Wicked Business (Lizzy and Diesel Series #2) by Janet Evanovich

Overview from Barnes and Noble:

Janet Evanovich, mega-bestselling author of the beloved Stephanie Plum series, is back and better than ever. Her novels, hailed by GQ as “among the great joys of contemporary crime fiction,” deliver rollicking adventure with crackling wit and hilarious mayhem. And, now, one of the hottest writers today returns with dynamic duo Lizzy and Diesel to prove that when hunting down bad guys, the real fun is in the chase.

When Harvard University English professor and dyed-in-the-wool romantic Gilbert Reedy is mysteriously murdered and thrown off his fourth-floor balcony, Lizzy and Diesel take up his twenty-year quest for the Luxuria Stone, an ancient relic believed by some to be infused with the power of lust. Following clues contained in a cryptic nineteenth-century book of sonnets, Lizzy and Diesel tear through Boston catacombs, government buildings, and multimillion-dollar residences, leaving a trail of robbed graves, public disturbances, and spontaneous seduction.

Janet Evanovich does it again and gives us another exciting un-put-down-able read that is striking a chord with readers everywhere!

My thoughts:
This is the second book for Lizzy and Diesel.  Prior to this Diesel made an appears in four between the numbers books in the Stephanie Plum series.  I love the setting in Massachusetts and Lizzy's job at a bakery.  The idea of being around all those good smells every day sounds so enticing!  Diesel has some special abilities, among them the ability to unlock things magically and Lizzy is able to feel items imbued with magic.  Diesel's cousin Wulf is working against them with his minion Hatchett who has the same power.  There are seven stones that need to be found and they are on the case of the Luxuira stone that either imbues love or lust.  Carl the monkey is busy tagging along and making a mess with his food.

Lizzy's friends, Glo who thinks she may be a witch and has been playing around with an old spell book she brought with which she thinks she has enchanted a broom, and Clara, the bakery owner who once had special powers passed down by her ancestors but which she lost form her support network.  I liked the mystery and the clues they had to unlock to find their way to the stone, it reminded me of a much less tense DaVinci Code, with words appearing only to those who believe in love or those who are truly innocent.  Finding shadows and numbers and old quotes.  Lizzy and Diesel are unable to act on their attraction for each other because if they do one of them may lose his or her powers, so there is sexual tension between them and Lizzy seems to be a bit attracted to Wulf as well, although they would have the same power problem between them.

It was weird not having a Stephanie Plum book come out but this one.  I know the release dates were just flip flopped, but June is usually Plum time.  I wonder how many beach goers out there are missing their usual dose of their favorite bounty hunter or if this one was satisfying enough for them.

Product Details

• ISBN-13: 9780345527776
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Publication date: 6/19/2012
• Pages: 320
• Sales rank: 330
• Series:Lizzy and Diesel Series , #2

Meet the Author

More by this Author

• Explosive Eighteen (Stephanie Plum Series #18)
• Wicked Appetite (Lizzy and Diesel Series #1)
• Smokin' Seventeen (Stephanie Plum Series #17)
• Notorious Nineteen (Stephanie Plum Series #19)

Wicked Business

One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

Overview from Barnes and Noble:

The dynamite blockbuster that started it all—now a major motion picture starring Katherine Heigl as Stephanie Plum!

ONE FINE MESS

Welcome to Trenton, New Jersey, home to wiseguys, average Joes, and Stephanie Plum, who sports a big attitude and even bigger money problems (since losing her job as a lingerie buyer for a department store). Stephanie needs cash—fast—but times are tough, and soon she’s forced to turn to the last resort of the truly desperate: family...

ONE FALSE MOVE

Stephanie lands a gig at her sleazy cousin Vinnie’s bail bonding company. She’s got no experience. But that doesn’t matter. Neither does the fact that the bail jumper in question is local vice cop Joe Morelli. From the time he first looked up her dress to the time he first got into her pants, to the time Steph hit him with her father’s Buick, M-o-r-e-l-l-i has spelled t-r-o-u-b-l-e. And now the hot guy is in hot water—wanted for murder...

ONE FOR THE MONEY

Abject poverty is a great motivator for learning new skills, but being trained in the school of hard knocks by people like psycho prizefighter Benito Ramirez isn’t. Still, if Stephanie can nab Morelli in a week, she’ll make a cool ten grand. All she has to do is become an expert bounty hunter overnight—and keep herself from getting killed before she gets her man...

My thoughts:
I read this book years ago and have worked my way through all the current numbers.  I always enjoy spending time with Stephanie Plum and her brand of wackiness.  her ineptitude fro actually catching her skips, her attraction to two different men, her penchant for having cars in her possession explode.  When I read Explosive Eighteen this summer, the series was starting to feel a little tired to me.  I want Stephanie to choose between Morelli and Ranger, how long are both men going to be willing to hang around while she jumps in between?  With this in mind I decided to go back to the beginning to see what it was like in book one.  I also have a rule for my children that I decided to keep for myself that, if I wanted to see the movie, I needed to read the book again.  Yes, I had already read it and when I read the book too close to the movie I tend to not like the movie as much, but I wanted to read it as it was before seeing the film version.  I guess now it is time to go out and rent it so I can see how it holds up to the book.

Stephanie is down on her luck, she has been pawning any item of value she has to have enough money to keep moving forward.  She no longer has a TV or much in the way of furniture.  Her refrigerater rarely holds any food.  She lost her job as a lingerie buyer months ago and has been looking for something else to do.  When she hears that her cousin Vinny, the bail bondsman, has a filing job she goes to inquire.  Turns out the job has been filled, but if she can bring in Joe Morelli, neighborhood bad boy turned cop, she can get $10,000.  Of course, Stephanie has no idea what she is doing.  Even with help from Ranger, a real bond enforcer, and tips from other cops, she seems to always be chasing her tail in circles. 

With a crazy boxer threatening her, missing witnesses, drugs going crazy in Trenton and more Stephanie ends up working with Morelli to get everything sorted out.  I have to say I liked this first story better than the most recent one.  It was still unbelievable at times, but the characters seemed more real in their skin and the love triangle and jealousy has not even begun.  I don't know if I will continue rereading the series or not, but I enjoyed this reread.

Product Details

• ISBN-13: 9780312600730
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Publication date: 11/22/2011
• Edition description: Movie Tie-In
• Pages: 352
• Series:Stephanie Plum Series, #1

Meet the Author

 

Janet Evanovich

Janet Evanovich is the author of the Stephanie Plum books, including Two for the Dough and Sizzling Sixteen, and the Diesel & Tucker series, including Wicked Appetite. Janet studied painting at Douglass College, but that art form never quite fit, and she soon moved on to writing stories. She didn’t have instant success: she collected a big box of rejection letters. As she puts it, “When the box was full I burned the whole damn thing, crammed myself into pantyhose and went to work for a temp agency.” But after a few months of secretarial work, she managed to sell her first novel for $2,000. She immediately quit her job and started working full-time as a writer. After 12 romance novels, she switched to mystery, and created Stephanie Plum. The rest is history. Janet’s favorite exercise is shopping, and her drug of choice is Cheeze Doodles. She and her husband live in New Hampshire, in house with a view of the Connecticut River Valley.

Love in a Nutshell by Janet Evanovich and Dorian Kelly

Overview

Number one bestselling author Janet Evanovich teams up with award-winning author Dorien Kelly to deliver a sparkling novel of romantic suspense, small-town antics, secretive sabotage, and lots and lots of beer

Kate Appleton needs a job. Her husband has left her, she’s been fired from her position as a magazine editor, and the only place she wants to go is to her parents’ summer house, The Nutshell, in Keene’s Harbor, Michigan. Kate’s plan is to turn The Nutshell into a Bed and Breakfast. Problem is, she needs cash, and the only job she can land is less than savory.

Matt Culhane wants Kate to spy on his brewery employees. Someone has been sabotaging his company, and Kate is just new enough in town that she can insert herself into Culhane’s business and snoop around for him. If Kate finds the culprit, Matt will pay her a $20,000 bonus. Needless to say, Kate is highly motivated. But several problems present themselves. Kate despises beer. No one seems to trust her. And she is falling hard for her boss.

Can these two smoke out a saboteur, save Kate’s family home, and keep a killer from closing in…all while resisting their undeniable attraction to one another? Filled with humor, heart, and loveable characters, Love in a Nutshell is delicious fun.

My thoughts:
This was the first audio book I checked out of our library for digital download.  I wanted to try listening to audio books while I run instead of music because a lot of the time I feel like I am having to decide between spending free time reading or running.  While it worked, I don't think the story kept me quite as motivated as music usually does.  I am going to give it another try before I rule it out entirely.  I also have to figure out how to remove it from my Ipod.  It isn't in itunes so I don't know how to select to remove it.  Can you tell the Ipod is still kind of new territory for me?

On to the actual book, I enjoyed this story.  It had good pacing and was fun.  There was a bit more about beer and brewing than I cared for, but had I been reading it I just would have skimmed over it.  My husband has brewed at home and I've heard all about the different components of brewing.  It just isn't my thing.  I liked the sleepy little town in the winter/fall and the way Kate went after what she needed.  There were some colorful and memorable characters along the way and a couple of interesting dogs.

I liked the mystery in the book too.  I accidentally listened ahead at one point so I found out who the person behind the sabotage was half way through, but it made me listen to see if I could have figured it out on my own if I hadn't already known and I have to admit, I'm not totally sure I would have.  Usually I can, but it could also be the difference between reading and listening, things that might have jumped off the page might not jump out as much listening, not really sure.

It was a fun listen and it is exciting that I got to read it so soon after it came out, usually it seems like lots of other bloggers are posting about the new books or coming out books they've read and I'm still months behind on getting to them.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780312651312
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication date: 1/3/2012
Edition description: First Edition
Edition number: 1
Pages: 320

Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich

Overview

Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum’s life is set to blow sky high when international murder hits dangerously close to home, in this dynamite novel by Janet Evanovich.

Before Stephanie can even step foot off Flight 127 Hawaii to Newark, she’s knee deep in trouble. Her dream vacation turned into a nightmare, and she’s flying back to New Jersey solo. Worse still, her seatmate never returned to the plane after the L.A. layover. Now he’s dead, in a garbage can, waiting for curbside pickup. His killer could be anyone. And a ragtag collection of thugs and psychos, not to mention the FBI, are all looking for a photograph the dead man was supposed to be carrying.

Only one other person has seen the missing photo—Stephanie Plum. Now she’s the target, and she doesn’t intend to end up in a garbage can. With the help of an FBI sketch artist Stephanie re-creates the person in the photo. Unfortunately the first sketch turns out to look like Tom Cruise, and the second sketch like Ashton Kutcher. Until Stephanie can improve her descriptive skills, she’ll need to watch her back.

Over at the bail bonds agency things are going from bad to worse. The bonds bus serving as Vinnie’s temporary HQ goes up in smoke. Stephanie’s wheelman, Lula, falls in love with their largest skip yet. Lifetime arch nemesis Joyce Barnhardt moves into Stephanie’s apartment. And everyone wants to know what happened in Hawaii?

Morelli, Trenton’s hottest cop, isn’t talking about Hawaii. Ranger, the man of mystery, isn’t talking about Hawaii. And all Stephanie is willing to say about her Hawaiian vacation is . . . It’s complicated.

My thoughts:
I borrowed this book from a friend.  She gave it to me last night and by this evening I was done.  I love how quick these books read, it wasn't like I spent all day reading it, although I did carve out more reading time today than I have been lately, but it just reads really fast.  I know I've read a lot of reviews that have complained that this storyline is getting stale.  Stephanie and her car troubles, will it blow up, be stolen, have a dead body in it or something else.  Stephanie and her inability to decide between Morelli and Ranger.  He lamenting on her job and ineptitude with bringing in skips.  Grandma and her funerals and viewings and her mom and pot roast and alcohol.  All that is true, but I can see myself continuing to read the series because it is comfortable and fun and kind of like the Star and OK magazines at the checkout at the grocery store, it is a fun diversion.

I have to admit that I am ready for her to make a decision on which man she wants in her life.  How long can she string them both along.  I get that Ranger isn't looking for a commitment so maybe for him it doesn't matter that she isn't just with him, but Morelli strikes me as the better choice of the two and I can't see him sticking around forever waiting for her to chose.

I liked the new twist with Joyce and that it was the bonds bus that blew up instead of her car.  It will be interesting to see how long Evanovich goes on with the series.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780345527714
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Publication date: 11/22/2011
Pages: 320
Series: Stephanie Plum Series, #18

Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich

Overview

Where there’s smoke there’s fire, and no one knows this better than New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum.

Dead bodies are showing up in shallow graves on the empty construction lot of Vincent Plum Bail Bonds. No one is sure who the killer is, or why the victims have been offed, but what is clear is that Stephanie’s name is on the killer’s list. Short on time to find the murderer, Stephanie is also under pressure from family and friends to choose between her on-again-off-again boyfriend, Trenton cop Joe Morelli, and the bad boy in her life, security expert Ranger. Stephanie’s mom wants her to dump them both for a former high school football star who’s just returned to town. Stephanie’s sidekick, Lula, suggests a red-hot boudoir “bake-off.” And Joe’s old-world grandmother gives Stephanie “the eye,” which may mean that it’s time to get out of town.

With a cold-blooded killer after her, a handful of hot men, and a capture list that includes a dancing bear and a senior citizen vampire, Stephanie’s life looks like it’s about to go up in smoke.

My thoughts:
I still like to read this series, but they are starting to seem very similar.  I have a few friends who have decided they are done with picking up the Stephanie Plum books as they all seem the same.  She will have trouble deciding which man in her life she wants to be with, her car will catch fire or be destroyed, she will have trouble catching her bounty hunter skips, and her mother will lament that everyone else's daughter is married already and giving her grandchildren.  That said, it is a fun escape and a quick read so I don't see myself giving up anytime soon.  I know who I would pick out of Ranger and Morelli and I wonder if she will ever make choice or if that would end the series.  Would it take the fun and tension out of it if she made a choice?

Because I waited so long to get around to this one, I know that number eighteen is already out and I already have a tentative plan in place to borrow it from a friend to read, so it is nice that I don't need to wait to see who Stephanie goes on vacation with and where they go.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780345527707
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Publication date: 11/15/2011
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 336
Series Title: Stephanie Plum Series

Troublemaker Part 1 by Janet Evanovich and Alex Evanovich Art by Joelle Jones

Overview

Janet Evanovich, the New York Times #1 best-selling author of Finger Lickin' Fifteen, brings Alexandra Barnaby and Sam Hooker, from the hit Barnaby novels Metro Girl and Motor Mouth, to Dark Horse Comics with her debut graphic novel - Troublemaker!

Alex Barnaby and Sam Hooker are back together and fighting crime the only way they know how - by leaving a trail of chaos, panic, and disorder. Alex, an auto mechanic and spotter for racecar driver Sam Hooker, is drawn to trouble like a giant palmetto bug to a day-old taco. Unfortunately, she's also drawn to Hooker in the same fashion. There's no steering clear of trouble or Hooker when friends Rosa and Felicia call for help. A man has gone missing, and in order to find him Barnaby and Hooker will have to go deep into the underbelly of Miami and south Florida, surviving Petro Voodoo, explosions, gift- wrapped body parts, a deadly swamp chase, and Hooker's mom.

My thoughts:

My memory of the other Metro Girl books isn't real clear anymore.  I know I read them but can't recall more than a few details, mostly because those are the things that were reviewed in this book.  It seems like this is a continuation of the series and not just a graphic retelling of the already published books, but I'm not one hundred percent sure.

As far as graphic novels go, I thought this one was done pretty well.  The characters weren't quite how I recall picturing them, but they fit the genre in what I have seen in other books.  It was a quicker read than I was expecting, but it made it perfect for one sitting.  A character I don't recall from the earlier books was Sam's mother.  Her scenes were amusing and added to the comedy of the book.

Because of the size and the hardback cover it almost looked like a children's picture book sitting on my end table.  In my house we have a lot of picture books around.  The only difference was that it was a bit longer than most picture books.

It will be interesting to see where future books go with the story.  I borrowed this one from the library so now I have to decide if I want to wait to find the next one there or buy it.  I hate to buy books that read so quickly because my current goal is to read from my shelves to clear away some of the book clutter in my house.  Next month we'll be going to the beach for a week and I usually let myself buy one new book to take along, and then visit the used bookstore at the beach and leave with more!

Details

•Pub. Date: July 2010

•Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

•Format: Hardcover , 112pp

•Series: Alex Barnaby Series

•ISBN-13: 9781595824882

•ISBN: 159582488X

Wicked Appetite by Janet Evanovich

Synopsis
Diesel, the man with mysterious powers, leaves the world of Plum and travels to Massachusets where he awakens a woman to her own mysterious powers.


My thoughts:
I’m glad that Diesel is starting his own series. I know the Between-the-Numbers books were technically their own series already, but since Stephanie Plum was in them too they seemed more her books than his. In his adventure with Lizzy so much more about Unmentionables is revealed. I loved Lizzy’s friend Glo and her penchant for believing in magic and adopting animals she couldn’t take care of in her apartment. I think I could have done without Carl the Monkey though. He is amusing in small doses, but if he is in all the books I think his antics will get old.


Lizzy and her money pit of a house are easy to relate to. Salem and Boston are both places I have never been to. I loved the ghost squad that hung around her house; it was like they thought they were the Ghostbusters from the movie with their talk about readings and ectoplasm. I wonder if they will be in future books. I checked the web site and the Diesel books are going to be published in the fall in September while the Stephanie Plum series is in June.

It will be interesting to see what happens with Lizzy’s cupcakes and her cookbook. I wonder if Janet went through something similar in her quest to have her first book published. I also wonder if Lizzy and Diesel will stay in Salem to find more stones or if they will travel to other locations.

Product Details

Pub. Date: September 2010
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Format: Hardcover , 313pp
ISBN-13: 9780594222682
ISBN: 0594222680

Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich

Synopsis

Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has inherited a “lucky” bottle from her Uncle Pip. Problem is, he didn’t specify if it brought good luck or bad luck!

My thoughts:
I was starting to feel like the Stephanie Plum series had reached its end, how many cars can one somewhat inept bounty hunter manage to have blown up or destroyed?  But I am glad I got around to reading this one because parts of it had me laughing out loud.  I think Vinnie had more page time in this one than in the others (although truthfully it has been a while since I read the other ones so I could have just forgotten him since he isn't one of my favorite characters).  Vinnie was funny in a sad sort of way.  He is flawed and knows he is flawed but doesn't seem to be making decisions to hurt the people in his life, he is more like a child who doesn't anticipate the possible outcome of his actions.

Stephanie and the lucky bottle she inherited from her uncle go through quite a few adventures.  There are totaled cars, bounty hunter rebondings that go awry, grandma and her penchant for open casket funerals, mobsters, bombs and the ongoing attraction she has for both Ranger and Morelli. I must be a safety first kind of woman because I think I would go with Morelli and get out of the bounty hunter business.  Ranger is always there to back her up and get her out of a jam but I can't see him sticking with her long term.  I understand the attraction to them both but what she has with Morelli when they are in their on-again times seems more genuine and real.

I've read more than once that a  movie for the first book in the series is supposed to be coming out in 2011, but I haven't seen a release date.  It's been so long since I read the first book that I can't decide if I should go back and reread it (once the date is released) or just plan on enjoying the movie as it is since so much seems to change when a story goes from a book to a film.

Product Details


Pub. Date: June 2010
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Format: Hardcover , 309pp
Series: Stephanie Plum Series , #16
ISBN-13: 9780594222699
ISBN: 0594222699

Janet Evanovich's website:  http://www.evanovich.com/