relic back to Hawaii. Of course, Stephanie ends up bonding with the Tiki — talking to it, taking it out for margaritas, carrying it around like a baby.

And lastly, Stephanie is working an undercover job with Ranger. Someone from Ranger’s past is trying to kill him and another of his army buddies. While chasing him, Stephanie is poisoned and her apartment is bombed. And Stephanie has to wear a really ugly bridesmaids dress, which really is worse than the poisoning or the bombing.

I know, these books are ridiculous. But I can’t stop reading them. If she keeps writing them, I’m going to keep reading them.