Lean Mean Thirteen (Stephanie Plum, No. 13) by Janet Evanovich Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Lean Mean Thirteen (Stephanie Plum, No. 13)
Book Review: 2 stars for content, one for nostalgia
Summary: 3 Stars
Every year I look forward less and less to a new Evanovich novel, and I used to anticipate them with more glee than Christmas. The problem is that they are now so very formulaic you can predict almost to the paragraph what will happen next. Don't get me wrong, the characters are wonderful, the wit and humour still spot on (and it is very hard to write funny things) and the pace is still keeping those pages turning, but nevertheless, this story is the same as the one before and the one before that. I keep reading them for the occasional belly laughs and because I want to know what happens next in Stephanie's tangled life, but they are no longer the breath of fresh air they used to be. In this one Stephanie's ex-husband goes missing after she has had a particularly full and frank discussion with him, making her number one suspect. The friction between Stephanie and Joyce Barnhardt is delightful and as ever Grandma Mazur is a superstar, but Rex must be the oldest hamster in the world now and it's time Stephanie moved on a little.Book Review: Good fun on balance, but only just (and this time I waited for the paperback)
Summary: 3 Stars
I adored the earlier books in this series, but found I wasn't as gripped by the last couple, so I delayed buying this one. On balance I'm glad I got round to it eventually - I still don't think it's up to the earlier standard, but there were things I liked about it and overall I enjoyed reading it.
My main concern about the later books is sometimes the characters seem to be simply going through the motions, and this is no good thing when it's Stephanie and Joe - we're used to the lights being on and someone definitely at home and it wasn't quite there for me here - add that to an unconvincing villain and we're never really worried about Stephanie's safety. Just making the villain insane does not make him 3-dimensional or frightening - and Evanovich can do insane AND 3-dimensional AND frightening brilliantly (remember Benito Ramirez?)- in spite of some fairly gruesome executions there's no sense of menace here and that's something that has definitely been present in many of the other books and is the vital counterbalance to the humour.
What I did like was that Grandma (much as I enjoy her company) stayed at home more and that in general there were fewer people jumping in the car with Stephanie every time she went to investigate - it was definitely getting a bit overcrowded and a bit too Keystone Cops. In fact a number of the regular minor characters have taken a break from this book and I think it worked. The plot was fine, there were some entertaining one-liners and, unless I missed it, Bob didn't throw up once.
On the whole, it was a good way to spend a few hours, especially as the weather was foul at the time, but I definitely had the feeling that this was either written in a rush, or without the author's full attention. I know that these aren't heavyweight books - that's why I enjoy them so much - and I know that the characters are going to follow a particular path and that certain things are going to happen, but I don't want to recognise the formula while I'm reading it - even though I know Stephanie's going to be OK in the end, I want to be able to worry that it might not happen. Having said that, who could've predicted exploding beaver!? Will I read no. 14? I expect so, when it's out in paperback.
Book Review: Comfort Food for the Eyes
Summary: 4 Stars
Janet Evanovich has written the thirteenth volume in her funny and fun Stephanie Plum series, and all the characters you've come to love, Grandma Mazur, Joe, Ranger, Lula, Joyce, Bob the Dog and Rex the Hamster, have come out to play. Stephanie's ex, the repugnant Dickie Orr, goes missing and Stephanie is a prime suspect. Along the way she needs to bring in some recalcitrant FTAs or else she'll lose her apartment. Ranger has a semi-leading role in this one; rescuing Stephanie from numerous jams (and from herself).
There's nothing terribly new in this entry in the series, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy reading it. There are still laugh-out-loud funny moments, and I feel like I'm visiting with old, comfortable friends. That can't be all bad.