TOP SECRET TWENTY-ONE - Janet Evanovich
A Perfect 10
A Stephanie Plumb Novel , Book 21
Bantam Books (Hardcover)
ISBN-13: 978-0-345-54292-2
July 2014
Mystery

Trenton, New Jersey - Present Day

For the one or two readers who might not have heard of Stephanie Plumb, I'll begin by telling you a little bit about her.  She's a bounty hunter in Trenton, New Jersey, and works for her cousin Vinnie hunting down and catching the bad guys, or gals.  These are usually just good people gone wrong who happened to miss their day in court, which means Stephanie only gets a paycheck when she brings them to justice (but first, she has to catch them!).  There are also real life bad guys on her catch list as well, and this time, in TOP SECRET TWENTY-ONE, Stephanie gets caught up in the most dangerous situation she's ever faced.  You will be on the edge of your seat at the end of the story, hoping she makes it out alive!

Stephanie is in a relationship with her childhood love, Trenton cop Joe Morelli.  They're devoted to each other, but they're just not ready to commit to settling down quite yet.  Stephanie's job makes Joe crazy with worry (she gets shot a lot), and Stephanie isn't sure she wants to give it all up to stay home and change diapers.  She struggles with money; there is never enough of it, and she agonizes over her friendship with hunky private security guru, Ricardo Carlos Manoso, or Ranger, as everyone calls him.  Ranger is always there, a safety shield for Stephanie.  She literally melts whenever he's around; and that said, she always (well, usually) goes home to Joe.

In TOP SECRET TWENTY ONE, Stephanie is running out of money, again, and the latest skip, aka the bad guy she needs to catch, is Trenton's famous car dealer, Jimmy Poletti, who's been caught red handed in the human trafficking trade.  Stephanie grabs her friend Lula, ex-hooker turned office assistant, and they're off to catch Jimmy, but succeed only in finding trouble.  This leads Stephanie to the pint-sized Randy Briggs.  Briggs is Jimmy's accountant, and now that there's a price on Jimmy's head, someone is also out to kill Briggs.  He shows up hoping she'll put him up for a few days, but her apartment is the last place Stephanie wants Briggs.  But, on second thought, she realizes Briggs just might force Jimmy out of hiding, so she leaves him in her apartment with strict instructions not to watch any pay-per-view porn, and moves in with Joe and Bob (the dog).

Meanwhile, Ranger is the target of someone who wants him dead, and Stephanie is worried.  Ranger always has her back; he keeps her safe and protected, even bugging her purse or clothes so he can rescue her when she inadvertently finds herself in a pinch, which is often!

TOP SECRET TWENTY-ONE is the best Stephanie Plumb novel yet!  These books just keep getting better and better.  I absolutely inhale them and always want more!  (But sadly, we have to wait another year for number twenty-two.)  And, if you think you can't start a new series so far into the foray, throw that idea right out of your head!  Each and every novel is a fresh, new story; nothing is ever the same for Stephanie and her friends.  Visit Ms. Evanovich's website, www.evanovich.com   for a complete list of all the novels, and more!

TOP SECRET TWENTY-ONE has a plethora of quirky and witty characters and tons of fun, mixed with danger and romance.  Ranger is every woman's dream, and Joe is a sexy good guy/cop with a soft heart for Stephanie.  Vinnie and his office manager, Connie, are on board, along with Stephanie's Grandma Mazur, and of course, Lula and Rex (Stephanie's hamster).  In this story, Grandma has written a bucket list, (things to do before she goes to the great Trenton-in-the-sky), and one of her goals is to get the best of Joe's Grandma Bella and her evil eye, once and for all!  (There's more on that list, but the biggest item is TOP SECRET TWENTY-ONE!)

This novel is a PERFECT 10 in more ways than one, and if you haven't read a Stephanie Plumb yet (perhaps you've been on another planet for a few years) then you need to rush out and get a copy!  TOP SECRET TWENTY ONE is a PERFECT 10 (or 21!) all the way!

Diana Risso