Tricky Twenty-Two by Janet Evanovich

Title: Tricky Twenty-Two

Author: Janet Evanovich
Read by: Lorelei King
Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio

Length: Approximately 6 Hours (5 discs)
Source: Kewaunee Public Library – Thanks!

The start of a new semester is always stressful.  I therefore was looking for a funny book to listen to on my daily commute and I instantly thought of the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich.  Although the storyline has disappointed me in recent years, I am ALWAYS entertained by the narration of the audiobook novels by Lorelei King.  I think she is hands down, the best audiobook narrator in the business.  I also always hold out hope that the Stephanie Plum series will show some growth and I was pleasantly surprised by this book!

Stephanie Plum is a bounty hunter working for her cousin Vinnie with her always hilarious side-kick Lula in Trenton, New Jersey.  She is dating cop Joe Morelli, but always find herself tempted by man of mystery security expert, Ranger.  In Tricky Twenty-Two, Stephanie has many people she’s trying to track down for bounties, but her major hunt is for Ken Globovic.  He is the leader of the Zeta fraternity at the local Kiltman College.  He has been accused of assaulting the Dean of Students.  The Zeta fraternity is a living personification of Animal House, but Stephanie soon learns that there may be more to Globovic’s story than meets the eye.  Why is he being framed?  What is really going on at the Zeta house?

Tricky Twenty-Two was laugh out loud funny.  I enjoyed listening to it on my daily commute.  I also really enjoyed that there seemed to finally be some forward movement to Stephanie’s story.  She still destroys cars, loves to eat, and has relationship troubles, but there was progress on many things that have annoyed me the past several books.  For starters, Stephanie actually rescues herself for once!  I was very happy on that front that after all of these years as a bounty hunter, Stephanie is finally starting to gain some skills.  On the relationship front, Morelli and Stephanie are on the rocks through most of the book, but he finally proposes at the end of the book. Will Stephanie say yes?  We are left with a cliffhanger to find out. I am ready for love triangle to end and Stephanie to make forward growth on the relationship front.  My last favorite forward movement in this novel was that Stephanie’s Mom finally left her house, went out to eat with Stephanie, Lula, and Grandma, and found herself a part of the action.  I was cheering her on!

The last several books in the series have made me wonder why I keep listening, but this book is keeping me hooked into this series for the foreseeable future.  It is just a funny, fun book and the characters are starting to have some growth which is great.  There is vulgar humor, so make sure you don’t listen when children are nearby.

Overall Tricky Twenty-Two was a great new addition to the Stephanie Plum series and it really makes me want to listen to the 23^rd addition!

Do you have a series that you love that sometimes you have a hard time staying with?

What is your favorite funny novel?

Are you a fan of Stephanie Plum?  Why or Why not?