Twelve Sharp (Stephanie Plum, No. 12) [Kindle Edition]

Janet Evanovich (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The mixture of slapstick and gunplay that has put Evanovich's series about a sassy, less than competent New Jersey bounty hunter at the top of bestseller lists once again works its magic in Stephanie Plum's latest caper (after 2005's Eleven on Top). Stephanie, who freely admits her failings as a hunter of fugitives, faces a growing work backlog that threatens the continued existence of her job. Her clumsy efforts to clear some cases, along with the help of her outrageous colleague, Lula, result only in their adding another sad sack to the office payroll—a forlorn shoe salesman who's talked off a ledge by Stephanie's offer of a position as file clerk. Stephanie's ambivalence toward the two men in her life becomes harder to maintain when one of them, the mysterious Ranger, is accused of kidnapping his own daughter. Countless over-the-top scenes, including one at a funeral parlor, will delight longtime fans.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* In a manner almost elegant in its offhandedness, Stephanie Plum gets us up to speed on her life as a bounty hunter in Trenton, NJ; her ever-eccentric family; and her fellows in her cousin's bail-bond office. It doesn't take more than a few pages. Then someone who is mistaken for Ranger--one of the two men in and out of Stephanie's life (the other is Morelli the cop)--is accused of kidnapping his daughter. Evanovich uses all of her considerable arsenal here: wisecracking humor and set pieces about cars, neighborhoods, family matters, and the funeral parlor (now with new directors straight out of Queer Eye for the Burg Guy). Then, at one point, both Morelli and Ranger are living out of Stephanie's apartment (she flees to her childhood bedroom). Evanovich also deftly uses celebrity stalking and identity theft to sketch a quite scary bad guy, and she creates in Ranger's daughter, Julie, a spirited 10-year-old version of her mesmerizing father. The ending is downright terrifying, but the coda is soothing and features a cake with icing roses. Kids? Cupcakes? What could possibly be next? GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 380 KB
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (June 19, 2007)
• Sold by: Macmillan
• Language: English
• ASIN: B000UB9NFC
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (424 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #455 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #25 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Genre Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Mystery > Women Sleuths
  • #26 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery > Women Sleuths
  • #65 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Contemporary Fiction

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

83 of 96 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vintage Plum, June 26, 2006

By 

J. A. KONRATH "Thriller Author" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Twelve Sharp (Stephanie Plum, No. 12) (Stephanie Plum Novels) (Hardcover)

Is it funny? Yes.

Does it have a lot of romantic tension? Yes.

Does it have a good villain? Yes.

Is the mystery interesting? Yes.

Are the characters still fun? Yes.

What more do you want out of a summer beach book?

I've heard some reviewers bemoan Ms. Plum's lack of dynamic character development throughout the series. They would like to see Stephanie grow, or change, or mature, or develop, or choose between Ranger and Joe, or become a monk and move to Tibet, or join the Galactic Alliance and fight the Mucus Monsters of Planet Nostril.

I disagree. I think the formula is perfect. It's fun, fast-paced, and always good for some laughs.

You wouldn't ask Walt Disney to make Mickey Mouse more grown-up. Especially since Disney has been dead for several decades.

You shouldn't ask Janet Evanovich to change Stephanie, either. Both Stephanie, and Janet, are perfect the way they are, and I hope they stay that way for many more books.

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars sub-par, August 10, 2006

By 

Tj Brady "Tom Brady" (Clearwater Beach FLA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Twelve Sharp (Stephanie Plum, No. 12) (Stephanie Plum Novels) (Hardcover)

This 12th edition of the often hilarious Plum exploits, was simply not as strong as prior efforts by the very capable Janet E. The dinner scenes at Stephanie's parents have become predictable, her infatuation with Ranger is becoming a sophmoric fantasy. The constant carnage thrust upon Plum is becoming predictable as well. I read the book in one sitting as is my habit, I was entertained but only mildly. I felt as if Janet E. had a deadline and rushed to meet it. She left out her sister and her sisters neurotic lawyer husband who are generally good for a few laughs. Her interaction with her hamster and her eating habits need to be notched up to a more sophisticated level. I will buy the next Plum novel, I only hope Janet E. puts a little more punch into it.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Funny, but felt like Evanovich was going through the motions, August 19, 2006

By 

booksforabuck "BooksForABuck" (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Twelve Sharp (Stephanie Plum, No. 12) (Stephanie Plum Novels) (Hardcover)

Incompetent bounty hunter Stephanie Plum continues to haul in perverts, shoplifters, and husband-stabbers who've missed their court dates, but everything changes when a woman shows up claiming to be Ranger's husband and gunning for Stephanie. When Ranger's daughter is kidnapped, Stephanie realizes that someone is posing as Ranger, trying to take over his identity. Since Ranger has something of a thing for Stephanie, that puts her firmly in the cross-hairs.

Stephanie wobbles between Joe Morelli and Ranger, wanders off to the beach to get away, takes a road trip with Ranger to Virginia, and deals with both her grandmother and Lula joining cross-dresser Sally Sweet's band. Meanwhile, Ranger has his entire organization on alert watching Stephanie and trying to find the faux-Ranger before he can strike again.

Author Janet Evanovich actually puts together a mystery/thriller plot that practically makes sense here, something a bit unusual in the Stephanie Plum series. Unfortuntely, for much of the novel, however, Evanovich seems to be going through the motions. We've got the weird perverts Stephanie has got to track down and re-bond--check. The love triangle between Stephanie, Morelli, and Ranger--check. Grandma Mazur being weird and thinking she's Mick Jagger--check. Lula going on about being an ex-ho--check. A car blowing up--check, but with a twist, watch for this one, guys. All of the pieces are here, but somehow it doesn't come together. I guess I just didn't see much character development, progress in the relationship, or really any sense of danger for Stephanie. Yes, she was getting shot at, but she didn't seem to care much--and I didn't either.

It's hard to go wrong with a Stephanie Plum book. Janet Evanovich sure can write. TWELVE SHARP is easy to pick up and hard to put down. And there are several laugh-out-loud moments to help make the book worthwhile. Still, I ended feeling like I'd eaten one of the donuts Stephanie was getting--sweet but not enough really there.