Customer Reviews

Plum Lucky (Stephanie Plum: Between the Numbers)

5 star:		(95)
4 star:		(52)
3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

Statisically speaking, luck has a normal distribution, that is, it has a bell shaped curve. Most people are in the middle with an average amount of luck, but some people are at an extreme point on the curve and are unlucky all the time (like that character in Lil Abner who walked around with a black cloud over his head), and some are at the other end and are lucky all the time. So goes life.

It's St. Patrick's Day and there is a rainbow in the air. Grandma Mazur stumbles into a duffle bag full of money - lots of money. She thinks that it is lucky money and hers to keep. Let the good times roll. She is off to Atlantic City. But other people have claims on the money. The story has an interesting cast of characters including an ex-jockey who thinks that he is an invisible leprechaun (he is always lucky, but manages to fumble it away); of course there are Stephi, Lula, and Connie from the bailbonds office; Diesel appears from Stephi's past - another man in her life; a short guy hired by Grandma Mazur; the gangster Delvina; and a horse to add to the adventures and misadventures. Of course there is the money.

You will have to read the novel to see how it all shakes out. The novel is not great literature, but is extremely funny. ROFL. Some scenes towards the end had me laughing so hard I had trouble continuing.

It is a short novel, and a quick read, at 166 pages with 28 lines per page somewhat widely spaced in easy reading type. It contains what a friend would call earthy language. I would personally classify it as PG-13.

In this latest installment of the Plum series, Stephanie is on another crazy adventure with none other than Diesel.

When Grandma Mazur finds a duffel bag filled with loot she disappears, Stephanie tracks her down at a casino in Atlantic City where the craziness ensues. Grandma has the money; Stephanie, Lulu and Connie are after Grandma. A Leprechaun is after the money and Grandma. A mobster is after the Leprechaun and money. And Diesel is after the Leprechaun. Things get hectic.

At 166 pages and giant print, this hardcover could easily have been read in a couple of hours, had I been drawn in to the story, I would have. The thing is I think the thrill is gone for me on this series and that bums me out tremendously. I have been on board with this series and loving every minute of it up until Lean Mean Thirteen (Stephanie Plum Novels). I feel like with that book, and now this one, I am reading the same story over and over. Nothing really new or exciting is happening. I didn't laugh at all during this book and I think I only giggled once when a joke is made about the size of the Leprechauns anatomy.

This is the first Janet Evanovich book I haven't purchased. Normally I rush to the store on the release date. This time I let my sister go it alone and I waited for her to be done with her copy and that's what I read. I don't want to be done with this series, but if she doesn't shake things up in Fearless Fourteen: A Stephanie Plum Novel (Stephanie Plum Novels), I am done. I will reread the old ones and have to be content with that.

This is a very cute book - it had some guffaw moments to it, but generally it is a great escape book - where we see some of our favorite characters doing crazy stuff.
The story takes place about a month after the last in between book - this time is St. Patrick's Day - Grandma Mazur has found a large bag of money, and has gone to Atlantic City to gamble it - Stephanie, Connie, Lula, Diesel (who is featured in the in between books) and a wannabe leprechaun (who found the money) go to find her.
Lula is more flamboyant than her normal self - thinking she will become the next plus size supermodel...
Some hilarious moments happen when the crew saves an injured racehorse named Doug and transporting him in an RV, then a stint in Stephanie's apartment -
We get tweaks of our favorite guys - Joe and Ranger, but that's it - their comments add to the madcap atmosphere though...
What we didn't see was Rex - where was Rex - did he go South for the Winter? Do not think the little critter would have enjoyed being alone while Stephanie was in Atlantic City, or having a horse horn into his territory at Stephanie's apartment...
The obligatory destruction of Stephanie's current car occurs -
It's a cute book - is it the best book? No -
But when Grandma Mazur has a bigger role, it always leaves you smiling...

I know these books always hit the bestseller lists even before they are released, then ride the lists for months. But I just don't get it. After chapter two of this (short story bound and sold as a) book, I tossed it aside, incredibly annoyed with the inane dialogue and make-it-up-as-she-goes-along plot. Remember when you were little and you played Barbies, and you'd say as you plunked Barbie along the carpet, "Barbie is putting her sweatshirt on now and running out to meet Ken," and your friend would say, "Ken is pulling up in his car and they are going out to eat cheeseburgers and then find a bank robber." This book is like that. When Stephanie finds her grandmother hours away in the casino and doesn't even bother to phone her frantic mother, who sent her looking for the old lady who had been missing for a few days...that is just sloppy and annoying writing. Z-

I have read and looked forward to each new Plum novel, but, like every other between the numbers book, I HATED IT!! As a matter of fact, I never even finished reading it. I will never waste another dime on a between the numbers book again. And I hope you don't either.

Stephanie Plum is back with the usual funny cast of characters. Grandma Mazur has found a bag full of money and is off to Atlantic City to play the slots. Lula has an offer to be a plus-size model. Diesel is the main man in this book, but Morelli and Ranger make brief appearances too. A leprechaun wannabe talks to animals, a horse is kidnapped, and oh yes, there are some exploding cars. You know, the usual stuff in a Stephanie Plum novel. The action is fast and furious and the laughs just keep coming as this short, between-the-numbers book rolls to a climax. Don't miss it!

I used to mark the release date for the Plum novels in my calendar and rush to buy them, but for the last few books the library has been my choice. After this, I might not even bother with the library. There is nothing new in this book. It reads like she pulled previously deleted scenes from past books and used them to flesh out her thin plot. The best character, by far, was a horse. The funniest statement was Stephanie's to Diesel that she doesn't mess around on her boyfriend. (Maybe her problem is that she can't figure out who actually is her boyfriend, as she's messed around plenty in the more recent books.) If yet another exploding car or Stephanie-in-danger scene is what you are looking for, give this one a try. Just don't expect to laugh much.

Stephanie Plum's life is never boring. One day she sees her grandmother lugging a bag of cash down the street and wrestling a little man in green pants and the next day her grandmother disappears. With the "help" of her friends Lula and Connie she is able to track down Grandma Mazur in Atlantic City where she is spending "her" money as quickly as she can. Before she knows it, Stephanie is dealing with the mysterious Diesel, the mob, a would be leprechaun, a racehorse, kidnapping, exploding cars and so much more.

"Plum Lucky" is described as a Stephanie Plum Between-the-Numbers book but the series is really by the numbers at this point - Janet Evanovich could write the books in her sleep. There is nothing new here, it's the same old, same old. All of the characters act the same and there's no growth. Fans may be disappointed that there's very little Joe Morelli or Ranger in this book. There is, however, a lot of Diesel. He didn't bother me in the first two Between-the-Numbers novels (Visions of Sugar Plums and Plum Lovin' (Stephanie Plum Novels)) but he annoyed me for some reason in this book. He doesn't add anything to the series and the Morelli-Stephanie-Ranger triangle is worn out enough without adding another man to the equation.

There is a funny scene in a car wash that almost, but not quite, saves the book. With the price of books today, readers deserve more than the same plot lines and jokes that are repeated in this book.

I am getting more and more frustrated with Janet Evanovich's novels. This one, in particular, is so short that it makes you wonder if she was really 'into' writing or just pumping out the words, like a school kid who has to write a 500-word assay. Honestly! the book is thin; the line spacing is 1 1/2 spaces and the letters are so far apart that it is difficult to read. She has developed a loyal fan base by giving us some very good mystery novels (i.e. the "numbered" books), but she is losing one fan, if she continues to produce these thin, uninteresting little books. I did give her one star for this one, however. Get back to serious writing, Janet.

Although the blurb sounded interesting, this turned out to be mediocre. I don't think a lot of effort was put into this book. It just didn't have the zip of a Stephanie Plum novel. It's almost as if Janet E didn't really care about the plot. I guess she figured we would buy it because we like this series.