Starred Review. Klutzy bounty hunter Stephanie Plum teams up with mysterious Diesel and the monkey left on her doorstep to track down a nerdy genius and his sinister business partner in the depths of the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Lorelei King does her usual superlative job for the Evanovich oeuvre, adding juice and dimension to each wacky character. She deftly handles everyone, from bail bond receptionist Connie's classic New Jersey accent and outrageous sidekick Lula's brash outbursts to Ranger's smooth purr (it's amazing how he, as voiced by King, can make the word babe mean so many different things). The structures of Plum novels tend to be similar; it's the laughs that keep readers coming back. King enhances the humor of this series, so much so that Evanovich fans should consider putting down that book and plugging in the CD player instead. A St. Martin's Press hardcover (reviewed online). (Jan.)
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Those who know and love Stephanie, Ranger, Morelli, Lula, Bob the dog, Rex the hamster, and the rest of that wacky crew in Evanovich’s Trenton-set series, have also clasped Diesel, who appears only in these “between-the-numbers” tales, to their collective hearts. Big, blond, dimpled, and paranormal, he flits into Steph’s bail-bondswoman life with unnerving irregularity, and he has special powers that extend well beyond bounty hunting. This time Diesel has a cousin named Wulf, pale, black-clad, and dead-eyed, who has hidden a nerdy scientist and a lot of equipment in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. The repartee sparkles and shimmies from razor wit to toilet humor (and back again), and the plot involves mud, food tossing, explosive farts, occasional kissing, and hilarious (and true-to-life, alas) allergic reactions (that would be from Lula). A group of monkeys, and one in particular named Carl, figure mightily in the plot, in one instance actually making the stoic, understated Ranger burst into laughter. Don’t miss Morelli’s brother-in-law, the sly Star Trek and vampire tropes, and the Jersey Devil. Incredible amounts of fun. --GraceAnne A. DeCandido