Janet Evanovich - "Lean Mean Thirteen"

     Crappy cars, chocolate cake, crazy grandmother, good looking guys, poison green spandex mini-skirts, murder scenes, disappearing awful ex-husband, and exploding rodents are just a few things that our heroine encounters this go-round.  Wonder Woman?  Bat Girl?  Joan of Arc?  NOPE, you guessed it... the one and only Stephanie Plum!  She's back again with yet another Jersey-style adventure in "Lean Mean Thirteen."

     Just as in all of her other exploits, Stephanie finds herself surrounded by junk food and mayhem.  The story opens with the disappearance of her terrible ex-husband, Dickie Orr and what seems to be a murder scene.   Steph's main concern in this situation is that she is the prime suspect!  Talk about being motivated to solve the mystery.  As she and Ranger delve a little deeper into Dickie's case, she finds herself in the middle of something big and something terrible.


Lean Mean Thirteen [LEAN MEAN 13] [Mass Market Paperback]

     Whilst attempting to get to the bottom of the Dickie disappearance, Stephanie is also juggling a few FTA cases (big, bad bounty hunter stuff).  With the help of some of her trusty amigos (Lula and even Grandma Mazur) Stephanie traipses after a grave digger with a twelve-foot python, a taxidermist with a penchant for exploding stuffed animals, and is being hunted by a bad guy who seems to think that she has the "key" to his missing $40 million (EEK!!).

     While this is an easy-reading, entertaining tale, it's not the best of Mrs. Evanovich's work.  I usually find myself laughing-out-loud, but not so much in this book.  The plot was full of the eccentricities that are common and expected of a Stephanie Plum novel, but it just didn't quite make the "hysterical mark" I was expecting.  While it was good  book, there was something missing... I can't quite put my finger on it, but it fell a little shy of the "awesome" that this series usually inspires.  I'm not going to complain about a book that I consumed in three days, but you should read it for yourself and let me know what you think!

     I hope everyone had a healthy, prosperous, and enjoyable New Year!