Notorious Nineteen: Stephanie Plum Series, Book 19 by Janet Evanovich

Overview from Barnes and Noble:
New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is certain of three truths: People don’t just vanish into thin air. Never anger old people. And don’t do what Tiki tells you to do.

After a slow summer of chasing low-level skips for her cousin Vinnie’s bail bonds agency, Stephanie Plum finally lands an assignment that could put her checkbook back in the black. Geoffrey Cubbin, facing trial for embezzling millions from Trenton’s premier assisted-living facility, has mysteriously vanished from the hospital after an emergency appendectomy. Now it’s on Stephanie to track down the con man. Unfortunately, Cubbin has disappeared without a trace, a witness, or his money-hungry wife. Rumors are stirring that he must have had help with the daring escape . . . or that maybe he never made it out of his room alive. Since the hospital staff’s lips seem to be tighter than the security, and it’s hard for Stephanie to blend in to assisted living, Stephanie’s Grandma Mazur goes in undercover. But when a second felon goes missing from the same hospital, Stephanie is forced into working side by side with Trenton’s hottest cop, Joe Morelli, in order to crack the case.

The real problem is, no Cubbin also means no way to pay the rent. Desperate for money—or maybe just desperate—Stephanie accepts a secondary job guarding her secretive and mouthwatering mentor Ranger from a deadly Special Forces adversary. While Stephanie is notorious for finding trouble, she may have found a little more than she bargained for this time around. Then again—a little food poisoning, some threatening notes, and a bridesmaid’s dress with an excess of taffeta never killed anyone . . . or did they? If Stephanie Plum wants to bring in a paycheck, she’ll have to remember: No guts, no glory. . . .

My thoughts:
Another fun book where whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.  In one of my past reviews for this series I recall questioning how many times one character can have her car blown up and why someone would stick with a line of work that they simply weren't any good at, but I am past that.  These books are fun without being serious.  I always laugh a few times and I know which one of her two love interests I would pick.  The problem is that, were she to actually pick one of them for good, that whole element of the storyline would be gone and I know I would end up missing it.

This book has all the elements I was looking for in a Plum novel.  There were the crazy characters who say and do odd things, at least one blown up car, donuts and fried chicken are consumed, Lula goes on a diet, Stephanie's dad focuses on his good and her mom on her "iced tea" and Grandma sticks her nose into everyone's business.  It was fun, it was fast and it was funny.  That is what I look for in a Stephanie Plum book!

Product Details

• ISBN-13: 9780345527745
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Publication date: 11/20/2012
• Pages: 320