Tricky Twenty-Two

Stephanie Plum #22

by Janet Evanovich

Stephanie Plum might not be the world’s greatest bounty hunter, but she knows when she’s being played. Ken Globovic (aka Gobbles), hailed as the Supreme Exalted Zookeeper of the animal house known as Zeta fraternity, has been arrested for beating up the dean of students at Kiltman College. Gobbles has missed his court date and gone into hiding. People have seen him on campus, but no one will talk. Things just aren’t adding up, and Stephanie can’t shake the feeling that something funny is going on at the college—and it’s not just Zeta fraternity pranks.

As much as people love Gobbles, they hate Doug Linken. When Linken is gunned down in his backyard it’s good riddance, and the list of possible murder suspects is long. The only people who care about finding Linken’s killer are Trenton cop Joe Morelli, who has been assigned the case, security expert Ranger, who was hired to protect Linken, and Stephanie, who has her eye on a cash prize and hopefully has some tricks up her sleeve.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Humor, Audiobook, Romance, Chick Lit, Crime

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 17, 2015

About the author

Janet Evanovich is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Stephanie Plum series, the Lizzy and Diesel series, twelve romance novels, the Alexandra Barnaby novels and Trouble Maker graphic novel, and How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author, as well as the Fox and O'Hare series with co-author Lee Goldberg.

Reviews

[Allie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before Reading
Ok... Janet Evanovich... let me level with you here.

Make this the last book. Make it good. Make it not be like books 15-21 and end this played out series. Please. Do not reuse all your old material. For the love of God let Stephanie choose between Ranger and Morelli or neither. Permanently. Let her not be the same person who has not grown or changed at all... give her something. More than a hamster.

PLEASE.

After Reading

Ok. Better than the last two books in my opinion.

Still a little predictable, but Stephanie actually (briefly) considered other career options and made a step in A DIRECTION romantically. Hallelujah! Yes, some parts were still predictable as all can be, and naturally she gets kidnapped once, makes out with both Ranger and Joe, Grandma and Lula shoot at people a lot, and at least three cars get destroyed but it could have been worse!

And a proposal! Or a proposal for a proposal. Character relationship developmental growth! I'll take it!

So, it wasn't amazing, but it could have been so much worse. At least this time I wasn't rolling my eyes every other page and dreading actually having to finish reading this one!

[Patti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poor Stephanie. Her life has gotten so complicated that she's considering changing professions. Her FTA'S aren't coming along quietly, she keeps forgetting to buy bullets for her gun, she still can't keep a car intact for any period of time, she's getting pranked by the college fraternity from hell, and something is up with Morelli. His post coital suggestion that they break up and that Steph should see other people (just not Ranger) has totally thrown her for a loop. But Stephanie isn't short on suitors - Grandma Mazur has been catfishing, and she's used Steph's picture and personal info as bait! Adding to the migraine of her life is a series of murders linked to the frat from hell, and a mad scientist with weaponized fleas. What's a girl to do? Maybe become a hairdresser.

Fun, fast paced, and utterly satisfying, this installment delivers. I recommend it!

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Car blown up? Check
Big Blue, the Buick Roadmaster makes an appearance? Check
Hot Morelli? Check
Wacky Grandma Mazur attends a viewing? Check
Flashy Lula wants to eat? Check
Stephanie needs to be rescued by Ranger or Morelli? Check
Smokin' hot Ranger? Check Check!!





Entertaining? Check
Fast read? Check
Repetitive? Check Check!!

[Kaceey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This had everything you could hope for in a Stephanie Plum book.

Let’s check off the list:
✅Stephanie destroying a car…maybe two
✅Lula riding shotgun.
✅A trip to the Cluck-in-a-Bucket
✅A viewing with Grandma Mazur front and center.

But the big question at least for me is, 🥁🥁
✅Will Stephanie make a choice between Joe and Ranger?

You may finally get your answer…maybe😉

Thank you to my local library for 🎧

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

HURRAY! When the first three pages cracked me up right off the bat, I was happy as pie, and when the laughs continued, well, let's just say TRICKY TWENTY-TWO is one of the better Stephanie Plum novels I've read in quite some time.

Yes, our bounty hunter still trashes a few of Ranger's fancy cars, Yes, Grandma Mazur still attends her visitations, and Yes, Lula is still her usual spandex eating machine self; BUT I had many more laugh-out-loud moments in TRICKY TWENTY-TWO than the last three books combined. Even Mrs. P gets in a good one!

So, get ready for more laughs, some red hot encounters plus a "shocker" of a surprise from Morelli, and, of course, the usual duked out in black Ranger appearances.

Will Stephanie ever choose between the two hunks??? Who knows.......but I did like the way the story concluded in this one.....hint.....hint.....hint. 3.5 Stars with a round up to 4.0 for leaving me with a big smile on my face!

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can you imagine writing dozens of books in a series about the same core characters? If you find the right combination of setting, characters, and tone, it can be amazing. Janet Evanovich has been successful with the Stephanie Plum series creating clever and humorous plots that always bring something fun to the table. Occasionally they get repetitive, but as a stand-alone book, each is always great. Number 22, Tricky Twenty-Two, continues the trend with Stephanie visiting a college campus to collect a bond escapee -- only this time, she's found herself dealing with fleas that might have the Bubonic plague.

No, this isn't a sci-fi series. Actually, the plague isn't a big part of the mystery until the end, but it delivers some comic relief along with Morelli's digestion issues (he's as bad as Bob now!) and Stephanie's car issues (never trust a flock of geese!). The best part of this book is when Stephanie's mom finally gets involved in a fugitive take-down. The characters we see in this one are typical of all the past but bring us a few steps closer to crazy. I really enjoy these books, and even though they're mostly fluff, they make me laugh, so I must finish the series.

I sense a possible turning point coming based on how this one ends. There is only so much further Evanovich can take us given Stephanie is unwilling to push forward dating Ranger and unwilling to commit to marriage with Morelli. She has to choose 1 of them or neither of them soon. Personally I'm a Ranger fan. Morelli's become boring. Yet I'm open to someone entirely new, too. I'll pick up the 23rd installment right around New Year's... and I'll be current in January when I read 24 and 25. Looking forward to it...

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

07/05/23 Reread Since I read for entertainment this series meets that requirement. It is very entertaining. This particular book wasn't quite as good as the others, but still way ahead of most in the entertainment category. The mystery wasn't too shabby either. My Opinion in the original review still stands. Lorelei King is ab excellent narrator for this series, and she adds so much to the series.

11/23/15 I don't care that this book didn't resolve the Stephanie-Ranger-Joe triangle. I just wanted it to be a fast paced mystery with a lot of sarcastic humor and with a few off beat characters thrown in. Hot sex with Ranger would be a bonus. Well, no hot sex with Ranger, but the mystery, humor and off beat characters were all there. A lot of people have come to expect an awful lot from these books. Me, I just expect to be entertained and I was. Another issue that bugs a lot of people is what I call "Stephie Time". Technology and culture advance but Steph is forever stuck in her early 30's. Everyone else is also caught in this time warp too. I don't expect this series to end anytime soon and I for one would rejoice if go on forever. But I would like to see a resolution before I die.

In Tricky Twenty-Two Stephanie is after several bond jumpers and Morelli has decided that Steph is bad for his health and breaks up with her. Add to that Ranger needs her to help with a protection detail, Steph going through several vehicles and a nutty professor bent on mayhem and you have a typical Stephanie Plum book.

[Jilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series has the longest running love triangle in fiction. I think when they are old, it's going to look something like this:


Ranger and Morelli think that's Stephanie in the middle. They have cataracts. (Steph died years ago from clogged arteries.)

Most fans of this series are thinking that there is no way to resolve this triangle unless the author decides to kill one of them off. And, hey, I'm down with that! Kill Morelli! I'll even help! But, I don't see it ever happening. The author has kept Stephanie's hamster alive for at least 10 years, book time, I can't see her killing off a human if she hasn't got the heart to kill Rex.


this is Rex's 21st birthday party. They went to the bar later.

So, since this triangle is unsolvable, the author has to figure out ways to allow Stephanie to carry on a relationship with both guys. She usually has Morelli break up with Stephanie for some stupid reason (one time it was because she didn't buy bread at the store which he called 'the woman's job'). In this book, he breaks up with her for no reason. And, to make it better, he does so right after sex, while they are naked in bed. Typical man!! Oh, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that he knew he was breaking up with her before they had sex, but figured he'd get that one last freebie in.


If there is a meme for it, it is a common occurrence. Fucking men!

But, the thing is that Morelli breaks up with her and then proceeds to tell her that she can't date Ranger, and then he continues to come over, call, and kiss her. Ummmm, NO. Just no.

If some asshat breaks up with you after sex, you break his car windshield on the way out the door, tell all his friends that you caught him fooling around with a transvestite hooker, unfriend him on Facebook, and start a Twitter hashtag #MicropenisMorelli.... Not that I've ever done anything like that. That would be wrong. And going too far. And, calling Homeland Security to anonymously report him heading up a terrorist sleeper cell would be really wrong.

So, I was pissed off at Stephanie for not putting her foot down - or up Morelli's ass. She just carried on as usual and acted like it was no big deal. Bitch, please!

On the other hand, Ranger was magic. As usual. Go TeamRanger!

[Norma ~ The Sisters · Rating 4 out of 5]

TRICKY TWENTY-TWO is another fun, easy and fast read that had me laughing out loud quite a few times! I have read every other book in this series and I still find myself looking forward to reading the next to see what happens to my favourite bounty hunter and her men! These books can be a little bit repetitive and predictable but that doesn't really matter to me. I am invested in these characters and this series so I will see it to the end whenever JANET EVANOVICH chooses to do so.

I liked the ending......

I am looking forward to reading the next book, Turbo Twenty-Three.

[Kelly (and the Book Boar) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/

3.5 Stars

Obviously anyone who has already subjected themselves to TWENTY-ONE prior books in this series has a serious mental disorder . . . .



In my defense, I thought I was over my addiction. I mean, Evanovich is up to like 24 and I had stopped at 21 when NetGalley quit offering ARCs so that was good, right? But then the dang stinking library challenge had this series offered up as one of the options for a contemporary mystery and I could not resist Janet’s siren song.

If you want to have any chance of enjoying all eleven trillion Stephanie Plums stories, you have to constantly remind yourself of a couple things:

1. Even though these books have been going on for 20+ years, in Plum land it’s only been a couple;

2. Stephanie is DTF with either Morelli or Ranger depending on the book;

3. Stephanie has not DTR’d with either Morelli or Ranger so I don’t get put off by her “cheating”;

4. Lula is the best thing since Wonder Bread;

5. Despite Rex the hamster having a diet worse than Donald Trump’s, he is still alive;

6. Stephanie’s diet is worse than Rex’s and Trump’s combined, but apparently she has the metabolism of a hummingbird;

7. TastyKakes are a real thing and they are delicious. I do not have the metabolism of a hummingbird so I gain Stephanie’s weight for her . . . . .



Okay, so obviously these books are made for days when you’re feeling a little like this . . . .



They are pure brain candy and only take a couple of hours to read. They follow the same formula of Stephanie tries to get bad guy, Stephanie sucks at getting bad guy, Stephanie’s car (or multiple cars) gets totaled, Stephanie borrows Uncle Sandor’s giant Buick, Stephanie makes out with either Ranger or Morelli, Stephanie’s grandma makes a scene at a funeral home, Lula and/or Grandma shoot stuff with their giant handguns, Stephanie gets kidnapped, Ranger saves the day, they catch the bad guy, on to the next. At this point the same ol’ shtick had become a little tired – hence me not reading the last few. But somehow Twenty-Two was better than the other recent releases. Stephanie was a little more competent than usual, Grandma had found a new hobby . . . .



And some of the slapsticky humor actually had me laughing out loud. All in all this was a fun little spin with Stephanie and the gang . . . .



Book #3 in the Winter Reading Challenge

[Lo9man88 · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always seriously funny, very light and entertaining , the funniest characters ever .I do some very dark reads and in order to decompress and lighten the fuck up : i need places like the Burg and characters like grandma Mazure and ex ho Lola and of course the incorrigible Stephanie Plum and all the hilarious situations they get themselves into....Thank you dear Janet.

[Berit☀️✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was stellar! That one is for you Lula.... And you will understand this as well when you read the book, which if you are a Stephanie Plum fan it is a absolute must!

This book had all the typical SP mischief, with none of the silliness, there were no giraffes!!! Yes, cars blue up, granny shot off her gun, and Lula strut around in her crazy clothes.... And of course there were donuts, lots of donuts! But the ending was a bit of a shocker mom got all kick ass at the end, it was absolutely fantastic! And then the very end are Stephanie and Joe finally going to get married??? Really??? Well apparently they're engaged to be engaged, whatever that means, LOL! Can't wait for book 23

*** I read this book along time ago, but I really needed to fix the typos, sorry for spamming you with another review today!

[Deanna Zigray]

PLEASE, PLEASE, PUUUULLLEEEAAASEE for the love of all things holy, let this be the last one. I truly believe that I might be the biggest Stephanie Plum/Janet Evanovich fan in all of the world. I have read and re-read the entire, Stephanie Plum series fourteen times. Let that sink in a bit... That's the same as reading 294 books. Not only did I read them and then read them again, but I was also like a salesman recommending them to others and supplying them with the books. I did this so frequently that I acquired two complete sets of the series, in both paperback and hardcover, that I would lend out to new recruits. It was fun having so many friends to discuss the books with and to decide which of my friends had good taste and who didn't, this of course revealed itself to us as soon as the picked their team.... Team Morreli or Team Ranger. I was always head over heals in love with this series and I always felt so empty after reading a new release knowing that I'd have to wait an entire year to be part of the craziness of her family/friends, her love/lust life, her calamity of a job, the always intriguing mysterious messes that she continues to find herself in.... I was so enthralled with this series that I sat outside of the stores waiting for them to open on the dates that they were released because I just couldn't wait until a normal time of day to go back and get one. One year I bought the book at midnight, returned to my car and sat in the parking lot reading for the next three hours until my husband called to see if I was okay and I felt bad and I went home. But that's when the books were still really really really good. They were the "I can't put this book down because it's just so good that......I might just have to miss that job interview, coffee date, I don't need to sleep tonight, how many kids do I have, type of page turners. Around book fifteen is when I started to fall out of love because it started feeling like it was the same old book over and over again with a few character name changes and different dead people. Janet Evanovich is a talented writer and I'd love to see her do something TOTALLY different. All of her series are the same books with different names but the EXACT same formula that is so predictable that you can interchange characters from other books and no one would even notice that Jami was driving Big Blue because she had wrecked her car while she was on her way to pickup Diesel from Pino's.

I want it to be the last so she can go on and write another addictive series that I'm unable to put down but I seriously would LOVE for her to do something COMPLETELY different. To answer the question that I'm sure you're asking yourself and I ask myself every year, "Why do you keep reading this series of books if you think that they are boring predictable cut and paste repeats of her previous books in the series?" The answer is simple, "What if I miss something and what if this book is written like Stephanie Plum novels use to be and it is full of excitement, drama, suspense, love, intrigue, romance, and what if it's the final one in which we learn that Grandma Mazur is driving home from Morreli and Stephanie's wedding with that weasel, Uncle Vinny and Gma Bella, when they are run off the road by, a rat fink drug Lord. He had mistakenly thought that Stephanie was driving Old Blue, since he had blown up the rust bucket of a car that she had been driving, assuming that Stephanie would be carrying the purse (his girlfriend's purse) that Stephanie has accidentally acquired after Lulu picked up the wrong bag at the funeral home while attending Joyce Barnhart's visitation. Unbeknownst to Stephanie, she was now carrying a purse with eight million dollars in diamonds and sapphires sewn into the lining and he wanted it back. At the hospital Gma Mazur was happy to be alive, she wasn't wasting anymore time and she announced to anyone and everyone that would listen, "I'm marrying that guy over there, the side of the road guy, and we're moving to Hawaii!" That guy happens to be Tank's Dad and per usual, Ranger had LoJacked the car so when it was hit, Tank, who was having dinner with his dad, went to the crash site and his dad happened to be the one who had rescued Gma from the crash. Stephanie's Mom will most likely move to Hawaii with Gma since her, giddy with excitement Husband, had a heart attack b/c he was so happy to be free of his MIL that he jumped for joy right up to heaven? He won't be alone there since Vinnie and Gma Bella both died in the crash. Since Ranger moved to Ireland to protect his daughter while she is doing a few years of her studying abroad, he has turned over the management of his security firm to Tank and his wife Lula. They'll need all that extra space that the building provides to chase after the triplets that she's carrying. With Vinnie gone Connie and Stephanie will sell the bonds office and start a new business that is both a regular daycare for kids and a doggy daycare. Val and Albert are back in the area now, they'll move into the family home that's now ready to be filled with kids again which is good because they've been blessed with five more kids. Since Val manages his wildly successful law office, they'll be Stephanie and Connie's best new client filling up half of the open daycare spots. They only have one question, do their three pet sloths qualify for the doggie daycare side? This will be good for Stephanie to be able to watch Bob and all of her and Morreli's kids.

See!!!! If I don't read every book, I could have missed that ending and I would've never forgiven myself had I missed that ending.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This 22nd book in the 'Stephanie Plum' cozy mystery' series has the usual murder, mayhem, and fun. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****

If you're a fan of Janet Evanovich's 'Stephanie Plum' series you know what to expect and this book delivers as usual. Stephanie, a semi-competent bounty hunter, is trying to track down Ken Globovic (Gobbles), a member of the Zeta fraternity at Kiltman College. Gobbles skipped bail after being arrested for assaulting a college administrator, Dean Mintner.



At the same time Stephanie is helping Ranger - who owns Rangeman security company - keep an eye on Doug Linken and his wife Monica. Doug's business partner, Harry Getz, was recently shot dead and Doug thinks he might be next. As things turn out, he is. All this sets the scene for a couple of viewings and funerals, where comic hijinks ensue as people fight over cookies and gun-toting Grandma Mazur tries to horn in on the protection detail.



It turns out Linken and Getz were former members of Zeta fraternity, which has an 'Animal House' vibe about it - lots of drunk carousing and no studying. Plus, the frat's faculty advisor, Professor Pooka, is a weird guy who wears a magic amulet and pajama-type pants. Dean Mintner is fed up with Zeta fraternity and determined to close it down. And soon enough there's yet another death!



In between her other activities Stephanie tries to snag a few additional bail-skippers, which doesn't go smoothly. There's lots of running and chasing; Stephanie gets roughed up; Lula hurls a giant dildo at a perp; and so on.



Grandma Mazur adds some extra fun to events since she's been 'catfishing' - creating fake profiles to hook up with men online. And she's been using Stephanie's photo!

The book has all the expected elements: Stephanie waffles between her on-off boyfriend Joe Morelli and super-hot Ranger; Stephanie's co-worker Lula shoots up Zeta fraternity; Stephanie wrecks a couple of cars; Rex the hamster gets some snacks; Stephanie's mom irons and has a few shots to relieve stress; lots of fried chicken and donuts are eaten; and so on.







Eventually the diabolical plot behind the killings is revealed, and it's quite a doozy!

I got some laughs from the book and enjoyed visiting with the familiar and entertaining characters. If you're a fan of the series you'll probably like this book.

You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot....

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my most favorite series to listen to on audiobooks. Lorelei King is the narrator and she does a fantastic job each and every time. This is the 22nd book in the series. Yes, 22nd! It's my go-to read when I want something funny.

Quick background: Stephanie Plum is a bounty hunter for her cousin who is a bail bondsman. Her companion is Lula, who is an ex-prostitue. Neither have any experience in bounty hunting, so it's like the blind leading the blind. Stephanie has been in an on again off again relationship with a cop named Joe Morelli. Sometimes she helps Ranger with some detective work. There is a Joe-Stephanie-Ranger triangle. I wouldn't call it a love triangle really. Joe is the serious relationship type and Ranger is the hot on night stand sex type. Stephanie is attracted to both and they are attracted to her.

No matter who Stephanie and Lula are trying to track down there is always drama and it is hilarious. Stephanie usually borrows a car from Ranger and always wrecks them somehow. Stephanie usually gets into some type of trouble and needs saving, usually by Ranger. That was true with this book too. As they were attempting to find one of their bonds, they try to "blend in."

"I thought our chances of going unnoticed were slim. I was with a 200 pound black woman wearing a size two knock your eyes out tube of red spandex that barely covered her ass. Her hair was blonde. Her cleavage was comparable to the Grand Canyon. Her nipples were practically punching holes in the spandex fabric."

See what I mean! This series is laugh out loud funny! Lula is my favorite. The things that come out of her mouth are the best. And then of course there's Grandma Mazur who loves to tag along with Stephanie and Lula when she can. Other times she's trying to get someone to take her to the funeral home to see who is out for viewing. These almost always end in disaster.

And who doesn't love the "Babe" comments from Ranger. As sexy as he is and as much as I love his character I am Team Morelli. I think that's where Stephanie will find her HEA.

I know this series seems like it never ends and the stories are very similar from one book to the next, but I rather like the familiarity of it all. I know what I'm going to get and what to expect with each read. For all of the die hard Janet Evanovich fans like myself, you will love this book. I can't recommend the audiobooks for this series enough. The narrator does such an excellent job bringing the characters to life. I absolutely love it.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tricky Twenty-Two (Stephanie Plum, #22) by Janet Evanovich

Synopsis /

Something big is brewing in Trenton, New Jersey, and it could blow at any minute...

Ken Globovic (aka Gobbles), unofficial student leader, has been arrested for beating up the dean of students at Kiltman College. Gobbles has missed his court date and gone into hiding. People have seen him on campus, but no one will talk. Things just aren't adding up, and Stephanie can't shake the feeling that something funny is going on at the college.

As much as people love Gobbles, they hate Doug Linken. When Linken is gunned down in his backyard, the list of possible murder suspects is long. The only people who care about finding Linken's killer are Trenton cop Joe Morelli, who has been assigned the case, security expert Ranger, who was hired to protect Linken, and Stephanie, who has her eye on a cash prize and hopefully has some tricks up her sleeve...


My Thoughts /

If you thought your day was going badly, spare a thought for Stephanie Plum.

All it would take was a single infected flea. It could hop under my door. It could sit in the hallway and wait for me to walk to the elevator. And just like that I’d have bubonic plague. At least my apartment was clean. If I got the plague my mother wouldn’t be embarrassed about my housekeeping.

Tricky Twenty-Two is (unsurprisingly) the twenty-second book in Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series. A series which highlights the (comical) antics of bond enforcement agent (aka bounty hunter) Stephanie Plum - the Burg's most unlikely bounty hunter.

If you have been reading along with me on my journey through this series, you would know that Evanovich has the formula for these books down pat by now, and in this instalment, the recipe remains unchanged.



So, what’s going on in twenty-two?

Well, I’m glad you asked that question!!

Stephanie is called upon to track down a college student named, Ken Globovic (aka Gobbles) for a failure to appear in court on charges of beating up the dean of students of Kiltman College. Part of Gobbles’ claim to fame is that he is associated with the Zeta frat house — and Zeta just happens to be the one frat house that causes all of the trouble at the college. But in true Plum style, finding Gobbles is proving easier said than done. When two men, who happen to be Kiltman alumni, turn up dead in succession, a possible connection to Kiltman is considered and Stephanie becomes (yet again) wrapped up in another overwhelming situation bigger than Lula, erm, herself. Add in some “catfishing” initiated by Grandma Mazur; a person of interest called ‘Billy Bacon’ (who incidentally used bacon grease to escape the scene of a crime); a possible bubonic plague outbreak; and viewings at the funeral home - and you have the main gist of the story!!

The funeral home is the Burg equivalent to a country club. It’s free entertainment for everyone but the immediate family of the deceased.

Evanovich’s writing is fraught with humour and, while the plots don’t vary from the tried and true recipe, what does get changed-up are the increasingly dangerous situations the characters find themselves drawn into. Suspending disbelief is an important part of reading Evanovich’s books, as more often than not she subjects her characters to uproariously hilarious humiliations while they’re trying to catch their targets. Nothing is said in a negative tone, humour underpins everything. What might be a moment of terror, is surrounded by witty banter and laughter, and the effect of this is to take some element of ‘crisis’ out of the story. One minute Stephanie is in imminent danger of losing her life, and the next minute she’s saved by another character and ends up with a face full of spaghetti or a head full of ice-cream.

Disclaimer: No fleas were harmed in the making of Tricky Twenty-Two. and nobody caught the Bubonic plague.

I love escaping into Plum’s world, albeit briefly, as these are quick, easy reads and they always leave me feeling lighter after finishing than I did when I started them.

Bring on the next!

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't always enjoyed many of the later books in this series but I found myself really liking this one. It was a good visit with old friends. There was more action, with even mom getting into the thick of things. Easy, quick read. I think what bugs me most is the way she can't be allowed to finally, finally keep one good car. The car wrecks are really getting old. I do believe, however, that I will be giving the next book a shot.

[Yvonne V (Naughty Professora) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sooo, last year I did a review of Top Secret 21 , and feel like this is a re-hash of that review.
It is.
Because Tricky Twenty-Two is a rehash of 21, 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15...you get what I mean.
Without further ado, here's 22 Things About Tricky Twenty-Two

1. Stephanie is still a bounty hunter and her skips still get away from her.

2. Lula is still her sidekick and wearing outrageous clothing and hairstyles.

3. Mrs. Plum is still ironing when stressed and hitting the whiskey.

4. Gramma Mazur is as wild as ever and this time is catfishing men using Stephanie's picture for her online profile.

5. Joe hasn’t changed: still downing antacids calling Stephanie a cupcake.

6. Ranger again reveals his feelings for her but makes NO move forward:
R “I'm completely enamored with you and I have no idea why"
S: "Because I'm cute?"
R: "Babe. There has to be more, but honestly I don't know what it is."

7. There’s wacky animals in the book. Again. This time a flock of geese.

8. Stephanie gets kidnapped. Again.

9. Ranger has tracking on Stephanie and rescues her. Again.

10. Ranger gives Stephanie a car it gets destroyed. Again.

11. Stephanie drives Big Blue. Again.

12. Stephanie mentions Ranger exciting her “Doodah.” Again.

13. Bob makes an appearance and it's noted that he has eaten Joe's back seat. Bob eats stuff - Again.

14. Stephanie stays at Ranger’s apartment while she and Joe are on “a break”. Again.

15. Ranger uses his lock-picking skills to open Stephanie’s door. Again.

16. Gramma Mazur goes to a funeral viewing. Again.

17. Tank is mentioned but doesn’t say anything in this book. Again.

18. Cluck-in-a-Bucket and Tasty Pastry are visited. Again.

19. Lula is REALLY chatty in this book. In 21, it was Ranger. This time, it’s Lula.

20. The kindle version stops at 95%. Preview of her other Fox and O’Hare series “The Scam”. Again.

21. Stephanie STILL hasn’t make a firm choice between Team Ranger and Team Morelli, although the ending might lead you to believe otherwise…

22. Once again, I read this new one anyway after I swore I wouldn’t read any more books that were exactly the same story as the other 21 before it. Yes, I did it Again.

Once more, I’ll make the same recommendation. If you’re a die hard JE fan, then go get this. Otherwise, you can do any of the following:
a. Wait for it to be available in your local library
b. Borrow a copy from a friend
c. Re-read any of the other books 1 – 11, and you’ll basically get the same thing
d. Read some Fan-Fiction sites. There’s a story out there that took the end of 21 and RAN. I mean RAN with the story. I think it’s up to twenty-some chapters. I read the first posted chapter and wow. I was intrigued. I’m off to read that and get some hot Ranger-action, and some adult/ sexy-times with vocabulary that doesn’t include “doodah.”

Final thoughts: I keep reading (and will probably read the next damn book because I hope and pray that Stephanie will grow the hell up and make a choice!) but no longer purchase these. I get them from the library.

... I really think Janet Evanovich needs to end the series here, and leave us to make our own assumptions as to what happened a-la The Sopranos.

And it’s a good thing I didn’t invoke the “Drinking Game” that was challenged in the comments for "21" for this book because I’d be a goner after Chapter 2.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

A comic chick-lit outing for when you need some absurd diversion from reading too much serious stuff. Stephanie, our intrepid New Jersey bounty hunter, is tasked with tracking down a frat boy at a local college who was charged with beating up the Dean of Students and skipping his bail hearing. It turns out something nefarious is happening there, and her target is hiding out in fear for his life and that of a missing friend who was helping him with making fireworks for a big prank in a locked basement room.

She eventually learns that a faculty advisor, biology professor Pooka, was helping them and took over the project, changing the agenda for some big scheme of revenge for not getting tenure. Her investigations get her into a lot of dangerous situations, and bodies start turning up. Luckily she has her gun-toting grandmother and assistant Lula, a huge trash-talking black woman, to help out (she keeps forgetting to get bullets for her own gun). She also is playing two boyfriends with relevant competence, the cop Morelli, who has requested a pause in their live-in relationship, and the hunky and rich security dude Ranger, who she moonlights with on certain jobs and supplies her with fancy cars she keeps destroying in the mayhem.

This is pretty mindless entertainment that satisfied my need for a dose of madcap comedy and satire about our consumer culture. Sure they are formulaic and the comedy can wear thin if you read too many. This is only my third in a decade, so the slapstick and silly dialog still hits my funnybone. Could this be for you? The following samples could give you some guidance.

Here after Stephanie escaped the evil clutches of Pooka, her mother outran them all in catching and beating him up in a footrace:
She took Stanley Pooka down like a junkyard dog on a piece of rancid meat.
Roger grinned at my mom: “Never underestimate maternal rage.”

Lula here shows her capacity for diversionary lying:
“What happened to him?” the cop asked.
“He tripped while he was running,” Lula said. “It was these baggy pajamas he’s wearing. They’re good for letting your boys breathe while you’re watching television, but you don’t want to run in them, what with your nuts knocking around in there.”

Grandmother and Lula both fire their guns off when threats appear but never hit anyone. Stephanie here tries to cool her jets:
“The truth is you’re the worst shot on the planet. The chances of you hitting your target are zero.”
“Boy that’s hurtful, as it happens I have an eyesight problem.”
“I didn’t know that. What’s wrong with your vision?”
“I can’t see real good.”
“What about glasses?”
“I got them, but they ruin my appearance.”
“Aren’t you supposed to wear them when you drive?”
“Only if I want to see things like signs. I can see big things like cars.”

[Mlpmom (Book Reviewer) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm hoping with the ending the way it was on this, that we will finally get some resolution in the romance department between Stephanie and a couple of certain men. It would be nice if the love triangle wasn't always so dominant.

Besides that though, this was classic Stephanie. I did love seeing her mom more in this and finally getting that feeling that we can understand her and actually like her more. I really hope she plays a bigger role in these from now on other than just cooking or ironing or telling Stephanie to get married and get a real job.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why do I do this to myself? Please be the last book. PLEASE. - JUNE 5, 2015

***Edited To Add 11/18/15***

Well, hmmm. Why DO I do this to myself?

The entire book, it really SEEMED like this might be the end of things. I had such a sense of goodwill. I was more patient with characters than I have been in awhile. Everyone was talking about change and exhibiting the growth they have been sorely needing for 80% of the series. I gave it a whole extra star for that! Then I realized there was an excerpt from another book in the back and I had like five pages left in the story and there wasn't going to be a Stephanie Plum version of "Nineteen Years Later." And while the end wasn't completely open-ended like they usually are, it certainly wasn't enough closure to end a TWENTY TWO BOOK SERIES.

[Cyndi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again I listened to this while doing yoga. Fell over laughing while in the warrior pose! Great book! Hilarious parts, and scary parts. Thought for awhile there we were finally done with Morelli. I know, for sure, I would have kicked him to the curb many books ago. He is not hot enough for all his nonsense, no guy is. Breaks up with her right after sex? Not only wouldn't I have let him nearer to me than a 10ft. Pole, I would have used it to beat him!

Reread June 2018– Still loving these books, although I will admit that this one was not among my favorites. I was so irritated at Morelli for dumping Steph and then hanging around to drag it out.
But, I absolutely loved when Steph’s mom got in on the action. As a mom I agree with what Ranger said, “Never underestimate maternal rage.” Someone hurts your kid and its time to go all Hulk on them. Doesn’t matter that your kid is an adult you’ll still protect them and be ready to destroy whoever hurts them.

[Lana *Best left alone with books and snacks* · Rating 4 out of 5]

If my boyfriend told me that we should see other people, right after having sex mind you, I would've gone berserk on him. Seriously, I would strangle him with a pillow right then and there, while he was still in postcoital mellowness. The other option would be shooting him with a gun in the bedside table and use pillow as a silencer. I gave it a serious thought just in case, It's good to keep your options open. What did Steph do? She told Morelli to get lost, grown a huge pimple, sat in a car by his house and felt sorry for herself.

That's not the way to do it, girlie

Big Bad was the Lord of the Flies. That's all I'm gonna say on the subject.
Over and out

[Holly in Bookland · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to be generous and give this 3 stars. This used to be one of my favorite series to read. The early books are fun, entertaining, and provided a lot of laughs. The last few haven't been the same but I still read them to check up on the characters. Still holding out hope that Stephanie and Co. will have some "newness" to their story eventually.

[Bookworm LLC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read by Janet Evanovich. Most of us think this series needs to be done and over with. I love it because it is such an easy, no brainer read. And of course because I want to know who Stephanie will end up being with in the end. Well, all through the book you will go back and forth as usual between Morelli and Ranger. There is a shock in the book that will keep you guessing until the very end. And wow, what an ending.

[Tanja ~ KT Book Reviews]

Okay, so I clicked the "Want to Read" button. Keeping my hopes up.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay I have until November to read 16-21

Update:
I am sad that I am caught up with the series but what a great way to end 2015. One of my favorites!

[K.J. McGillick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so on a roll with these books. Characters are my friends and the way the plot unfolds is hilarious. I should be writing when I'm reading!

[Monnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If nothing else, the latest adventures of bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is a hoot. By the end of a handful of chapters, I'd laughed out loud at least twice and once the water I was dumb enough to be sipping as I read got snorted out my nose. Quite a few of the chuckles came at the antics of Stephanie's office cohort, Lula, who is always a trip to say the least. When it comes to length, it's practically a novella, making it a quick read (for anyone who wonders about such things, the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America defines "novella" as 17,500 to 40,000 words, or roughly 100 pages).

As usual, Stephanie is working at making a living, this time by chasing down Ken Globobic (Gobbles), who lives at the Zeta fraternity house at Kiltman College and was arrested for beating up the dean of students. When Gobbles didn't show up for his court date, Stephanie and Lula head out to check the frat house, where very strange things seem to be happening and some of the characters are weird by anybody's standards.

When a particularly unpopular campus big shot gets bumped off, things get stranger still; this time, though, Stephanie's main squeeze, Trenton, N.J. cop Joe Morelli, is on the case. Morelli also is fighting demons of his own in more ways than one, threatening his relationship with Stephanie and opening up the possibility yet again for dilly dallying with her hunka-hunka security guy Ranger (for me, most of that scenario has been a yawn over the span of several books).

Also as usual, the scrapes Stephanie and Lula get into border on the ridiculous (but somehow seems to me to be part of the appeal), as does the plot (ditto). There are the expected near-misses on losing life and/or limb and bullseyes on totaling at least one of Ranger's fancy cars, all of which is in good fun. All in all, reading this is a relatively fun way to wile away a few hours.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars