Stephanie Plum faces the toughest puzzle of her career in the twenty-fifth entry in Janet Evanovich’s #1 New York Times-bestselling series. There’s nothing like a good deli, and the Red River Deli in Trenton is one of the best. World-famous for its pastrami, cole slaw, and for its disappearing managers. Over the last month, three have vanished from the face of the earth, and the only clue in each … earth, and the only clue in each case is one shoe that’s been left behind. The police are baffled. Lula is convinced that it’s a case of alien abduction. Whatever it is, they’d better figure out what’s going on before they lose their new manager, Ms. Stephanie Plum.
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A fun read
I read everything she has written and I love her style and wit
I love Stephanie Plum… she is a great character.. she’s funny, entertaining and just a fun read.
Absolutely LOVE Janet Evanovitch’s Stephanie Plum novels. Laugh out loud funny at times, great characters and just fun to read. Start with the first one and work your way through the books if you are new to the series but they can stand alone as well.
Another enjoyable book from one of my favorite authors. I can’t wait for the next one. Grandma is getting married to a monster. She is a hoot.
I love the Stephanie and Lula team, I started reading one of Janet Evanoich books I loved her books every since. I can’t want for the next book. You have become my favorite author. You did not let me down with Look Alive Twenty-Five. I want to start from One through Twenty Five. I want more from Lizze. dash.@0000001magda
I just finished this book and like the rest of the Stephanie Plum books I loved it. These books bring me up when I am down and are a joy to read. Thank you Janet Evanovich!
Another fun bumbling bounty hunters book, but this one has a twist. One of the many bondees from Vinnie’s bail bond business has skipped, forfeiting the business he used as collateral for his bond. So Vinnie and his boss, Harry the Hammer, are stuck with a deli that they need to keep running. The problem is, the managers keep disappearing. So Vinnie put Stephanie in as manager, telling her not to mess it up while keeping up with tracking her FTAs. Neither Morelli nor Ranger is thrilled with the idea of Stephanie being in the line of fire.
Of course, Stephanie has no experience in managing a deli. She has three employees – a waitress who seems pretty normal, a fry guy who has questionable immigration status, and a line cook with a constant buzz. The ever-present Lula made herself assistant manager. There are times when the deli gets busy, and Stephanie and Lula have to pitch in, creating even more chaos. Lula is a riot with her mad sandwich making skills, where she gets creative, and the customer gets what she made whether they ordered it or not. Ranger shows unexpected talents when even he gets sucked into helping while keeping an eye on Stephanie.
When Stephanie hires an ex-skip to take her place as manager, the man disappears in the same manner as the previous managers, leaving Stephanie feeling guilty, and Lula convinced that aliens are abducting the managers. Ranger and Morelli share the task of protecting Stephanie, with Rangeman guards shadowing Stephanie’s every move. When one of the guards goes missing, the intensity of the search ramps up. Following the clues gets Stephanie and Lula into a few sticky situations until Ranger himself joins the hunt. There are a few interesting and inevitable twists in the search, and the final takedown goes relatively smoothly, but there are a couple of unexpected revelations. The book ended with a shocking cliffhanger and Stephanie in a panic.
Though they took a minor position, Stephanie still has a few skips to track down. Most were relatively easy though with some unusual steps to make them happen. I especially enjoyed the one with the cat. For the most challenging one, she was lucky enough to have Ranger with her – it is a joy to watch that man work. Strangely enough, no cars were destroyed, and Stephanie didn’t get covered in any disgusting substances.
Stephanie’s romantic relationships continue to be complicated. I loved the scene with Morelli and Ranger setting up Stephanie’s protection. They may be rivals, but there’s no doubt both care for her. She and Morelli are still together, which makes his share of the protective detail easy. They are easy and comfortable together. Stephanie’s relationship with Ranger is something else. There are sparks there, as illustrated by Stephanie’s frequent musings on knees melting and breathing issues. Ranger is a master of innuendo and is on top of his game in this book. He can say a lot with a simple “Babe.” He is also protective of her, and I liked seeing him care for her. Meanwhile, Stephanie fights the good fight against temptation.
There were some things missing from this book that are regulars in the previous books. There is very little family drama, with only one Plum family dinner to attend. There were no funerals for Grandma Mazur to attend and disrupt. As mentioned before, no cars were destroyed. So while this wasn’t as over-the-top crazy as some of the books, it was still a fun read. I’m looking forward to the next one and seeing how the cliffhanger turns out.
Stephanie and Lula have new jobs. They are running the Red River Deli in Trenton for Harry, Vinnie’s father-in-law. While Stephanie feels the steady pay will be nice, the issue with disappearing managers has her a bit concerned. Morelli and Ranger are working to make sure she is safe while they all search for the missing men and their captures.
My description is brief, but there is a lot going on in this book. The regulars are all there, though Stephanie’s family has only a cameo. We are visited throughout the story by Wulf which left me hoping Diesel would be making an appearance. This book, as most in this series, moves very quickly, almost too quickly for those who are left waiting for the next book. We are still subject to Stephanie’s inability to commit fully to one man. She seems to lean toward Morelli, but Ranger is always nearby. This conundrum is every present, and maybe a bit annoying, though not so annoying that I won’t keep reading and enjoying the series. I do recommend this book. While this book can stand alone, the series is worth reading from the beginning. This book is not as, laugh out loud, funny as previous volumes. We are left with a bit of a cliffhanger at the end and a bit of a wait (November 2019!).
I love this series and finally got to read the 25th book. Laugh out loud characters. There’s always a fire and someone in need of rescuing. Usually the heroine and her cohorts!
A more fresh take on Plum world that abandons the formula of the past ten or so books where quirky people create havoc around Stephanie and she tries to cope while (ineptly) doing her job. After twenty-five books I kind of hope she’d finally grow a spine and stop being such a doormat to everyone in her life, but that’s probably never going to happen. The book ended in a clifhanger of sorts, but if the past is an indicator, it won’t be even mentioned in the next book.
Always loved the Stephanie Plum Booka.
I love the Stephanie Plum series, although the indecision of the main character between the two men in her life is getting old. Still, I love the humor and the wonderful characters, like Lulu and Grandma Masar. The latter wasn’t in this book as much as usual, but there’s a cliffhanger-like tease at the end that promises more Grandma Masar in the next book.
Love Stephanie Plum! Always fun to see what she gets into next. Janet Evanovich knows how to build characters you want to know.
It’s the 25th-ish adventure of our gal pal, Stephanie Plum. She’s still lusting after two men, bumbling through the world with her partner in crime Lula, and eating her mom’s food. I know the arguments about this series well. “She can’t decide on one guy.” “No one is that bad at anything for that long.” and on and on. Here’s why I love the Stephanie Plum series; it’s fun and entertaining. It’s 311 pages of laughter, eye rolls, snickering, and thinking, “Oh, girl, I feel you.” It’s an escape from a world that isn’t fun. In the end, that’s my definition of what a good book does. Whether you’re Team Ranger, Team Morelli, or Team Both you’ll get a hefty dose of love, laughter, hot kisses, missing managers, forgotten shoes, and sandwiches a la Lula.
I really love this book. After 25 of these, and I’ve read them all, it’s true that you should know what you are picking up when you reach for another Stephanie Plum installment. This doesn’t stray much from the formula that has worked for so many years. That said, there are lots of laugh out loud moments and some jaw dropping moments that actually had this seasoned Stephanie Plum enthusiast saying “Wow”! The addition of the Red River Deli and the food truck add some great new comedy. Both Ranger and Morelli feature prominently, so thank you for that because I love them both! This is fun fiction people. The focus is on Stephanie, Lula, Ranger, Morelli, and tracking skips and solving crime. Thankfully a little less Grandma Mazur and family fluff and antics, nothing wrong with Stephanie’s crazy family, but I think the return to crime solving helped this book out a lot.
I listen to audio. If you’ve never tried it before, then start here, or with any of the first 24 that are narrated by the great Lorelei King. She is an AMAZING narrator. Her voice variety is like none other and while listening I get lost in the story while my mind is convinced all the characters are actually speaking. It’s surreal. I listen to a lot of audio, and this, my friends, is the best in the business. Enjoy!
J. Evanovich never disappoints. Her characters are funny and loveable. The story grabs you from the first page and before you know it, the story is over and you can’t wait for the next book to come out.
I have always loved the Stephanie Plum series. This one was a bit slow and difficult to get into at first. With a little Morelli and Ranger action, and a some intrigue thrown in, it came around and ultimately held my interest. It was pretty unbelievable, as usual, but funny, simple escapism.
Stephanie continues to entertain with her crazy antics.
I love this series, can’t wait for the next book.