BookOpinion

BOOKOPINION REVIEW: The latest Stephanie Plum thriller, “Lean Mean Thirteen,” is a little on the lean side.

Once again, bounty hunter Stephanie Plum bungles her way through catching Trenton, New Jersey’s lowliest criminals. In this, author Janet Evanovich’s 13th installment of the mystery series, our heroine finds herself the subject of a police investigation when her lying, cheating ex-husband Dickie Orr goes missing.

The first five or so chapters reel you in with a promising storyline, but eventually readers find themselves ensnared in the same formulaic writing we’ve seen in previous Plum novels. Houses explode, cars are destroyed and Stephanie, in typical “I Love Lucy” fashion, manages to screw up even the easiest bond apprehensions. Her lovelife is equally predictible, as she continually fights lustful urges for mysterious fellow bounty hunter, Ranger, versus only slightly less lustful urges for Joe Morelli, the Trenton cop who has been her on-again, off-again boyfriend for many, many books.

Evanovich’s fast-paced style and wild antics are entertaining enough, but there is little beneath the surface. “Lean Mean Thirteen,” is fun for a light read, but don’t expect anything new. I hope in future books, Evanovich can perhaps deepen Stephanie’s character a tad, or at least get back to the more complete storytelling in the first few books of the series.

For the best of Evanovich, try “One for the Money” (the first Plum novel and a great read) or “Full House” (not a Plum book, but a cute romance).

– Jane Leisteiner