This isn’t just another case. This is family.How far will Stephanie Plum go to protect the one person who means the most to her? The stakes have never been higher in this #1 New York Times bestseller from Janet Evanovich.Grandma Mazur has decided to get married again – this time to a local gangster named Jimmy Rosolli. If Stephanie has her doubts about this marriage, she doesn’t have to worry for … marriage, she doesn’t have to worry for long, because the groom drops dead of a heart attack 45 minutes after saying, “I do.”
A sad day for Grandma Mazur turns into something far more dangerous when Jimmy’s former “business partners” are convinced that his new widow is keeping the keys to a financial windfall all to herself. But the one thing these wise guys didn’t count on was the widow’s bounty hunter granddaughter, who’ll do anything to save her.
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Stephanie Plum is just pure fun. The books are always enjoyable, even if they are a bit formulaic. It works, I laugh, so I like them a lot. Janet Evanovich knows how to keep them interesting, and even though there are a few repetitive techniques, it’s still something I find myself keen to read at the end of the day. Today… after a disappointing book, I needed a sure-thing, and Twisted Twenty-Six provided the relief.
Stephanie’s grandmother, Grandma Edna Mazur, remarried in between books. Her husband died 45 minutes after the wedding. Two ex-wives, a few sisters, and some kids all want the money. Edna thinks she’s getting it. Someone has the missing key which provides the answers. Then the mob gets involved, and three different teams of crooks are after the 75ish older woman… which one will win? At the same time, Stephanie’s got a list of bail-jumpers to arrest. Lula and Connie provide all the comedy relief, but at least there weren’t any crazy animals this time. Only a dog and a cat, which I expect to see running around Trenton, New Jersey.
The gun situation is out of control. So are the car bombs. The best thing is free laundry service at Mom’s, all because Stephanie protects Grandma Mazur at the funeral home. And when the real criminal comes to light at the end of the book, we’re still left wondering… what was up with those keys? Good thing we’ve got the cliffhanger to lead us to #27, which already has a name. But 27 isn’t in the title, as far as I can tell. I’m so confused without my numbers.
In short… good. Not over the top. Triangle not much of a romance this time. Crazy antics ensue. The family is at an all time high! Get your copy now. 🙂
I read all this series the moment they come out. I love the characters. They are so funny – you laugh the entire book. One of my favorite authors.
In Janet Evanovich’s Twisted Twenty-Six, Stephanie Plum’s Grandma Mazur remarries, this time to Italian mobster Jimmy Rosolli. Not to worry, Jimmy drops dead forty-five minutes after the wedding. Grandma Mazur goes into mourning like they’ve been married for sixty years. Stephanie is thinking about making a life change and Grandma Mazur is being threatened by gangsters. Fortunately, Grandma Mazur carries a loaded .45 and Stephanie Plum proves herself more than capable of coming to the rescue. I really enjoyed the read, but then I’ve enjoyed all the Stephanie Plum novels.
I love the Stephanie Plum series.
Devoured this sucker in three hours, but I generally read all these that fast because once I start I can’t put them down. Good mystery and Stephanie actually went right out and grabbed TWO of her FTA’s in under the first 25 pages. I don’t think that’s ever happened. She was kicking butt. You usually get laughs in this series and long-time fans got a huge laugh with the inside joke. I won’t ruin it, but it has to do with Steph’s age. LOL! 😉
Morelli was the same ol’ same ol’, and as usual Ranger was wonderful. We got a few more yummy insights into the man of mystery and they were great.
My complaint though … (other than my usual complaint that Ranger and Steph should be a married couple who fight crime together and why hasn’t that happened???? 😉 ) … is that it appears the 27th book is not going to have 27 in the title?!?!??!?!?!?!??!?
Seriously.
Why?!?! I mean, I get it can be hard coming up with titles with all these numbers, but how do you go from 26 straight books with numbers in the titles to just dropping that? It just doesn’t feel right. 🙁
I always laugh out loud at Stephanie’s antics, but I especially enjoyed this latest. Not only was it filled with the usual unique characters and humor, but Stephanie is pondering some of her life choices. I liked the more introspective Stephanie and Gran provided some surprisingly wise advice. Great read!
Hilarious new installment! Must read!
Stephanie Plum is at it again. She and Lula actually are doing a pretty good job of catching the FTAs for once. But she’s not sure she wants to do it anymore. A job change possibly? But in the meantime, Grandma Mazur got married to a local gangster, Jimmy Rosalie, who drops dead 45 minutes later. He was the ‘keeper of the keys’ for the La-Z-Boys group of gangsters. They think Grandma has them and they want them. But she doesn’t know anything about them. I couldn’t help but chuckle at all the trouble that ensues. Ranger and Morelli are trying to keep everyone safe. When the story ends, Stephanie and Grandma find the keys in Jimmy’s chair. Grandma wants to find the ‘treasure’, whatever it is. So could this possibly be Stephanie’s new career, treasure hunter? Guess we’ll have to wait for the twenty-seventh book in the series to find out.
This book was a hoot. I really enjoyed it. It’s fast paced and well written.
This was a return to old form Plum: the stakes were genuinely high and humorous incidents didn’t dominate everything else. Stephanie took some stock of her life, giving an impression of continuity between the books, which is usually lacking, and some lesser side characters, Connie and Stephanie’s parents included, had actual roles. And the ending hinted at the same story continuing in the next book. I’m really looking forward to it.
Grandma Mazur is a widow again after just being married for 45 minutes to Jimmy Rosolli who had a heart attack. Jimmy Rosolli was a local gangster and senior casanova. Grandma Mazur is looking forward to all the funeral arrangements because it’s like a social gathering with good food but Jimmy’s ex-wives and business associates are threatening Grandma Mazur about money and turning over some keys that she doesn’t know anything about. Lorelei King does all narration on the books and does and excellent job making voices for Grandma Mazur, Stephanie, Loulou, Connie, Stephanie’s parents and everyone else in the story. There are time I just laugh out loud and if I am drinking juice or coffee hope it doesn’t come out my nose or I spit across the room.
As a huge Stephanie fan I just had to read this newest adventure. Each new book is a new laugh filled with the characters we have grown to love. This time poor Stephanie is trying to help Grandma after her new hubby dies and his mob friends swear he gave her some keys before he did. Of course Grandma has no clue what they are talking about but that does not stop any of the actual danger. Add in Lula and some crazy bounties to chase down to keep a humorous mystery that you won’t want to put down. A must read for Stephanie fans and good choice for any wanting to just try one. I really liked it so I give it 4/5 stars.
FANTASTIC!!!!!! Read in 1 day because I HAD TO! Really, once I started reading I had to see just how it was going to end and WOW, it left me GOBSMACKED. The BEST Stephanie fix I have had in Forever.
Before Look Alive Twenty-Five I was ready to give up on Stephanie Plum but that was a surprising good read. And now Twisted Twenty-Six got me really hooked again and I can’t wait for number 27 to be released. This was such a fun read. Yes, it was crazy but it wasn’t so crazy that it was off-putting. I had an absolute great time with it and highly recommend it to all original Plum fans.
Series: Stephanie Plum #26
Publication Date: 11/12/19
Number of Pages: 320
This is the perfect book for a dark, dreary winterish afternoon (or even a sunny happy afternoon). The zany antics of Stephanie along with her family, friends, and co-workers will keep you smiling. Yes, sometimes they are over-the-top and a bit annoying, but all-in-all, they are an enjoyable and entertaining read.
Grandma Mazur was married for all of forty-five minutes before the groom keeled over – dead. Who knew he had a bad heart? Now, his other octogenarian mob cohorts are after Grandma because they are sure that she has ‘the keys’. Everybody knows that there are ‘keys’, but nobody seems to know what they unlock – but they all believe that there is a treasure involved. It is up to Stephanie, Morelli, and Ranger to keep Grandma safe. Of course, Grandma doesn’t help matters – she has to attend the funeral, the wake, bake sales, bingo – you name it.
Aside from trying to keep Grandma Mazur safe, Stephanie is having a pretty good week. Stephanie works for a bail bondsman and it is her job to bring in people who have skipped out on their bail. She’s had several skippers this week and has retrieved them all – including one who brought in a pretty good paycheck for her. So, her rent is paid and she has groceries in her cupboards. (Picture Dog the Bounty Hunter without the talent of skill).
Then, the first attempt at a kidnapping occurs. It was easy to tell they were amateurs, but that didn’t keep them from being scary. They enraged Stephanie’s mom so much that she took her iron to one of them, and the other one ran off. As the paramedics are there to see after the injured one – Lula asks:
“Is he dead?”
“Not yet,” Grandma said.
“Good thing,” Lula said. “If California found out a guy got killed with an iron, they’d ban them, and all those movie stars would be wrinkled all the time.”
Ranger has his security guys watching the house and trailing after Grandma and Morelli is investigating on the police side, but grandma and then Stephanie manage to get themselves kidnapped. They are in the hands of some really bad guys – can they save themselves? Will it be Ranger and/or Morelli to the rescue? Who knew Stephanie could drive a cement truck?
I was well entertained from the first page to the last. If there was a downside, it was that Stephanie is back to her dissatisfaction with her life. This seems to happen every three or four books and it gets a tad tiresome because she whines and complains, but is never willing to do anything about it.
Twisted Twenty-Six was so much fun to read, we have the same lovable characters with a different situation, noticed Dad made many appearances and that was great. Many laughs and excited for the next book in the series.
My Plum binge has been enjoyable and intense. Some things remain the same but those are my expectations when I decide to read this series. The mystery is up close and personal for Stephanie, in the end I think it helps encourage her outlook. I think most of the main characters show some growth/depth, regardless I can use the laugh-out-loud humor and Ranger is the icing on the cake, every time.
Wonderful Series, mystery, suspense that kept me laughing all the way
Is Stephanie ready to retire? This book was a little different. While there was humor, Stephanie was more melancholy. She is in a rut. Not happy with her life as it is, but doesn’t know what to do to change things. We get to see more of Ranger again. Yay. He, as usual, is trying to lure her once again to the dark side. On the plus side, she’s having some better luck bringing in her FTA’s. Grandma’s life is at risk, so Stephanie, along with help from Ranger and Joe, are keeping close tabs on her until they can find the people responsible for the threats. There are several laugh out loud moments scattered throughout (mostly coming from Lula.) This book does have some stronger language than the previous books. The ‘F’ bomb was dropped a few times, and any mention of sexual content was stronger as well, though there was no actual sex portrayed. (Usually it’s alluded to or they are vague with any mention of.) While the main mysteries were solved, there was one that was left unsaid. Don’t know if it will be carried over into the next book, or if it’s just one of those things us readers will never know. Other than Stephanie’s more subdued mood, the other characters were just as they usually are, though Stephanie’s mom was more chatty than we usually see her be. While the book did have a different vibe than previous books, I did enjoy it. It almost felt like the author is trying to slowly move into a more hardcore genre.
I loved this book. Evanovich is still one of my favorites.