Look Alive Twenty-Five

There's nothing like one of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels to put a smile on my face.  In Look Alive Twenty-Five (#820), the action takes place in the Red River Deli in Trenton, New Jersey, which Stephanie has been informed by her boss is now added to her job duties to handle since it defaulted to Vinnie's Bail Bond office.  One problem, though; three of the previous managers of the deli have mysteriously vanished into thin air, leaving only a single shoe behind.  Stephanie has no intention of becoming the next victim.

Nothing seems to be going Stephanie's way between having no experience running a deli (or wanting to!), Lula's exotic sandwich creations and a pair of short order cooks who cope with their jobs by staying mellow on weed.  Nor are things going well with her bond enforcement gig trying to get any of her FTA clients back to the courthouse to be re-bonded.  Now, as manager, she also has a target painted on her back as a potential kidnap victim.  The good news is that between boyfriend Joe Morelli and hunky Ranger's high-tech security firm, Stephanie is never alone.  That has its good points and its downside, especially when one of her security team is snatched from behind the deli.  Who's behind the goings-on, and for what purpose?

There's the usual mix of crazy characters, bizarre happenings and mystery to keep the reader turning the pages.  There's no heavy lifting with these stories, but they accomplish what the author sets out to do: entertain.  They're always a great escape.