Review: Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich (audio)

Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich

Series: Stephanie Plum #14.5, Between the Number #4

Read by Lorelei King

Macmillan Audio

2009

Length: 6.5 hours

Source: Library

Turn on all the lights and check under your bed. Things are about to get spooky in Trenton, New Jersey.

Wulf
Grimoire is a world wanderer and an opportunist who can kill without
remorse and disappear like smoke. He’s chosen Martin Munch, boy genius,
as his new business partner, and he’s chosen the Barrens as his new
playground.

Munch received his doctorate degree when he
was twenty-two. He’s now twenty-four, and while his brain is large, his
body is not. Anyone who says good things come in small packages hasn’t
met Munch.

Bounty Hunter Stephanie Plum has Munch on her
most-wanted list. Usually, she gets her man. This time she gets a
monkey. She also gets a big guy named Diesel.

Diesel pops
in and out of Plum’s life like birthday cake – delicious to look at and
taste, not necessarily healthy as a steady diet. He’s an uber bounty
hunter with special skills when it comes to tracking men and pleasing
women. He’s after Grimoire, and now he’s also after Munch. And if truth
were told, he wouldn’t mind setting Stephanie Plum in his crosshairs. 

Diesel
and Plum hunt down Munch and Grimoire, following them into the Barrens,
surviving cranberry bogs, the Jersey Devil, a hair-raising experience,
sand in their underwear, and, of course…monkeys.

My thoughts: I love this series but I have to say I didn’t particularly love this particular story. Maybe it’s because of the whole supernatural thing or the monkey storyline, but I just had a really hard time finishing it. I did, though, and am kind of glad that this is the last of the “Between the Numbers” books.

Once again, Diesel appears in Stephanie apartment and needs her help. It just so happens she’s going after someone that Diesel needs…this time Martin Munch, the little boy genius. On top of that, Stephanie is asked to take care of Carl the monkey, who happens to love playing video games. It’s just too much!

Unfortunately with these “Between the Numbers” books, Joe and Ranger end up taking a back seat. While they were both in this book, the usual chemistry between this on-going love triangle is never as high as in the regular books. 

We did get some more of Lula/Tank storyline, which I enjoyed. I’m not sure that wedding is ever going to take place, but it sure is fun seeing all the preparations happening on Lula’s end.

I’m looking forward to getting back to the regular Stephanie Plum books – only 5 more to go!!!

Audio Thoughts: Lorelei King is a big part of what got me through this book. I’ve come to really enjoy her narrating this series, which wasn’t always the case. If you remember, I was a big fan of CJ Critt narrating the earlier books in the series and was a little apprehensive about the narrator switch.

Have you ever encountered a series that you were listening to where the narrator switches mid-series? Did you continue or switch to print books?

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