Review: Seven Up by Janet Evanovich (audio)

Seven Up by Janet Evanovich

Read by Lorelei King

Audio Renaissance

2001

Length: 8.5 hours

From the back of the audio case:  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 triple kidnapping aside–Stephanie’s really
got the urge to run for her life…

My thoughts: Oh how I love Stephanie Plum!!!  This has to be one of the funniest series I’ve read/listened to in a long time. I think that’s one of the reasons why I’ve decided to listen to the series – hearing the voices out loud just seems to add to the hilarity of situations that Stephanie finds herself in.

In Seven Up, Stephanie has been what she thinks is going to be an easy case –  bring in Eddie DeChooch, a senior citizen charged with smuggling contraband cigarettes. Of course, nothing is straight-forward when Stephanie is on the case – and suddenly the case has taken on a new life – there’s a missing heart and people keep going missing.  Eddie keeps disappearing – even with Stephanie right on top of him. Then, somehow Mooner and Dougie become involved and wind up kidnapped. Even Grandma Mazur is kidnapped, and while everyone is worried, she was thrilled – and can’t wait to tell everyone all about her ordeal.

  

While this case is going on, Stephanie is thrown into wedding planning, going so far as to picking out a dress and setting a date – not that she really had any say in it all. Then her sister Valerie winds up moving home with her two daughters and decides she’s over men and wants to try being a lesbian. As usual, the laughs keep coming and there’s another car explosion, and more tension between Stephanie and Ranger. After calling off the wedding, we are once again left wondering if Stephanie will end up pursuing things with Ranger.

Audio Thoughts: I love listening to this series and until this audio book, had listened to CJ Critt narrate the books. In Seven Up, I could only find the audio that Lorelei King narrates and it was ok. I’m sure if I hadn’t been listening to CJ Critt up to this point, I wouldn’t have minded Lorelei King and I did get used to her voice and characters, but just didn’t feel that it was the same. Yes, she does give the characters their own voice and unique characteristics, but it seemed a bit dull as compared to CJ Critt. I think I would like to listen to Lorelei King narrate an non-Stephanie Plum book before writing her off.

If you don’t love a narrator the first time hearing them, do you give them another chance or do you steer clear of them?

(I borrowed this audio book from the library.)

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Books in this series:

     1.  One for the Money                         12.  Twelve Sharp
     2.  Two for the Dough                         12.5  Plum Lovin’
     3.  Three to Get Deadly                      13.  Lean Mean Thirteen
     4.  Four to Score                                   13.5  Plum Lucky
     5.  High Five                                           14.  Fearless Fourteen
     6.  Hot Six                                                14.5  Plum Spooky
     7.  Seven Up                                           15.  Finger Lickin’ Fifteen
     8.  Hard Eight                                         16.  Sizzling Sixteen

     8.5  Visions of Sugar Plums              17.  Smokin’ Seventeen

     9.  To the Nines                                      18.  Explosive Eighteen

    10.  Ten Big Ones                                    19.  Notorious Nineteen

    11.  Eleven on Top