Lean Mean Thirteen

"Thirteen" is good if you liked "Twelve"; if you did not, then skip it. Props to Ms Evanovich for the exploding taxidermy, for Grandma Mazur's continuing romantic exploits, for Tank and Lula's ongoing intrigue (we learn Tank's first name in this one), and for more plausible FTAs. It's a pleasure to see Stephanie becoming more capable and self-sufficent. Morelli is conveniently absent for much of the story and Stephanie is with Ranger. Both guys are likable characters, Ranger has more dimension than in the books before #12 but the continuing three-way with Ranger and Morelli is just not believable. (Steph, go with Ranger.) Glad there were not sightings of the idiot sister Valerie in this book. I get the impression that Ms. Evanovich is reframing her formula for these books and I like the change.

I am a Stephanie Plum fan and this is her best yet! It makes me wonder where we will go next with these original, sassy make-you-laugh-out-loud characters. If need a light-hearted, fun, feel-good read this is for you!

Perhaps I have just read too many of her books, but there is definitely something missing when listening to this one. I truly enjoyed the first 9 of this series (I read those in print). They are laugh-out-loud books.

I've listened to all 13 Stephanie Plum's books and would rate this in the bottom three.

Ending was wierd and not believable.

Plot between Morelli and Ranger was boring...no suspense or drama. Not necessary bad, but when you read the other books, you expect some drama and suspense.

I expected better.

I love reading or listening to the Stephanie Plum series. Janet Evanovich and I have the same sense of humor, she just makes me laugh aloud. Since I listen to books on the treadmill or walking outdoors, I get strange looks when I double up laughing for no apparent reason. I have to point to my headphones! Seriously, if you haven't tried Evanovich, give her a whirl, you can start with this one, they really don't absolutely have to be read in the order that they were written. One caution, Debi Mazur read the early ones, she is the only audio reader I couldn't listen to, I had to read the books she recorded.

Stephanie Plum is always fun, entirely forgettable, and the equivelent of intellectual pablum. But that's okay. If you just want an easy, fun read, these books always do the job. But they also aren't real literature. If that's what you want, look elsewhere!

The only bad thing about this book is that I'm done with it! Can't wait for 14!

Stephanie Plum is a "bounty hunter" extraordinaire who somehow manages to blow up a car or two in every book. Lula, her sidekick is an ex-"ho" who carries a Glock and seems to always be around when trouble starts. And trouble does follow Stephanie in her quest to track down her "skips", people who have missed their court dates. The two men in her life, Ranger (dark, dreamy and dangerous) and Morelli (100% sizzling Italian cop), are very protective of Stephanie and have found a way to work together to keep her from getting killed by the many crazy people in her life. This book is by far the funniest book in the series and I found myself laughing out loud many times while listening. In the interview after the book, the author offers some insight into a possible movie starring Sandra Bullock as Stephanie Plum. She said there was nothing in the works but that there might be something "someday". She said maybe the "Rock" for Ranger but didn't know who would play Morelli.

I have enjoyed every book in this series and listed to my first audio version with Twelve Sharp. I was so pleased with that book that I downloaded Lean Mean Thirteen as soon as it was available. BUt I'm disappointed. The endearing characteristics of this series are the humor, ditsy Stephanie Plum, who actually turns out to be quite clever and sexy, her relationship with two hot men and her crazy family, each with a personality that perks up the series. I just felt that this particular story is so light it just doesn't come through and engage me. Usually I enjoy the main plot as well as a couple others that occur concurrently. All were bland. If this were any other series, it would get a single star. But, for Stephanie Plum, I give it a 3 star rating, which is actually low for this series. Janet, I'll give you one more chance to get back to a juicy plot.

I was very disappointed with this book. It feels like the author phoned this one in. I'm a huge fan of the series, but this one just falls flat. There was very little plot and the dialog which is usually so great had a few laughs but that's about it. Come on Janet, let's put some effort into the next one...please!