Matthew Clinger Clinger থেকে Balvicar, Oban, Argyll and Bute PA34, UK
The barbecue sauce hits the ceiling - literally! - in this fifteenth installment of the Stephanie Plum series. Lula witnesses the murder of a celebrity chef. She enters a cooking contest to catch the murderers and claim the $1 million reward. Ranger needs help solving a breach within his security company. He recruits Stephanie to work at Rangeman again. Ready. Set. Mystery! ***** SPOILER ***** NO ROMANCE in this one. Nothing. Nada. Zip. I needed my cupcake fix and am highly disappointed I didn't get it! Morelli and Stephanie have broken up due to an argument over peanut butter. Stephanie stalks Morelli. Joyce Barnhardt stalks Morelli. Ranger appears NAKED - twice. Some mild flirting takes place, but that's pretty much it for the romance department. Still, this book has hilarious dialogue. Whacky characters. Cars blow up. Stephanie's apartment catches on fire. Grandma Mazur totes a gun. Lula dates a cross-dressing fireman who moonlights as Mr. Cluckey. Lots of over-the-top, very predictable craziness. Many laugh-out-loud moments. (Look for Lula hanging out Stephanie's car window topless!) Even though we STILL don't have resolution in the Stephanie/Ranger/Morelli love triangle and, in spite of the fact that Stephanie never seems to settle down or grow up, I look forward to the new installments in the series every June. Not as good as the first 6 books in the series, but hardly past-the-expiration-date that so many "professional" reviewers are giving it.