Smokin' Seventeen

It's the seventeenth outing for Janet Evanovich's bail bonds agent Stephanie Plum in Smokin' Seventeen (#102).  And she still can't make up her mind between cop Joe Morelli (who can't seem to commit, but who does own Bob, the dog...) and super sexy Ranger (who smells great, always has a car ready for Stephanie, but whose conversation seems to consist mainly of the ever versatile phrase "Babe").  Since Stephanie's mother would like to see grandchildren sometime, she's on a mission to fix up Stephanie with a new prospect - Dave.  Dave was Big Man on Campus in high school, but now has returned from Georgia to live with his parents without a job, a spouse, a house or his dog and with a whiff of corruption from running fraudulent mortage schemes.  But hey, he's presentable and the Plums know his parents, so why not?  Besides the man can cook!

At work, Stephanie's dealing with skips who include a senior citizen vampire and a dancing bear.  Stephanie does seem to have an affinity for animals.  There have been dogs, her hamster, an alligator, and monkeys to name a few.  It's hard to find the office when it keeps moving because it's an RV belonging to the eccentric Mooner.  Can Connie and Lula cope? Oh, and there are the bodies that keep showing up in the currently vacant lot that used to be her cousin Vinny's bail bonds office before it was destroyed in a fire.  No one can make a connection to why they keep showing up there, but Stephanie has at least three people who have her on the top of their "To Kill" list.  How Janet Evanovich rolls up these threats to Stephanie in the climax (!) of this book is a thing of beauty.  I had to bore my husband with the details I got such a kick out of it.  Did I mention that Joe Morelli's Sicilian grandmother and Trenton strega has put the eye on Stephanie?  Evil things keep happening to her that seem to be somehow connected.  It takes Stephanie awhile to figure out the companion curse, the vordo...  And she still hasn't solved the relationship issues... 

There's more promised in the next installment due in November.  Looking forward to the next adventure!