Plum Spooky

Plum Spooky (A Stephanie Plum Between-the-Numbers Novella)by Janet Evanovich

Turn on all the lights and check under your bed. Things are about to get spooky in Trenton, New Jersey. According to legend, the Jersey Devil prowls the Pine Barrens and soars above the treetops in the dark of night. As eerie as this might seem, there are things in the Barrens that are even more frightening and dangerous. And there are monkeys. Lots of monkeys. Wulf Grimoire is a world wanderer and an opportunist who can kill without remorse and disappear like smoke. He’s chosen Martin Munch, boy genius, as his new business partner, and he’s chosen the Barrens as his new playground. Munch received his doctorate degree in quantum physics when he was twenty-two. He’s now twenty-four, and while his brain is large, his body hasn’t made it out of the boys’ department at Macy’s. Anyone who says good things come in small packages hasn’t met Munch. Wulf Grimoire is looking for world domination. Martin Munch would be happy if he could just get a woman naked and tied to a tree. Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has Munch on her most-wanted list for failure to appear in court. Plum is the all-American girl stuck in an uncomfortable job, succeeding on luck and tenacity. Usually she gets her man. This time she gets a monkey. She also gets a big guy named Diesel.  Diesel pops in and out of Plum’s life like birthday cake – delicious to look at and taste, not especially healthy as a steady diet, gone by the end of the week if not sooner. He’s an über bounty hunter with special skills when it comes to tracking men and pleasing women. He’s after Grimoire, and now he’s also after Munch. And if truth were told, he wouldn’t mind setting Stephanie Plum in his crosshairs. Diesel and Plum hunt down Munch and Grimoire, following them into the Barrens, surviving cranberry bogs, the Jersey Devil, a hair-raising experience, sand in their underwear, and, of course . . . monkeys. (goodreads.com)

Reading Janet Evanovich books is like having my mother make me mashed potatoes for dinner. Total comfort food - for the brain. Since I have been having frustrations with reading and computer using since the Lasik I thought I would pick up the latest between-the-numbers Stephanie Plum book in mass market and focus on that for a while. Easy reading that will always make me laugh out loud and a book that even if I have to put down to rest my eyes I know I'll be comforted again as soon as I open it back up.Plum Spooky did not disappoint in any way. It was exactly the book I needed to tackle after finishing the Kim Harrison and something that didn't make me strain my eyes too much. The only minor disappointment I had was that the story really wasn't all that spooky. I think I was expecting a little more suspense, when really, I should know better. The spooky would relate to Diesel the odd ball with "mysterious powers", the rest? Just plain fun.I adore every character in this series. Stephanie is hilarious, Lula (in small doses) always cracks me up and Ranger is just... YUM. Ranger. I think I could take or leave Diesel, but he made me laugh in this book. And I had to laugh at the monkey, too, and I hate monkeys generally (the animal, not the best friend).Even though Stephanie Plum is rather incompetent in her job, I am always amused by her actions and reactions. I never get too tired of the insanity and flubbery. I ALWAYS laugh out loud. I ALWAYS smile while reading these books. They are just the ultimate feel-good stories for me. Mashed potatoes of the book world.Reading this book made me realize I never did read Fearless Fourteen! So of course I will have to pick that one up right away. Also I remembered that this book qualifies me for the Stephanie Plum Challenge I signed up for in JULY! Thank goodness the challenge runs until December 2010.I am going to make a decent effort to complete my series this year I think. I have many of the books in mass market on my shelf, but I stopped buying them when they came out in hard cover and just borrowed them from work or the library. But now? I really want to re-read this series from start to finish in one weekend, or week. I want to relive the start of these relationships and the evolution of the characters.And, not to get too much into it but... Katherine Heigl? REALLY? I don't particularly care for her, but maybe with darker hair? I don't know. I don't see it. I feel like they just cast Gary Coleman as Ranger or something. Thoughts?Stephanie Plum series

1. One for the Money
2. Two for the Dough
3. Three to Get Deadly
4. Four to Score
5. High Five
6. Hot Six
7. Seven Up
8. Hard Eight
9. To the Nines
10. Ten Big Ones
11. Eleven on Top
12. Twelve Sharp
13. Lean Mean Thirteen
14. Fearless Fourteen
15. Finger Lickin' Fifteen
16. Sizzling Sixteen (JUNE 2010 - hard cover)

Stephanie Plum Between-the-Numbers Novellas

1. Visions of Sugar Plums (between 8 & 9)
2. Plum Lovin' (between 12 & 13)
3. Plum Lucky (between 13 & 14)
4. Plum Spooky (between 14 & 15)