Smokin' Seventeen (Stephanie Plum)

by Janet Evanovich

Hardcover, 2011

Status

Available

Publication

Bantam (2011), Edition: 1st, 320 pages

Description

Where there's smoke there's fire, and no one knows this better than New Jersey bounty hunter, Stephanie Plum. The bail bonds office has burned to the ground, and bodies are turning up in the empty construction lot. To make matters worse, Stephanie is working out of a motor home she shares with a dancing bear, and Joe Morelli's old-world grandmother has declared a vendetta against her. And just when Stephanie decides it might be time to choose between the two men in her life, Morelli and Ranger, a third man from Stephanie's past moves back to Trenton...

Rating

½ (895 ratings; 3.7)

User reviews

LibraryThing member rhonda1111
did not enjoy as much as I have the other books. somthing seemed to be lacking. Did not like how she and ranger hooked up.
feel sorry for joe.
LibraryThing member MissReadsTooMuch
Why do I keep reading these? Each one seems less than the one before - and I liked them so much when they began - it makes me sad.
LibraryThing member Meggle
Stephanie and the gang return in Evanovich's seventeenth addition to investigate a series of dead bodies that are being dumped at the empty lot of the bonds office. When Ranger catches the perpetrator on film, Stephanie is sure she knows him but can't pin down exactly who it is. Meanwhile, her
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mother has given up on Morelli and tries to marry Steph off to an old high school football player she went to school with (who may or may not be a felon). Morelli's Aunt Bella puts "the eye" on Stephanie. Finally finally finally Stephanie has another "heated" shall I say encounter with Ranger (or actually, I should say many "heated" encounters) and it's about damn time! As far as the mystery of the dead bodies, I'm not very good at all with predicting who a killer is and even I knew right away. Apart from the predictability of the killer, I really enjoyed this one. There was a spot where this series was really going down hill and I had almost given up on it but it really has redeemed itself.
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LibraryThing member SunnySD
Eventually, Evanovich is going to run out of ways to blow up Stephanie's cars.

Stephanie's run afoul of Morelli's granny and her evil eye, her mom is making marriage plans for her, and she's still torn between Morelli and Ranger. Someone's leaving dead bodies on the bail office lot, and her latest
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skips are as usual, uncooperative. Even fueled by fried chicken, doughnuts and good home cooking, I have the feeling the wheels are about to come off this series.
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LibraryThing member lifeafterjane
When we left Stephanie in book sixteen, the bonds office had been blown up, and many many senseless acts of vehicular abuse had been committed. Now, they've finally broken ground on a new bonds office but a dead body gets discovered on the empty lot, half buried beneath the backhoe. While a dead
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body in Trenton isn't usually something to hold up progress, a second body turning up on the bail bonds lot, brings everything to a stand still. Income has dwindled and necessity dictates that Stephanie get back out there and bring it what skips she can. This week brings the FTA of a nude, Viagra dependent burglar, a Lexus driving housewife with a ex-husband speed bump problem and an 82 year old vampire with fanged dentures. Never say life is dull.

Stephanie's mother is on the prowl as well. Having a daughter who's marital status is FTA has become a source of shame and she guilts Stephanie into a fix up with Dave Brewer who at first glance "seems like such a nice young man." Famous last words. Men are something that Stephanie doesn't need more of. Her on again off again relationship with Morelli, and her status, whatever it is, with Ranger is about all that she can handle. Up until now she's done a pretty good job holding them both at bay but then Joe's Grandma Bella, a crazy Italian lady who hates Stephanie puts the "Vordo" on her (a slut curse) and Stephanie has urges that not even granny panties can squelch. The cure all for passion comes in the form of another dead body turning up on the bonds lot this time with a note that reads "For Stephanie." Not that having someone want to kill her is anything new, but they've never come gift wrapped before. And she thought juggling men was trouble...


Damnit, Janet. You did it again. You sucked me back in and I'm once more a die-hard Plum fan and I'm itching for a sequel.

I went into this book, the seventeenth in the Stephanie Plum series, with the mindset that I was just about finished with the series. Nothing new ever happens. We never make any progress and the series never evolves. It's like a screenplay for a sitcom that's in its sixth season and it really just keeps getting renewed because there's nothing else good on television.

Did anything new happen in this book? Not really, unless you count lots and lots of sex. And since the two men in this book with which one can have sex are such fine male specimens as Morelli and Ranger, then yes, we do in fact, count the lots and lots of sex. Once again, Evanovich didn't give an inch with her formula, and we're about in the same place we were when all this started but this was, hands down, her funniest one yet.

I forget that this series is a mystery because I always say I don't read mysteries so it always comes as quite a shock to me when I get halfway through a Plum novel and I find myself caught up in the "who done it." This one is steeped in it and it's coming from all sides. She did a really good job dragging this one out because nothing that happened pointed to the killer.

This was Lula's book, word for word and Lula was given all the best lines. I took this book on vacation with me and read it aloud to my mother, so I had the added benefit of reading Lula's lines as Lula would say them. It was all I could do to get through it without peeing on myself. I don't think I've laughed that hard since, well, I hate to admit it, book sixteen. I guess I need to give in and give up. I love this series. I want her to marry Morelli and I want to see it have a happy ending but at the same time, I hope we never get there. It's been a hell of a ride and I'll keep buying tickets and standing in line even when it makes me throw up.

Book eighteen is set to be published in November? What gives? We never get two Plum books in a year?

I bet she's pregnant.
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LibraryThing member IandSsmom
Oh this was the best one yet!!! They need way more vordo with way more Ranger!!! :) I just loved this book! I love the entire series but this one was just outstanding! Only complaint was I guessed the killer very early on and thought it was quite obvious. Motive I didn't guess but the killer I
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guessed right! Can't wait for 18!!!
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LibraryThing member khiemstra631
Stephanie Plum has returned, and she has her usual array of problems. She's still torn between Ranger and Morelli, and a third possibility appears in this book, Dave Brewer. He and Stephanie went to high school together. Meanwhile, the bond office is operating out of Mooner's camper because its
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building burned in a previous Plum installment. Dead bodies start turning up on the lot, and some are labelled, "To Stephanie". There is the requisite loss of a car, and three people at once are trying to kill Stephanie. Lula is present front and center throughout the book. It's just what the doctor ordered if you need a few good laughs. It's an easy, fun read.
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LibraryThing member Draak
Just finished Smokin Seventeen. Finished it in about 7 hours. It's a great fun read like the others. The only thing I didn't like was how quickly Stephanie gives in and has sex with Ranger. Maybe it's because I am for Morelli. I think it's time that she decides. But the whole gang is back and full
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of laughs and of course plenty of dead bodies to go around. A must read and cannot wait for 18 to come out in November.
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LibraryThing member bitsy08
I've read several reviews about Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books and a lot of people are fed up with the author. They say she's writing the same book over and over and they want her to decide which it will be; Morelli or Ranger. I, for one, enjoyed this book. Each story is different even
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though the characters don't change. For that matter, characters don't change in any book. I was also glad to see that she finally had sex with Ranger. I was getting real tired of that dance. Now we have to wait until November to find out who she picks. My money's on Morelli. I will be ticked if JE blows us off again. Enough is enough, now. I hear there is a movie coming out but I'm not happy with whom they've picked to play Stephanie and I'm wondering what will happen to the characters when she does choose.
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LibraryThing member riverwillow
Stephanie is still torn between Morelli and Ranger. Stephanie's mother is still trying to fix her up with a husband. Morelli's Grandma Bella puts the eye on Stephanie. We learn that the Rangeman staff run a book on when the next car Stephanie borrows gets blown up. Lulu is still shooting at
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everything in sight, Grandma Mazur's still on the rampage. Lots of chicken and doughnuts are eaten. Perfect formulaic reading after a day spent studying the Renaissance.
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LibraryThing member arielfl
Why do I keep reading this series? It's a bad habit that I need to break. I keep expecting there to be a payoff and I am always left disappointed. Nothing changes, ever! It's time to wrap up the love triangle. Even Stephenie Meyer was able to resolve it , although badly by book four. Sleeping with
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two men at the same time is not right. In addition to that the rest of the book is not interesting. Half the time my mind wanders while I'm reading. It doesn't seem to matter though because there is never any plot. Seriously, my eleven year old daughter could write a better "mystery" plot. After reading Agatha Christie this summer, the difference between a real mystery writer and one just playing at writing is so glaringly obvious. There is a reason Agatha Christie has stood the test of time. I don't think Janet Evanovich cares about the story anymore. She's seemed to have given up a long time ago and so I must do the same.
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LibraryThing member hobbitprincess
This is one of favorite Plum books. The only problem is that we're left hanging in the end, and that is VERY frustrating! I am about ready for poor Stephanie to settle down, so I hope she makes her mind up soon. There is a serial killer in this book, and it gets a bit tense in places, more so than
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some of her other books. The killer is not whom you think it might be. The stickers in the back are fun too!
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LibraryThing member susiesharp
Oh Janet thank-you so much for the the laughs I was laughing so hard for the granny panty scene I had tears running down my face! I love these books they always cheer me up with the humor and fun writing. Stephanie’s been cursed a couple of times by Morelli’s Grandma one isn’t so bad but it
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does seem to add more confusion to who Stephanie will choose and when it is removed it kind of backfires too!. Lula again brings me some hearty belly laughs “Did you just call me fat” thems fightin’ words for Lula and there always seems to be something fun coming when these words are uttered.

We have a new man in the mix and he cooks which I think would be a plus for Stephanie but he may not be as wonderful as her mother thinks he is. I do hope she eventually chooses Morelli.

There is a serial killer in the Berg and he/she seems to be targeting Stephanie by dropping dead bodies all over with notes to Stephanie attached to them. This may be the creepiest and scariest bad guy ever in one of these books.

What a crazy cliffhanger!! Oh Janet that was just plain mean! Warning the ending is very abrupt and a major cliffhanger!

As usual Lorelei King does a wonderful job on the narration of this audiobook!

4 Stars would have been 5 if not for the ending!
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LibraryThing member magnolia2
This installment of the Stephanie Plum series is better than #16..there is more humor and more action with Morelli and Ranger. The plot is light and it is an enjoyable summer read.
LibraryThing member ElaineBooks
Okay, I read this one straight through and I am already wanting Explosive Eighteen which will be released in November. Of course, that is nothing new. I always want the next book right away.Stephanie's relationships with Ranger AND Joe are heating up and I have no idea where this is going. For the
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longest time, Stephanie was in love with Joe and in lust with Ranger. Now, she is in love with both of them. It was obvious this was the way things were going in the last book, but it is a major plot point now.There are interweaving storylines and people trying to kill Stephanie . . . or is she just in the wrong place at the wrong time? This is Stephanie after all.I am really glad we don't have to wait the normal year for the next book!
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LibraryThing member shelleyraec
It’s another round of mayhem with Stephanie Plum, I still giggle at Lula’s antics, enjoy Grandma Mazur’s funeral home visits and swoon over Ranger and for light relief the series is hard to beat. There are no real surprises in Smokin Seventeen, from the naked fugitive to the demise of yet
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another of Stephanie’s cars. I don’t mind that Steph still hasn’t made up her mind, I lurve Ranger and I know that ultimately it will be Morelli that wins the girl so I am happy for the line to continue to spin out and in this case I was squirming as Ranger ..oops better not give it away!
I do really want to see something change though, not just a new bonds office but something substantial. Stephanie is right when she considers that she is barely any better at her job when she started and she really should be and it needn’t take away from the comical aspects of her job.
The only thing that really concerned me is that it’s short (despite the large trade format with large type) and I am worried it may not bode well for Explosive Eighteen that is being released in November.
Smokin’ Seventeen is a fun, light read that is true to the series formula and sure to provide a laugh or two. If you are looking for more than that then you will likely be disappointed but take it for what it is and it’s a delightful way to spend an hour or two.
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LibraryThing member ethel55
Finally,back to the great formula that has made Stephanie's story and life so fun. This isn't Lula's newest diet book, but a look at the burg, and it's crazy crime rate and meddling family members.
LibraryThing member drebbles
Stephanie Plum just wants to pay her bills which is why she took the only job she could find - as a bounty hunter. But her life is far from simple – someone is leaving dead bodies near Vincent Plum Bail Bonds and some are clearly a “gift” for Stephanie. Stephanie, when not tracking down
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people who have skipped out on their bail, is trying to find the killer. That would be enough for any person to handle but Stephanie also has relationship issues. Even though she is in love with both Morelli and Ranger, her family wants her settled Down and married and set her up with Dave Brewer – who is great at cooking but not so great at taking “no” for an answer.

If you are new to Janet Evanovich’s books there are two things you should know about them: 1) if you’ve read one of her Stephanie Plum books you’ve read them all; and 2) If you are looking for a series with plot and character development, this series isn’t it. Having said that – if you are looking for a light, fluffy, very funny “beach” book, “Smokin’ Seventeen” is the book for you. Evanovich has the formula down to a science: Stephanie’s tangled love life; Stephanie and Lula’s ineptness as bounty hunters; Lula’s food obsession; Grandma Mazur’s going to wakes for the food; cars being blow up; food fights, etc., and it’s all in this book. None of it is new but there are some very funny moments (this is the type of book where, when telling friends about it you start laughing remembering what happened). For me the most tedious parts of these books are the Morelli/Ranger/Stephanie triangle – it was interesting the first few books but it just makes me yawn now (even if Evanovich did throw in not only Dave Brewer but some “vordo” and some sizzling sex scenes – nothing graphic, however). “Smokin’ Seventeen” does have more of a mystery plot than some of the other books in the series – who is killing people and leaving their bodies as “gifts” for Stephanie – but it is pretty easy to figure out who the killer is. Still, the book does contain one of the funniest scenes I’ve ever read of a killer cornering the heroine.

“Smokin’ Seventeen” is a light fluffy mystery.
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LibraryThing member Stacey42
Very early on I decided that if the dancing bear ended up in Stephanie’s apartment I would throw the book across the room & stomp on it. Fortunately that didn’t happen. But unfortunately I did wonder, what with her past history, how she failed – repeatedly – to spot the murderer. I figured
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out who it was practically the moment his name came up. That didn’t detract from the rest of it. I like Stephanie & her interactions with Morelli & Ranger. Morelli’s grandmother puts a curse on Stephanie early on &watching it manifest was no end amusing. The plot is that bodies keep turning up in the spot where Vinnie’s bail bonds office is being rebuilt, plus one in Stephanie’s car. The bonds office is working out of various places in the meantime including Mooner’s RV, Starbucks & Stephanie’s apartment. Plus her mom has given up on getting Morelli as a son in law & is back to fixing Stephanie up, this time with the former high school football star.
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LibraryThing member TooBusyReading
The two stickers at the back of the book, I (heart) Morelli and I (heart) Ranger, are over the top, way too Twilighty for me. Otherwise, this is a pretty typical Stephanie Plum novel, inept bounty hunter and Jersey girl looking for the bad guys while being hunted by other bad guys. This one,
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possibly as another nod to the Twilight series and the plethora of other vampire novels, has a fanged vampire wannabe.

I should have given up on this series. The plots are formulaic and predictable, the characters are completely unrealistic, and the whole Ranger/Morelli thing got tiresome several books ago. And for a well-published author who sells zillions of books (for too much money given the content and the length), the typos are inexcusable.

Why, oh why, do I keep reading them? Well, that's pretty easy. They are funny and entertaining, I like those crazy characters, and I can get the books from the library rather than spending $28.00 retail on a book that will take only a few hours to read and be soon forgotten. So...three stars for entertainment value. I wouldn't want my reading diet to consist of books like these, but they are fun once in awhile.
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LibraryThing member 4fish
Stephanie Plum is still the worst bounty hunter in the history of the profession, her cousin Vinnie is still a weasel, Joe Morelli is still Stephanie's on-again, off-again boyfriend, Ranger is still smokin' hot, etc. etc. etc. You know the formula and there's nothing new here, but it's still a
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funny, fast read, perfect for a summer afternoon too hot for anything but sitting by the air conditioner.
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LibraryThing member cinnamonowl
I am having a busy jumbled up week, with different work shifts and commitments scattered here and there, which has made time for reading difficult. This book was the perfect book to read in my sporadic short bursts of free time. It is classic Stephanie, with the predictable car mishaps, run ins
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with crazy skips that are bungled by Stephanie and Lula, and then of course that little love triangle she has going on with Ranger and Morelli. (Notice I listed Ranger's name first- guess which guy I am rooting for? ) Sometimes people say predictable like it is a bad thing- I have to disagree with that. Sometimes you want predictable, sometimes you want things to be the same. If I picked up the next book, and all of a sudden Stephanie had learned Krav Maga, given up doughnuts, and had no problems with apprehensions, that would be weird, and wrong. I would feel Evanovich had finally thrown in the towel with this series. Stephanie is not allowed to grow up that much. I guess I just don't read these books expecting them to be that different.

As for the Ranger/Morelli debate, I am firmly in Ranger's camp. I just like him better - for some reason I feel he is more trustworthy. My good friend Chrissy is a Morelli fan - and this book came with two stickers, one for each of us. Team Ranger and Team Morellli.

If you have stuck with this series until now, I am guessing you are in it until the end. Like me. Its not anything new, or too different, but sometimes that is ok too.
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LibraryThing member Pineapplepony
Always funny! One of my favorite authors.
LibraryThing member mysterymax
I agree with all the reviews! Stephanie is just Stephanie, the bounty hunter we all know and love. The laughs are still there, out-loud giggle, laugh till you cry laughs. The characters are crazy and would be over the top, except that it takes place it Jersey... I'm in the Ranger fan club as well.
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If you are looking for an Agatha Christie deep mystery, you're reading the wrong series. So don't complain! This is light, fun series to bring a laugh to your day.
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LibraryThing member busyreadin
I listened to this book on a 6 hour road trip. At times I was laughing so hard that if a policeman had seen me he probably would have pulled me over for DUI.

Got a dose of all my favorite characters at their best (or worst??). Only complaint is the cliff-hanger ending, but since another book comes
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out in 4 months I guess I'll survive!
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Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

2011-06-21

Physical description

9.52 inches

ISBN

0345527682 / 9780345527684

Other editions

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