Seven Up (Stephanie Plum, No. 7) (Stephanie Plum Novels) [Mass Market Paperback]

Janet Evanovich (Author)

Book Description

Series: Stephanie Plum Novels | Publication Date: June 4, 2002

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BLOWN UP
All New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has to do is bring in semi-retired bail jumper Eddie DeChooch. For an old man he's still got a knack for slipping out of sight--and raising hell. How else can Stephanie explain the bullet-riddled corpse in Eddie's garden? Who else would have a clue as to why two of Stephanie's friends suddenly vanished? For answers Stephanie has the devil to pay: her mentor, Ranger. The deal? He'll give Stephanie all the help she needs--if she gives him everything he wants . . .

MESSED UP
As if things weren't complicated enough, Stephanie's just discovered her Grandma Mazur's own unmentionable alliance with Eddie. Add a series of unnerving break-ins, not to mention the bombshell revelation leveled by Stephanie's estranged sister, and Stephanie's ready for some good news. Unfortunately, a marriage proposal from Joe Morelli, the love of her life, isn't quite cutting it. And now--murder, a randy paramour, a wily mobster, death threats, extortion, and a triplie kidnapping aside--Stephanie's really got the urge to run for her life . . .
SEVEN UP

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum's got a lot on her mind. How does cigarette smuggler Eddie DeChooch, a fugitive so geriatric that even the hot-to-trot Grandma Mazur won't go out with him a third time, keep giving her the slip? How did a woman who died of a heart attack end up in DeChooch's garden shed with five bullet holes in her chest? Who stole a rump roast from Dougie and Mooner, the two lovable potheads who have decided to be crime fighters in Spandex bodysuits? Can Stephanie's perfect sister Valerie make it as a lesbian single mother without driving her family crazy? And--oh yeah--what should Stephanie do about that damn wedding dress on hold at Tina's Bridal Shoppe, waiting for her to decide whether vice cop Joe Morelli's really the one for her?

I did look good in the gown. I looked like Scarlett O' Hara getting ready for a big wedding at Tara. I moved around a little to simulate dancing.

"Jump up and down so we can see how it'll look when you do the bunny hop," Grandma said.

"It's pretty but I don't want a gown," I said.

"I can order one in her size at no obligation," Tina said.

"No obligation," Grandma said. "You can't beat that."

"As long as there's no obligation," my mother said.

I needed chocolate. A lot of chocolate. "Oh gee," I said, "look at the time. I need to go."

To complicate matters further, Stephanie's made a reluctant deal with the devil: if she can't bring in DeChooch by herself, her sexy but dangerous cohort Ranger is willing to help--for a price that a girl who's not-exactly-engaged is uncertain whether she should pay. But when Dougie and Mooner disappear, Grandma is kidnapped, and a crazy widow starts taking pot shots, no one who hides her .38 in a cookie jar is going to turn down a little friendly assistance.

In Seven Up, Janet Evanovich serves up her usual bubbly fare: a totaled car, raucous viewings at Stiva's Funeral Parlor, buffoonish bad guys, and down-and-dirty mud wrestling, all stirred up with some snappy Jersey repartee and a few tart, new twists that will keep her fans impatient. Heaven can't wait for number eight. --Barrie Trinkle --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

It's always a treat to go out on a case with Stephanie Plum, the sassy, adventurous, but not always successful Trenton, N.J., bounty hunter. In her seventh outing (after 2000's Hot Six), Stephanie's employer, her bailbondsman cousin, Vinnie, gives her an easy job: pick up vicious senior citizen Eddie DeChooch, who is constantly sighted racing around Trenton in a borrowed white Cadillac, but whom no one can grab. The usual characters inhabit the novel: Steph's former high school buddies, the zonked-out Dougie and Mooner; and Evanovich's best creation, feisty Grandma Mazur. Stephanie's much-resented sister Valerie returns from California with her two daughters, her "perfect" marriage ended, and moves in with her parents, to their dismay. At times the plot meanders: Stephanie and pal Lula spend too much time running from house to house in the inbred Burg neighborhood, while two semi-retired crooks looking for DeChooch keep breaking into her apartment for little reason. All in all this is another zesty Evanovich read, but one that doesn't quite hit the high marks of her last two.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Publishers; 1st edition (June 4, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312980140
• ISBN-13: 978-0312980146
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (323 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,213 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Janet Evanovich is the #1 bestselling author of the Stephanie Plum novels, twelve romance novels, the Alexandra Barnaby novels and graphic novels, Wicked Appetite (the first book in the Lizzy and Diesel series,) and How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still gets five stars from me!, June 4, 2002

By 

"intentaccess" (Boca Raton, Florida USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seven Up (Stephanie Plum, No. 7) (Stephanie Plum Novels) (Hardcover)

Although this latest Plum novel didn't have the humor and strong plot as the other I still could not give it less than five stars. This book went fast and was very enjoyable.

The end was a long waited surprise with Ranger! Stephanie calls Ranger for help and the heat is turned up on the relationship between Ranger and Stephanie.

Joe and Stephanie and speaking of the idea on marriage. Of course Stephanie's family is all for the idea!

Mooner, who was introduced in the last book plays a bigger role.
Stephanie and Lula are riding a Harley this book.

Even though the laughter was not there as in the others this book should not be missed. If you follow this series. If you are a new reader then start with the first book and work your way through. You will be glad and really enjoy it!

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars There's one thing terribly wrong with all Evanovich books., June 20, 2001

By 

Kay Lewis - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seven Up (Stephanie Plum, No. 7) (Stephanie Plum Novels) (Hardcover)

The wait until the next book comes out is maddening. Seems like I've twiddled my thumbs for ages waiting on "Seven Up" to be released....and the day it was, I was waiting at the bookstore ready to elbow anyone between me and the display!

Those yummy men are back to "play" with Stephanie; meaning Joe Morelli and Ranger. How is that girl ever going to decide between the two of them when both are so wonderfully male and magnificent? Then of course there's Grandma Mazur at her zany best and an estwhile little known family member makes an appearance. Stephanies "perfect" sister Valerie whose "perfect" marriage has bit the dust, leaving her to contemplate the possible advantages to becoming gay. Lots of laughs are evoked through her decision to make lifestyle changes while living with her and Stephanies parents. Mother Plum is menopausal and frustrated, Father Plum is trying desperately to stay in his own world and ignore the chaos around him and Grandma is, as always, looking to be where the action is! Throw in Bob the dog, and those pharmaceutically impaired space cadets, Mooner & Dougie and it's once again madcap insanity from page one to the last page.

I don't know if I agree that this book is not as well written as the previous 6. I know I laughed just as hard and if it were possible to give any Evanovich book more then 5 stars I'd do it....just for the laugh factor alone! You can't read a Stephanie Plum book and not walk around with a silly grin on your face for two days after you've completed reading it. If you know anyone that's depressed, give them a Janet Evanovich book to read. Doesn't matter which one....they're all excellent for a lot of chuckles!

42 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Still gets the laughs, May 31, 2001

By 

Johanna English (London, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seven Up (Stephanie Plum, No. 7) (Audio Cassette)

Okay, I agree with the editorial reviewer who said this book wasn't as good as her others. It wasn't, but even that still merits four stars. It still made me laugh out loud, feel miserable and also cringe horribly (particularly towards the end).

She kills a car again. Can't have a novel where Steph doesn't destroy one or more of her cars. Wouldn't be right.

Grandma Mazur is still great and Perfect Sister Valerie and her two insane children (one is convinced she's a horse, the other knows it all) are a nice addition to the crazy world of Plum . I also love Steph's understated dad who takes it all in his stride. And her mum, in fact, and Bob and Morelli and Ranger and Lula...... I could go on and on....

Real interesting developments on the Ranger and Morelli front. Didn't really know how Ms. Evanovich would get Steph out of the situation she had between two very attractive and persuasive men without making her choice/decision uncharacteristic. And that choice is......

Not gonna tell you.

Once again we are left with the cliff hanger ending which, yes, is just as irritating as it was in book 6 (and 5) but that's more because I really, really want to know what happened than just being irritated with a deliberate device to get me to buy the next book (which, by the way, is SO working - I can't believe I have to wait a whole year to the next one).

Still, I think I'll just go read it again.