jennythereader (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
jennythereader) wrote2005-10-10 07:18 pm
jennythereader) wrote2005-10-10 07:18 pm
Book Review: Books 6 through 11 of the Stephanie Plum mystery series
Hot Six
Seven Up
Hard Eight
To the Nines
Ten Big Ones
Eleven On Top
by Janet Evanovich
Copyright 2000 through 2005
These books aren't distinctive enough for me to review them separately, since the main difference from book to book is the details of the plot, which I try to avoid giving away.
Formula for this series: take 1 Jersey girl bounty hunter, add a large cast of eccentric co-workers (both official and un-), mix in family (both sane and in-), season with a variety of criminals ranging from small time shop-lifters to murderous sociopaths, and heat with sexual tension involving 2 amazingly sexy men.
These are fun books, but Evanovich has found a successful formula, and is sticking to it a little too carefully. The surprise from book to book isn't "is there going to be a lunatic trying to kill Stephanie?" but rather "who will the lunatic turn out to be?" It's not a question of "Will someone in her family act crazy?" but "Which family member will act the most crazy?"
In general Evanovich has created a funny, sexy, mystery series; but in the more recent books she is tilting the balance away from the mystery and towards the romance.
Rating: The first few (which I didn't re-read for this posting) are all solid 8's and 9's; after about book 5 it starts to slide downhill, with the most recent one only rating a 6. Lets call the series as a whole 8 out of 10.
Seven Up
Hard Eight
To the Nines
Ten Big Ones
Eleven On Top
by Janet Evanovich
Copyright 2000 through 2005
These books aren't distinctive enough for me to review them separately, since the main difference from book to book is the details of the plot, which I try to avoid giving away.
Formula for this series: take 1 Jersey girl bounty hunter, add a large cast of eccentric co-workers (both official and un-), mix in family (both sane and in-), season with a variety of criminals ranging from small time shop-lifters to murderous sociopaths, and heat with sexual tension involving 2 amazingly sexy men.
These are fun books, but Evanovich has found a successful formula, and is sticking to it a little too carefully. The surprise from book to book isn't "is there going to be a lunatic trying to kill Stephanie?" but rather "who will the lunatic turn out to be?" It's not a question of "Will someone in her family act crazy?" but "Which family member will act the most crazy?"
In general Evanovich has created a funny, sexy, mystery series; but in the more recent books she is tilting the balance away from the mystery and towards the romance.
Rating: The first few (which I didn't re-read for this posting) are all solid 8's and 9's; after about book 5 it starts to slide downhill, with the most recent one only rating a 6. Lets call the series as a whole 8 out of 10.