Ten Big Ones

I listen to audiobooks for many reasons, to learn things, to "read" books I do not have time for, and to relax and be distracted. Ten Big Ones, for me, fully meets the criteria for the "relax and be distracted" category. This was my second Stephanie Plum book, and I am on Audible tonight to buy a third. Stephanie Plum lives in world rich with detail and strong (and different) characters. The end of Ten Big Ones includes a brief interview with the author who explains why she left painting, and writing romance novels to write "humorous Indiana Jones stories". Ten Big Ones is a story I always looked forward to getting back to, and one that offered a delightful respite from the "should" books on my iPod (like 8th Habit). I recommend it not as a Ludlum or a Grisham, just a fun and engaging story

I was so impressed by the narrator that I rated the entire book with 5 stars. I have enjoyed all the Stephanie Plum series, but I have read most of them. This narration portrayed each of the characters well and made the story vivid in my mind.

This is the first time I've listened to a Stephanie Plum mystery, and it certainly won't be the last. I really enjoyed the lighthearted fun of this novel. The voices were excellently done (I think the narrator is inspired), and the dialog kept making me laugh out loud. While this may not be the deepest novel ever, it is highly entertaining, and fun. Who in the world doesn't need more of that? After I finished it I kept smiling every time I thought of Ranger saying in that deep voice, "Babe."

CJ Kritt narrates all the recent abridged versions.
Lorelei King narrates all the recent unabridged versions.
They are both extremely talented narrators, but once you enjoy listening to one of them, for some listeners it may take awhile to get used to the other if you switch. It basically comes down to personal taste in voice pitch, timbre and accent, plus whether you prefer to listen to abridged or nonabridged mysteries. The only Lorelei King narration on audible.com is for author Janet Evanovich, so I always choose Lorelei, and enjoy C.J. Kritt in mysteries she narrates for other authors.
I've listened to dozens of different narrators: Lorelei is my favourite, CJ is a close second. Joe Montegna and George Wilson are currently tied for third.
Though there are plenty of skilled male narrators, when there is a lot of dialogue to read for a diverse cast of both female and male characters, great female narrators tend to manage the male voices less ... uh ... weirdly or annoyingly than even the best male narrators attempting female voices. And Lorelei does a remarkably good voice for Ranger. I sure hope both Lorelei and CJ keep narrating fiction for years to come.

I've been hooked on Stephanie, Joe, Ranger, Gramma, et al since the very first book! I love the lighthearted comedy that Janet writes, with just a twist of drama. I thoroughly enjoy all her books, and this one was up there with the rest! (Since I'm originally from Pt. Pleasant, I just had to smile)

This has to be one of the best in the series. I started laughing from the start and didn't finish till the end.

This is a great series, I highly recommend it! I'm always looking forward to the next one. Janet Evanovich has a wonderful sense of humor and the ironic.
The comment of reviewer 'sharol' bewildered me, though, Lorelei King narrated both "To The Nines" and "Hard Eight". She did an excellant job with two other excellant books. The reader does make a difference and Ms. King does a very good job making the books come to life.

I guess from reading the other reviews I should have read the first few Stephanie Plum stories versus this one. I would hope the dialogue is smarter and the stories more interesting than Ten Big Ones. I mean really, who would write Lulla saying to Stephanie as her car is burning (I guess several things have burned in Stephanie's past), "Well, at least you have a love life," (perhaps not exactly in those words) as a method to bring the boy friend back into the story...Even I could think of a better way to do that!

I love Janet Evanovich's books. She manages to combine crime fighting with comedy in a way that is very entertaining. The reader for this book did a very good job with the characters' voices. Can't wait for the next one.

If you like the adventures of Stephanie Plum, you'll like this one as it is the best yet!