Finger Lickin' Fifteen

May 25, 2009
Bestseller Evanovich recycles tired themes better executed in earlier adventures in her latest Stephanie Plum adventure (Fearless Fourteen
, etc.). When Lula inadvertently witnesses the beheading of culinary TV star Stanley Chipotle in a Trenton, N.J., alley, Stephanie's on-again off-again boyfriend, cop Joe Morelli, reluctantly takes the case. Lula, with the help of Grandma Mazur, enters the same barbequing competition Chipotle was in town to promote, hoping to lure the murderers out of hiding. Meanwhile, Ranger has recruited Stephanie to help solve a series of break-ins at properties under the protection of Rangeman Security. The inevitable sparks fly between Stephanie and Ranger, with Morelli grumbling on the sidelines. Evanovich dishes up her usual mixture of shoot-'em-up action (numerous cars explode) and quirky characters (notably a neighborhood flasher with a devoted following), but the lackluster plot will disappoint fans.

July 27, 2009
Veteran Evanovich narrator Lorelei King seems perfectly at home when in command of bounty hunter Stephanie Plum and her colorful Garden State band of relatives and colleagues. The action here centers on the mysterious death of a prominent cable television barbecue master. As a witness to the crime, Plum's larger than life office assistant Lula lands in the center of the drama, and King delivers a deliciously over the top performance of her antics, especially the reformed prostitute's convoluted plot to solve the case by entering a barbecue cook-off. The abridgment seems a bit choppy, as the details surrounding the motives and methods of the cast of villains seem lost in the shuffle. Yet King's talent and Evanovich's beloved characters still make for an entertaining summer escape. A St. Martin's hardcover (Reviews, May 25).

The latest Evanovich crime caper involves barbecue, decapitation, fire bombs, and fiery temptation for bail bondsman Stephanie Plum. Lorelei King delivers this light fiction with gusto, missing none of the humor, whether broad or subtle. Her version of Stephanie's smoldering boss, Ranger, would tempt the most virtuous Nancy Drew, while former hooker Lula sneaks into our hearts with her passion for donuts. Gramma Mazur's elderly voice comes across as squeaky and over-performed, but it's the only flaw in an otherwise entertaining production. King's comic timing suits the story, as does the laugh that's almost audible in her performance. Who else could make us giggle at a headless body in a morgue? R.L.L. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine