Ten Big Ones

June 7, 2004
Audio reviews reflect PW
's assessment of the audio adaptation of a book and should be quoted only in reference to the audio version.
Fiction
TEN BIG ONES: A Stephanie Plum Novel
Janet Evanovich
, read by Lorelei King. Audio Renaissance
, unabridged, five cassettes, 8.5 hrs., $29.95 ISBN 1-55927-783-1

"I think of myself more as an entertainer than as a writer," Evanovich says in a bonus interview at the end of this audiobook, and indeed, her latest offering (following To The Nines
) will leave listeners with little doubt that she is a master of screwball comedy. At the start of this adventure, bumbling New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum and her sassy sidekick, Lula, witness a gang member known as the Red Devil rob a convenience store and attempt to bomb it with a Molotov cocktail, which hits Stephanie's car instead. Stephanie gets a good look at the Red Devil, making her a key witness and a target for a nasty gang called the Slayers. Her sometime boyfriend, vice cop Joe Morelli, insists she stay home and out of danger, but Stephanie would rather be bringing in two-bit criminals than lying low. Narrator King steps neatly into Stephanie's shoes, her agile voice conveying not only Stephanie's fear and frustration, but her plaintive, why-does-this-always-happen-to-me attitude. King also nails the manly, mysterious voice of gorgeous bounty hunter Ranger, Stephanie's sometime superhero. Although the high-pitched voice King gives Stephanie's adventure-loving grandmother may grate on some listeners nerves, her vocal stylings are generally as superb as Evanovich's zany characterizations. Simultaneous release with the St. Martin's hardcover (Forecasts, June 7).

New Jersey bond enforcement agent Stephanie Plum's tenth outing gets an adequate, if uncompelling, performance by Lorelei King. She does well enough with the supporting players but is wrong for Steph herself--not young-sounding enough, not Jersey enough, and not emotional enough. Even in the midst of carnage, she sounds like an executive briefing the board. In the abridged format the story, in which Steph is targeted for killing by a Trenton gang because she can ID a robber/arsonist member, is thin and abrupt even for this series. All that said, King's portrayal of the regulars, the over-the-top humor, and Steph's continued flirtation with Ranger and affair with Morelli should keep fans listening. W.M. (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine

January 1, 2005
In this tenth Stephanie Plum mystery, read competently by Lorelei King, the bounty hunter witnesses a robbery gone wrong. As a consequence she becomes the target of a gang and of a killer named Junkman and must protect her family and herself from harm. All of the familiar characters are here: Stephanie's sister Valerie finally decides to marry Albert Kloughn; Grandma Mazur is anxious to help out; and we learn some personal details about Ranger. Stephanie is living with Joe Morelli, but as usual that relationship has its ups and downs. Although this is not the best of the series, it will not disappoint Stephanie's multitude of fans. Everything is wrapped up neatly at the end, but listeners know there will be more Plum books soon. The price and packaging seem to indicate that this version is intended for bookstores, not libraries, and those with heavy use will need to repackage. Recommended with these limitations in mind.-Mary Knapp, Madison P.L., WI

Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.