Fearless Fourteen

Lorelei King gives a fantastic performance of Janet Evanovich's latest comedic mystery caper involving New Jersey bail bondswoman Stephanie Plum and her compatriots. In this one, Stephanie accepts a job as a bodyguard at the same time that she and Joe Morelli, her cop boyfriend, find themselves parenting the son of a kidnap victim--all while searching for money stolen in a long-ago heist. Instead of parsing the plot, relax and enjoy Evanovich's tight writing and King's amazing reading of everyone from Stephanie to tough cops to adolescent boys to a Big Black Mama of a woman. Add spot-on conversations, real-life phrasing, such as breathlessness when Stephanie's chasing a con, and an end-of-book interview of Evanovich by King, and you have the perfect listen. A.C.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

May 19, 2008
New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum finds herself saddled with the teenage son of Loretta Rizzi, her latest skip, at the start of one of the less cohesive entries in Evanovich's bestselling series (Lean Mean Thirteen
, etc.). When Mario “Zook” Rizzi and his obsession with the online role-playing game “Minionfire” become too much for Stephanie to handle, the pair camp out at Trenton cop Joe Morelli's house. Stephanie also takes a job with the mysterious Ranger, helping him “babysit” Brenda, a fading music star in town for a concert. After Loretta is kidnapped, Stephanie and Morelli discover that to ensure Loretta's safety, they'll have to find the $9 million that disappeared after a bank robbery committed by Loretta's recently paroled brother, Dom. A mild-mannered stalker and the upcoming nuptials of Stephanie's colleague Lula to Ranger's right-hand man, Tank, add to the crazy fun. Despite a number of unresolved subplots, this Plum adventure won't disappoint those looking for the perfect summer beach read.

Starred review from August 25, 2008
Lorelei King returns to Trenton, N.J., to continue the misadventures of Stephanie Plum, intermittently successful bounty hunter. King is one of many to voice Janet Evanovich’s successful series, but her voice can be heard above the crowd, especially when she’s bringing the more colorful characters to life. Her former prostitute Lula can tear down walls with the force of her personality, and King gives professional security specialist (read “mercenary”) Ranger the measured tones of one who is always in control. Stephanie spends much of the book blue from a briefcase dye bomb. King’s Plum accepts her blueness and responds to the reactions with indignity, ruefulness and eventually resignation. In addition to established favorites, Evanovich has thrown into the mix a 60-ish singer trying to hang onto fame who gives King plenty of scope for her Southern side. Fearless Fourteen
becomes peerless fourteen with narrator King at the helm. A St. Martin’s hardcover (Reviews, May 19).