Customer Reviews
Stephanie and Grandma Mazur become roomies - By: Joseph Haschka, 04 Jan 2006 
At the end of my review of the previous bookin the Stephanie Plum series, HIGH FIVE, I wondered if author Janet Evanovich was on the verge of trying too hard with her plotting. Then, of course, there was thread left dangling on the last page. Whose name, Morelli's or Ranger's, did Stephanie pull out of the bowlin her Night of Passion Lottery? In HOT SIX, it seems to me that Evanovich is indeed pushing it. And it turns out that Joe Morelli is the one that got lucky.
Plum is a bounty hunterin Trenton, NJ, employed by Vincent Plum Bail Bonds, the owner being her scummy cousin, Vinnie. Stephanie's modus operandi is either Keystone Cops or Bull-In-China-Shop, depending on her mood & the amount of junk snacks that she's consumed. The fact that she ultimately succeeds is based purely on dogged persistence & good fortune.
The skeleton of the HOT SIX plot is that Vinnie tasks Plum with apprehending Ranger, his best bond enforcement agent & Stephanie's friend & frequent mentor. Ranger has skipped bail on a ridiculous concealed weapon charge - everyone carriesin Trenton - & it doesn't help that the local cops want to question him about the recent murder of a crime kingpin's son. Plum wants no part of it, least of all because she hasn't the skill to nab the ex-Special Forces soldier. But, as the bodies pile up, bagging Ranger becomes the least of her worries.
Don't get me wrong. HOT SIX is as funny as any previous bookin the series. It's just that Janet's imagination has,in my opinion, finally gone over the topin populating the storyline with weird characters & dropping her heroine into bizarre situations. It's gotten to the point where less wackiness may be better. It's fine that her feisty Grandma Mazur, reminiscent of Sophia (Estelle Getty) of American TV's GOLDEN GIRLS sitcom, must movein with her, but not necessary that the former take driving lessons, date the ancient geezer upstairs, or purchase a red Corvette. It's not unusual that Stephanie apprehends a couple of oddball fugitives over the course of the book, but not required that one of them here be costumed as Captain Kirk at a Trekkies gathering during the takedown. And not surprisingly, Stephanie is followed by a couple of goons who also have an interestin finding Ranger. But does one of them really have to be a Pakistani emigre who, backin the old country, used to beat unruly children workingin the village rug factory? What has before simply seemed to be Plum's bad karma is now too heavy a concentration of weird to be believed.
Finally, the reactions of Stephanie's mother to her antics - she say's "Why me?" & makes the sign of the cross a lot- are getting old. And Stephanie's long-suffering Dad continues to be a virtual cipher. It's time both characters were fleshed out.
At least Stephanie is making progressin her love life. Is that a proposal of marriage coming from Morelli at the book's end? You think?
Health warning - By: Geoff Le Prevost, 04 Nov 2004 
Please, please, please do NOT read this book in public. I took it on holiday with me & I have not yet recovered. I was unable to contain guffawing shrieks of laughter & at one point, on a crowded beach, had to stop reading the book I was so embarrased. Just thinking about it makes me smile.
There is one particular episode involving a kidnapped dog which was so funny, I read it over & over with tears streaming down my face. This wasin a Greek restaurant.
You have been warned.
Slapstick Rules as Klutzy Criminals Cruise - By: Donald Mitchell, 13 Sep 2004 This book belongsin a new category: Something like comedy that contains crime as a background. Seriously, this book is almost as funny as if The Three Stooges played the criminals & took on The Keystone Kops.
The story has several running gags that are well sustained. Stephanie Plum & those who are attracted to her are very interestedin having sexual relations, but are continually stymmiedin unpredictable ways. Bob, the dog, comes into Stephanie's life, & one disaster follows another. This dog is the Lucille Ball of animals, & makes a complete farce out of every situation. The criminalsin question are so clumsy & stupid that they continually give themselves away, leaving you with virtually no mystery to holdin your hands. Stephanie continually has her efforts to be a bounty hunter turn out poorly, yet somehow she gets out of the worst of what could happen with another hilarious mishap scene. Stephanie's grandmother decides she wants to ride the wild side & movesin with Stephanie. Between her interestin men & snoring, she is driving Stephanie up a wall. There are more such running gags, but you get the idea. Many books make the mistake of overdoing a single running gag. By filling this book to the brim with them, none are overdone.
Few novels feel like they should be a movie, but this is clearly one of them. Each scene is very visceralin its development & humor.
You may not want to read this book right away. It is so funny that you may want to save it for an emergency, like the fire hosein most building hallways. You can be sure you'll laugh your head off whenever you do read it.
By the way, for those who like a synopsis: Stephanie's mentor, Ranger, is video tapedin a building moments before the victim is murdered & the building is torched. Ranger is on the lam from the cops, & there's a warrant out for his arrest. Stephanie & others help him keep an eye on things so he can prove his innocence. More murders ensue, & the bad guys are foiledin the end.
Have a ball overcoming your misconception that crime cannot be funny!
Slapstick Rules as Klutzy Criminals Cruise - By: Donald Mitchell, 22 May 2004 This book belongsin a new category: Something funnier than comedy that contains a little crime as context for the humor. Seriously, this book is funnier than if The Three Stooges played the criminals & took on The Keystone Kops.
The story has several running gags that are well sustained. Stephanie Plum & those who are attracted to her are very interestedin having sexual relations, but are continually stymmiedin unpredictable ways. Bob, the dog, comes into Stephanie's life, & one disaster follows another. This dog is the Lucille Ball of animals, & makes a complete farce out of every situation. The criminalsin question are so clumsy & stupid that they continually give themselves away, leaving you with virtually no mystery to holdin your hands. Stephanie continually has her efforts to be a bounty hunter turn out poorly, yet somehow she gets out of the worst of what could happen with another hilarious mishap scene. Stephanie's grandmother decides she wants to ride the wild side & movesin with Stephanie. Between her interestin men & snoring, she is driving Stephanie up a wall. There are more such running gags, but you get the idea. Many books make the mistake of overdoing a single running gag. By filling this book to the brim with them, none are overdone.
Few novels feel like they should be a movie, but this is clearly one of them. Each scene is very visceralin its development & humor.
You may not want to read this book right away. It is so funny that you may want to save it for an emergency, like the fire hosein most building hallways. You can be sure you'll laugh your head off whenever you do read it.
By the way, for those who like a synopsis: Stephanie's mentor, Ranger, is video tapedin a building moments before the victim is murdered & the building is torched. Ranger is on the lam from the cops, & there's a warrant out for his arrest. Stephanie & others help him keep an eye on things so he can prove his innocence. More murders ensue, & the bad guys are foiledin the end.
Have a ball overcoming your misconception that crime cannot be funny!
Slapstick Rules as Klutzy Criminals Cruise - By: Donald Mitchell, 22 May 2004 This book belongsin a new category: Something funnier than comedy that contains a little crime as context for the humor. Seriously, this book is funnier than if The Three Stooges played the criminals & took on The Keystone Kops.
The story has several running gags that are well sustained. Stephanie Plum & those who are attracted to her are very interestedin having sexual relations, but are continually stymmiedin unpredictable ways. Bob, the dog, comes into Stephanie's life, & one disaster follows another. This dog is the Lucille Ball of animals, & makes a complete farce out of every situation. The criminalsin question are so clumsy & stupid that they continually give themselves away, leaving you with virtually no mystery to holdin your hands. Stephanie continually has her efforts to be a bounty hunter turn out poorly, yet somehow she gets out of the worst of what could happen with another hilarious mishap scene. Stephanie's grandmother decides she wants to ride the wild side & movesin with Stephanie. Between her interestin men & snoring, she is driving Stephanie up a wall. There are more such running gags, but you get the idea. Many books make the mistake of overdoing a single running gag. By filling this book to the brim with them, none are overdone.
Few novels feel like they should be a movie, but this is clearly one of them. Each scene is very visceralin its development & humor.
You may not want to read this book right away. It is so funny that you may want to save it for an emergency, like the fire hosein most building hallways. You can be sure you'll laugh your head off whenever you do read it.
By the way, for those who like a synopsis: Stephanie's mentor, Ranger, is video tapedin a building moments before the victim is murdered & the building is torched. Ranger is on the lam from the cops, & there's a warrant out for his arrest. Stephanie & others help him keep an eye on things so he can prove his innocence. More murders ensue, & the bad guys are foiledin the end.
Have a ball overcoming your misconception that crime cannot be funny!
