Four to Score

In a series like the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich, you pretty much know what you're getting with each book.  Stephanie will get an FTA (Failure to Appear) that seems easy (because everyone knows that she is no good at her job), it will turn out to be not so normal, she'll track him/her down anyway, unravel the mystery, avoid getting killed, and pay her rent at the end.  I keep waiting for it to get boring, but it doesn't.  In the first book, her FTA was the man she lost her virginity to back in high school.  In the second book, the B story was her grandmother's disastrous obsession with attending wakes.  In the third book, her FTA was the most loved and respected man around.

Four to Score delivered everything I expected and still kept it fresh.  This time, Vinnie hires Stephanie's biggest rival, Joyce Barnhardt, to track down the same FTA!  I hate Joyce.  I got so mad whenever she showed up, but it certainly kept the books fresh.  And the way Stephanie deals with her at the end makes me laugh.

As for romance, that is definitely still there!  I love the awkward romantic tension between Stephanie and Morelli (although Ranger is hot, too).  When the bad guy tries to kill Stephanie by blowing up her apartment, she decides the only person she hates enough to risk his life is Morelli... and she moves in with him.  Obviously in a community like theirs, the talk starts immediately.  Stephanie has often had to sit through awkward family dinners and it was even more fun seeing her sit through an awkward family dinner with Morelli's family.  Plus, when Morelli's grandmother decides Stephanie is going to get married and have a baby (she is believed to be psychic), all of the extended family started bringing over food and baby items.

These books are non-stop conflict.  It's where the fun happens, it's where the comedy happens, and it's where the action happens.  I really can not wait to keep reading this series.

This book counts towards the following challenges: 100+, Harry Potter Reading challenge Hide and Seek mini Challenge.