Explosive 18 (Stephanie Plum #18)
by Janet Evanovich
Summary
Stephanie Plum has plenty of FTA’s to catch after returning from her trip, but her capture ratio is low! While this should be a top priority since rent needs to be paid, Steph’s far more concerned with all the interested parties wanting to question her about a missing photograph. Yet, all her family and friends seem to care about is what exactly happened on her Hawaiian vacation. And that’s one thing she does not want to talk about! Meanwhile a problem with the bonds bus forces Vincent Plum Bail Bonds to seek yet another location. Now Steph has to sort out this photo mess without getting killed and still earn enough money to make ends meet.
Review
Picking up shortly after the (small) cliff-hanger at the end of Smokin’ Seventeen, Explosive Eighteen changes things up a bit by having two fun mysteries that don’t even involve the bonds office. And those are on top of Steph and Lula’s hilarious adventures in Bounty Hunting! I personally found this deviation from the normal formula to be fun and refreshing. I also really liked that we got a direct continuation of the story from the last installment. Often the Plum books are fairly self-contained, but I’m a fan of the continuing arc.
I’ve read complaints about Steph’s back and forth between Morelli and Ranger, and the fact that she hasn’t improved much as a Bounty Hunter in all these years. While both these issues are still present, what was different in book 18 is that Stephanie seems to have realized that it’s time to make a choice and some improvements. Yay for progress! And it wouldn’t be a Plum novel without the many laugh-out-loud moments, which were in full supply in Explosive Eighteen. I found Lula was especially hilarious this time around, and would like to petition Janet Evanovich to make Lula’s “Hell yeah. I’m a big Tweeter” comment a reality! Because @Lula would definitely be a Tweeter worth following!
Verdict
With some fun mysteries and hilarious antics, Explosive Eighteen is one of my favourite Plum adventures in quite a few numbers!
BONUS! The hardcover edition of Explosive Eighteen contains the cutest tear-out 2012 Plum calendar!
*I received this book for review from the Publisher.
I disagree with your review. I thought that Explosive Eighteen was one of the weakest entries of the series. It is a slapdash, mishmash, patchwork of many ideas and scenarios that Ms. Evanovich has used to better effect in the past. The plot has potential that wasn’t realized. The book did not fulfill the promises made in the promo summary. I am glad that I borrowed this book rather than spending my hard earned cash for a book that would not have been published if it did not have Mr. Evanovich’s name on it.
As for the calendar, that type of promotional gimmick is for teenagers, not for Ms. Evanovich’s readership.
I’m sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy Explosive Eighteen! While I do agree Janet could move things forward much faster in any of the Plum novels, I did find the possibility of some change a pleasant variation from the standard formula that these novels seem to have adapted. And don’t be too quick to generalize all readers – I’m a woman in my 30′s and I thought the calendar was great!