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Though author Janet Evanovich’s lovable bounty hunter, Stephanie Plum, has been on the job for years and years, the cases never seem to get easier. And in her 28th adventure, Game On (or Tempting Twenty-Eight), she ends up tracking a skip who’s much more dangerous than the typical Trenton troublemaker.
The story finds Stephanie in over her head with her latest skip. When Oswald Wednesday misses his court date, she’s sent to track him down. But Oswald isn’t just another low-level crook. He’s a notorious hacker with a penchant for violence—and he seems to be out to get revenge on a group of young hackers called the Baked Potatoes. A mysterious man from Stephanie’s past, Diesel, is tracking Oswald, too. So while Stephanie tries to find Oswald—and protect his would-be victims—she also has to deal with Diesel’s constant, distracting presence.
While Stephanie Plum is known for taking on all kinds of wild and wacky cases—generally involving the most menacing criminals that Trenton, New Jersey, has to offer—this one is a little different. While some of her cases are pretty routine—like the homeless man who was arrested for roasting ducks in the park or the tired mom who lost it when the bakery closed early—Oswald’s case is trickier and much deadlier than a desperate woman destroying a bakery case. His crime in Trenton may have been pretty simple and straightforward, but there’s so much more to this international criminal—and the case puts a whole lot of lives in danger.
Somehow, though, this beloved author manages to take some very serious situations—from death threats and gunshot wounds to the destruction of personal property—and make them incredibly silly. That’s due, in part to the fact that, while trouble follows Stephanie wherever she goes, so does a collection of lovably kooky characters. This time, in addition to her sidekick, Lula (who’s suffering through a bout of bad luck), and her funeral-loving grandma, she also has to deal with Diesel, a handsome tough guy who’s lacking in personal boundaries, and a couple of brilliant but awkward young hackers. And though the scale of this case may be bigger—and the stakes may be higher—than most of the bounty hunter’s typical cases, it’s still as lovably wacky as ever.
After dozens of outings, Stephanie Plum’s adventures may have fallen into a comfortable routine, but they never really get old. So if you’re in need of a little bit of action and a bunch of laughs, you won’t be disappointed by Game On.
Listen to the review on Shelf Discovery:
