Saturday 26 December 2015

Book ~ "Tricky Twenty-Two" (2015) Janet Evanovich

From Goodreads ~ Something big is brewing in Trenton, N.J., and it could blow at any minute.

Stephanie Plum might not be the world's greatest bounty hunter but she knows when she's being played. Ken Globovic (aka Gobbles), hailed as the Supreme Exalted Zookeeper of the animal house known as Zeta fraternity, has been arrested for beating up the dean of students at Kiltman College. Gobbles has missed his court date and gone into hiding. People have seen him on campus but no one will talk. Things just aren't adding up, and Stephanie can't shake the feeling that something funny is going on at the college - and it's not just Zeta fraternity pranks.

As much as people love Gobbles, they hate Doug Linken. When Linken is gunned down in his backyard it's good riddance and the list of possible murder suspects is long. The only people who care about finding Linken's killer are Trenton cop Joe Morelli, who has been assigned the case, security expert Ranger, who was hired to protect Linken, and Stephanie, who has her eye on a cash prize and hopefully has some tricks up her sleeve. 

Stephanie is ready to say "yes" to Joe's proposal .... and she's surprised and shocked when he breaks up with her because he has to find himself.  Yet he keeps turning up and flirting with her.  And Ranger is still dogging after her and she's allowing it, even though she is heartbroken that Joe had dumped her.

Stephanie along with Lulu, a former 'ho, have a few people they have to find who have skipped bail.  Gobbles was accused of beating up the dean of students.  And then the dean and his business partner are found murdered.  This point of this storyline was dumb.  Stephanie and Lulu also have to track down Billy Bacon, who had slathered his body with body grease and slip down a chimney to rob someone, and a fella who kidnaps and rapes women and then cuts them up to feed to his cats.

This is the 22nd in the series and I've read them all.  As in previous books, Evanovich continues to follow her formula:
  • Stephanie is lusting after Morelli and Ranger ... check
  • Stephanie's mom's nerves are shot so drinks and irons ... check
  • Grandma Masur is outrageous and checking out the viewings at the funeral home ... check
  • Lulu talks about food all the time ... check
  • Stephanie needs a car and Ranger lends her his ... check
  • Stephanie goes home to mooch meals from her parents ... check 
  • Morelli calls Stephanie "Cupcake" and just wants to have sex with her with no commitment
  • Ranger calls Stephanie "Babe" and just wants to have sex with her with no commitment

Since it's basically the same story over and over, I stopped buying these books a long time ago and now borrow them from the library.  It's a mindless familiar read and there is some amusement.

It's written in first person perspective from Stephanie's point of view.  There is some swearing (like the "F-bomb") and some adult situations.

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