Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Bantam Books [First Edition]
Pages
307
Description
New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum knows better than to mess with family. But when powerful mobster Salvatore "Uncle Sunny" Sunucchi goes on the lam in Trenton, it's up to Stephanie to find him. Uncle Sunny is charged with murder for running over a guy (twice), and nobody wants to turn him in--not his poker buddies, not his bimbo girlfriend, not his two right-hand men, Shorty and Moe. Even Trenton's hottest cop, Joe Morelli, has skin in the game, because "just Stephanie's luck" the godfather is his actual godfather. And while Morelli understands that the law is the law, his old-world grandmother, Bella, is doing everything she can to throw Stephanie off the trail.
Series
Collection
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2013-11-19
Physical description
307 p.; 9.5 inches
ISBN
0804179468 / 9780804179461
Similar in this library
User reviews
LibraryThing member scoutmomskf
Stephanie's antics are still fun, but not as hysterically funny as they were in the earlier books. In this one, the main story is the search for "Sunny" Sunucchi who has skipped out on his bond. Vinnie is out a whole bunch of money if Sunny isn't found and it's Stephanie's job to do it. The problem
Ranger has also asked her to help him investigate some murders. All of the dead women have played bingo with Grandma Mazur, but Stephanie is having problems trying to find any other connections. Meanwhile she and Grandma are hitting up the bingo games and funeral viewings looking for clues.
Stephanie is really beginning to think that she needs to look at a new career. She gets to know a butcher who might be a suspect in the murders, but who also tries to teach her about the butcher business. I really enjoyed seeing her reactions to the various things she had to do, considering the sight of raw meat tends to make her faint. There's a great scene where the butcher tries to teach her to cook a steak and she sets his apartment on fire.
She and Lula are still bumbling around some of their takedowns, usually ending up with Stephanie getting hurt. The broken nose scene is pretty good.
Then there's her relationships with Joe and Ranger. She still can't make up her mind between the two of them. Joe is a nice normal guy, and the sex between them is great. They've been mostly together for a long time, but neither seems really ready to commit, but Stephanie is starting to think that way. She actually looking at learning to cook, decorating her apartment, and pinning Joe down. Just as she's ready to have a talk with him she gets a reminder look at his family as they show up at his place for a ball game. His brothers and nieces and nephews are wild, with the kids seeming barely housebroken. Then there's his grandmother Bella who hates Stephanie and is constantly giving her the evil eye. This makes Stephanie rethink her position. Joe also tends to not approve of her bounty hunter job and has often suggested she look at another type of job.
There's also the fact that she still has a thing for Ranger. Just being around him tends to get her hot and bothered, but he's always been anti-commitment. The thing about Ranger is that he's always there for Stephanie. His protectiveness is constant. All she has to do is call him and he's there within minutes. Even when she doesn't call him he's watching out for her. In this book there seems to be a slight changing of the anti-commitment attitude. I love his patience as he seems to be waiting for her to make her choice. I also love the way he accepts her just the way she is. He doesn't try to change her, he even asks for her help. In this book he leaves a lot of the investigation work in her hands, showing he has confidence in her abilities. I can actually see her giving up the bounty hunter gig and going to work for Ranger permanently.
Overall, I will keep reading, just to see how those relationships progress. I'm definitely rooting for Ranger these days.
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is that Sunny is a very popular guy and no one will rat him out. She can't even get any help from Joe because Sunny is a relative, even if he is a bad guy. As usual, she manages to find him a few times but can't take him down. She even gets tossed off a bridge while wearing a cinder block because of him. Thank goodness Ranger was there to save her.Ranger has also asked her to help him investigate some murders. All of the dead women have played bingo with Grandma Mazur, but Stephanie is having problems trying to find any other connections. Meanwhile she and Grandma are hitting up the bingo games and funeral viewings looking for clues.
Stephanie is really beginning to think that she needs to look at a new career. She gets to know a butcher who might be a suspect in the murders, but who also tries to teach her about the butcher business. I really enjoyed seeing her reactions to the various things she had to do, considering the sight of raw meat tends to make her faint. There's a great scene where the butcher tries to teach her to cook a steak and she sets his apartment on fire.
She and Lula are still bumbling around some of their takedowns, usually ending up with Stephanie getting hurt. The broken nose scene is pretty good.
Then there's her relationships with Joe and Ranger. She still can't make up her mind between the two of them. Joe is a nice normal guy, and the sex between them is great. They've been mostly together for a long time, but neither seems really ready to commit, but Stephanie is starting to think that way. She actually looking at learning to cook, decorating her apartment, and pinning Joe down. Just as she's ready to have a talk with him she gets a reminder look at his family as they show up at his place for a ball game. His brothers and nieces and nephews are wild, with the kids seeming barely housebroken. Then there's his grandmother Bella who hates Stephanie and is constantly giving her the evil eye. This makes Stephanie rethink her position. Joe also tends to not approve of her bounty hunter job and has often suggested she look at another type of job.
There's also the fact that she still has a thing for Ranger. Just being around him tends to get her hot and bothered, but he's always been anti-commitment. The thing about Ranger is that he's always there for Stephanie. His protectiveness is constant. All she has to do is call him and he's there within minutes. Even when she doesn't call him he's watching out for her. In this book there seems to be a slight changing of the anti-commitment attitude. I love his patience as he seems to be waiting for her to make her choice. I also love the way he accepts her just the way she is. He doesn't try to change her, he even asks for her help. In this book he leaves a lot of the investigation work in her hands, showing he has confidence in her abilities. I can actually see her giving up the bounty hunter gig and going to work for Ranger permanently.
Overall, I will keep reading, just to see how those relationships progress. I'm definitely rooting for Ranger these days.
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LibraryThing member mrlzbth
You pretty much know what you're getting with Stephanie Plum at this point--a reasonably entertaining but quickly forgettable read with zero character progression/development and a definite formula. "Oh, look, here's the part where Stephanie tries to capture someone but he's naked." I enjoy them as
I will say that if I could have just ONE wish in regards to these books, I would ask Janet Evanovich to stop acting as though Ranger's stalking of Stephanie (which is exactly what planting tracking devices on her without her permission is) is somehow romantic or sexy. They even talk in this book about how he wouldn't stop tracking her even if she asked him to! CREEPY.
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something light to take a break with but have come to expect very little beyond that. I will say that if I could have just ONE wish in regards to these books, I would ask Janet Evanovich to stop acting as though Ranger's stalking of Stephanie (which is exactly what planting tracking devices on her without her permission is) is somehow romantic or sexy. They even talk in this book about how he wouldn't stop tracking her even if she asked him to! CREEPY.
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LibraryThing member Meggle
The twentieth addition to the Stephanie Plum series seems to (FINALLY!) have Stephanie thinking about growing up a bit. A near death experience jolts Stephanie into thinking about getting her life together and getting a different job at least for a little while. Other than that this was your
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typical Stephanie Plum novel. Steph is still caught between Morelli and Ranger. Show Less
LibraryThing member Ilithyia
Another hilarious recounting of the life and turbulent times of Stephanie Plum, bounty hunter. I would say that [[Janet Evanovich]] is drawing this story how long past its necessary conclusion, but at the same time, I hope she keeps writing them forever! Sometimes you want to yell at Stephanie to
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just choose between Joe and Ranger already, and at other times you want to see her take advantage of the fact that she has two gorgeous guys to play with. I feel like if she ever does choose then the series will end, but who knows. I'm sure there would be lots of laughs and mayhem in the wedding, honeymoon, and actual married life no matter who Stephanie ends up with. For the record, I hope it's Joe. Show Less
LibraryThing member zoomball
Audio version - great as usual. Hard to believe that Evanovich keeps cranking these out and I keep laughing. But it's the truth.
LibraryThing member hobbitprincess
More of our favorite characters in some of the same situations. I won't say anything else except I still think Joe is the way to go.
LibraryThing member Mathenam
Stephanie Plum, #20. I enjoy the series, but it's been going on so long that it's hard to find new situations for Stephanie to have to get out of. This one was just 'okay' for me. It was a long time before anything of much value happened, and then the ending wrapped up very quickly. She's still
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flirting around with both men, and her life is a train wreck. I'd love to see her settle down with Joe, buy Vinnie out, and run the bonds agency herself, with Ranger as a partner, and Connie and Lula as her assistants. Show Less
LibraryThing member busyreadin
Unfortunately, a typical Stephanie Plumm book. I still enjoy these, but they have become very predictable. The only real excitement is when Stephanie is with Ranger.
LibraryThing member konastories
Joy's review: I think Stephanie's in a rut... actually, I think she's been in a rut for several books now. The usual Stephanie, Lulu and Grandma craziness... loved the roaming giraffe who Lulu named 'Kevin', but wish something different would happen in Stephanie's life...
LibraryThing member susiesharp
This was another fun installment of the series, we have lots of Lulu & Grandma (my 2 favorite characters) and this time we also have a giraffe who Lulu names Kevin. Stephanie as always seems to find trouble no matter where she goes and wrecks another Rangeman vehicle, breaks a bone or two and has
Just when you think Stephanie is going to grow up and make a decision about the men in her life, we readers realize her relationship with Joe Morelli may not be as strong as we think it is. Evanovich shows us that other than the occasional shag and rescue (or is that the other way around) Stephanie & Morelli aren’t really in each others lives the way an almost engaged couple should be. She has no idea he has a game day with his family & friends, how long have they been dating? How could she not know this, unless there is less of a relationship than we had been led to believe? My thoughts on this love triangle may have changed with this book.
Stephanie also decides to finally quit the bonds business, will it last?
I love this series if I am feeling blah or am in a book slump these are my go to books, they aren’t great literature but they are fun and I enjoy the heck out of them!
As always Lorelei King brings every character to life with many, many varied voices she is the voice of this series and makes me only read these books on audio!
Another fun romp through the Berg!
3 ½ Stars for pure enjoyment!
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to be rescued a few times from imminent death. She is also given the evil eye curse from Joe’s grandma Bella which may be the scariest situation of all!Just when you think Stephanie is going to grow up and make a decision about the men in her life, we readers realize her relationship with Joe Morelli may not be as strong as we think it is. Evanovich shows us that other than the occasional shag and rescue (or is that the other way around) Stephanie & Morelli aren’t really in each others lives the way an almost engaged couple should be. She has no idea he has a game day with his family & friends, how long have they been dating? How could she not know this, unless there is less of a relationship than we had been led to believe? My thoughts on this love triangle may have changed with this book.
Stephanie also decides to finally quit the bonds business, will it last?
I love this series if I am feeling blah or am in a book slump these are my go to books, they aren’t great literature but they are fun and I enjoy the heck out of them!
As always Lorelei King brings every character to life with many, many varied voices she is the voice of this series and makes me only read these books on audio!
Another fun romp through the Berg!
3 ½ Stars for pure enjoyment!
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LibraryThing member Maydacat
Everybody’s got problems. It just seems like Stephanie has more than most people. Or maybe, hers are just more unusual. She is after an FTA, “Uncle Sunny,” Joe’s godfather, but because everyone is either family or scared of him, she is getting little info as to his whereabouts. Throw in
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other problems – a murderer on the loose targeting old ladies, a dating grandmother, an evil-eye curse, dating dilemmas, lack of transportation, unemployment, and an inability to make decisions – and you have Stephanie Plum at her best. Did I mention a giraffe loping through the burg? Yes, this story has all that and more. For pure entertainment at its best, it’s hard to do better than this series. Show Less
LibraryThing member dhhughey
Another successful Stephanie Plum novel. Very fast-paced mystery. Absolutely love this author.
LibraryThing member DrLed
Synopsis: Stephanie is still chasing bond skips and taking that big, beautiful, former 'ho, Lulu with her. This time they are trying to track down Sunny, a dashing elderly hood. In the process they encounter Kevin, a giraffe.
Review: Evanovich's early books made you laugh out loud. I am glad to say
Review: Evanovich's early books made you laugh out loud. I am glad to say
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this book is in that vein The plot is good and the usual suspects appear. Show Less
LibraryThing member ethel55
Our New Jersey bounty hunter, always in need of money the good catch will bring, is hunting down a couple of skips with her ever present sidekick, Lula. Nothing new here on any front and I haven't decided if Evanovich just jumped the shark by throwing in the giraffe storyline. Ready for Twenty-one
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and done--if we could be so lucky as to get final resolution in the series. Show Less
LibraryThing member bookczuk
Somehow I had it in my mind that this might be the final Stephanie Plum book -- that she'd end up incinta (if it was Morelli's) or embarazada if it was Ranger's. But it was more of the usual, except this time it involved mobsters, dead grannies, and a giraffe. And Mrs Plum kept ironing...
Funny
Yesterday was a snow day here, which is a rarity in Charleston. If I'd not taken that two hour nap on the couch, the book would have been read in a day. As it happened, I finished it over tea and toast this morning, which is decidedly more than Stephanie can cook.
Funny
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thing is that the last few books, I've listened to on audio, so when reading, I heard the voice actor's character voices in my head. That was pretty entertaining. Yesterday was a snow day here, which is a rarity in Charleston. If I'd not taken that two hour nap on the couch, the book would have been read in a day. As it happened, I finished it over tea and toast this morning, which is decidedly more than Stephanie can cook.
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LibraryThing member LissaJ
When I first started this series, there were times when I laughed out loud. There were times when I was flipping through pages faster than my eyes could follow and times when Ranger just showing up on the page could make my heart race. Those times ended about ten books ago. I keep wishing that
This book was a bit of the same old. There were some moments that Stephanie showed some growth and indications that she was looking at her life a bit more clearly but otherwise she keeps making the same mistakes over and over again. I'm not sure if I will continue this series, and I will definitely never, never, ever buy the book again...ever.
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either some of that magic would reappear or that Evanovich will just end the series. This book was a bit of the same old. There were some moments that Stephanie showed some growth and indications that she was looking at her life a bit more clearly but otherwise she keeps making the same mistakes over and over again. I'm not sure if I will continue this series, and I will definitely never, never, ever buy the book again...ever.
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LibraryThing member dearheart
Ok, forget the fact that this is book number 20 and not a whole lot has changed in Stephanie’s life. But somehow this book felt a little different than the last few and she recognizes that things need to change. Steph seems to be maturing and has a better grasp on her limitations. Not that things
The major characters are all on hand with two main focuses. The first involves a skip who happens to be not only an area godfather wanted for murder that everyone wants to protect, but he’s Joe’s godfather. The other is helping Ranger figure out the connections between elderly women whose bodies are wrapped in a sheet and left in dumpsters. One of those ladies was the mother of an important Rangeman client and the police are getting nowhere. Steph needs help plenty of times from Ranger, so there’s some sexual tension. But this is a fairly PG13 story.
As usual there are plenty of humorous situations as well as life-threatening danger. The story moves along at a fast clip. I consider these books a popcorn read; some light-hearted silliness to pass a few hours. Not a bad way to spend an evening.
Read via a library book.
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go well, because how much fun would that be? And with this book she discovers a new aspect of Joe’s life that’s a total surprise to her.The major characters are all on hand with two main focuses. The first involves a skip who happens to be not only an area godfather wanted for murder that everyone wants to protect, but he’s Joe’s godfather. The other is helping Ranger figure out the connections between elderly women whose bodies are wrapped in a sheet and left in dumpsters. One of those ladies was the mother of an important Rangeman client and the police are getting nowhere. Steph needs help plenty of times from Ranger, so there’s some sexual tension. But this is a fairly PG13 story.
As usual there are plenty of humorous situations as well as life-threatening danger. The story moves along at a fast clip. I consider these books a popcorn read; some light-hearted silliness to pass a few hours. Not a bad way to spend an evening.
Read via a library book.
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LibraryThing member medixon
Not her best, but still very entertaining read.
LibraryThing member delphimo
Janet Evanovich started out as a hilarious writer, and then her novels followed a set pattern with less humor. Takedown Twenty returns with some of the old humor. I constantly wonder why Stephanie Plum does not pick Ranger over Joe. Stephanie Plum also tries a new line of work in this novel for at
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least two days. Grandma Mazur needs to play more scenes since she is a riot. In this novel, she romances a killer in her thongs. The book is primarily dialogue with very little description. Dialogue appeals to more readers, it is more like the action movies that require no concentration. Show Less
LibraryThing member mochap
Stephanie and Lula search for Uncle Sonny, someone who's been dumping dead old ladies in dumpsters (is Grandma Mazer next??), and a giraffe named Kevin. Fun, as always. Audiobook reader is FANTASTIC
LibraryThing member bleached
Another great installment of the Stephanie Plum series. All the favorite character reemerge in another funny who-done-it. This time with a giraffe.
LibraryThing member phyllis2779
A fun installment in the Stephanie Plum saga. I wonder how long Evanovitch can drag out the Morelli-Ranger dilemma. Lula, Grandma, and everyone else pretty much played their usual roles. And Srephanie was also true to form but the humor was there and the weird plot twists., if you can call it a
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plot. Show Less
LibraryThing member Glennis.LeBlanc
The last few in the series have been a bit ok but nothing exciting. This one felt like one of the older books and I enjoyed it more than the last two. The usual Stephanie is trying to bag someone she has a hard time tracking. This time it is someone with connections to Morelli and that makes it a
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bit harder with his grandmother giving her the eye all the time over it. The wacky part of the story is a runaway giraffe that no one is calling animal control about. All in all a fun read and glad I picked it up. Here is hoping that the series keeps it up even as Stephanie slowly moves to making a decision about her love life. Show Less
LibraryThing member AnnRushing
When #20 was released I didn't expect much more than the usual from Stephanie and the gang. But, I was surprise that Ms. Plum seams to be growing up a little bit...or at least thinking about it.
Stephanie has decided on Joe and determined to resist Ranger. She's talking about marriage and kids with
All this give you hope that our little girl is growing up. But in the end it's status quo.
Stephanie has decided on Joe and determined to resist Ranger. She's talking about marriage and kids with
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a change of jobs. But, of course, now Joe is shying away from commitment and won't stand up to his family for Stephanie. She quits her job and works at another for a short time then attempts to apply at several other positions. All this give you hope that our little girl is growing up. But in the end it's status quo.
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LibraryThing member Mirandalg14
Typical Stephanie Plum. Not much new, but I dont' really expect much at this point. The giraffe got extra points as it's my favorite animal.
Call number
FIC F Eva