Top Secret Twenty One (#416) is pretty much what you'd expect from a Janet Evanovich Stephanie Plum novel: light, and breezy, with romantic complications, some laugh-out-loud comic twists and a pretty good mystery buried under all this. Plus, it comes with a bonus short story about FBI agent Kate O'Hara and her nemesis, Nick Fox, from Evanovich's recent collaborations with Lee Goldberg. That was a welcome surprise at the end.
I especially liked the pack of feral chihuahuas and the invasion of Stephanie's space by Briggs, who has to be enduring several of the worst weeks of his life. And don't even get me started on the feud between her Grandma Mazur and Joe Morelli's Sicilian grandmother! And could Ranger possibly be thinking about getting serious? The episode in the Russian Consulate reminded me so much of a recent episode of Covert Affairs, it made me wonder who was plagiarizing whom...
There's a reason Janet Evanovich is so successful; she writes amusing fluff which combines elements from several genres aimed specifically at the chick-lit market, but they do contain a little bite to them. We're not all brainless, gum-snapping twits, but sometimes, it's good to put the brakes on all the worry and cares we carry around every day, and just sit back and let ourselves be entertained. You know if you pick up an Evanovich book, that's a guarantee. Enjoy!
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