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Going Rogue Book Review

Posted on by Econogal

Number 29

Book Cover with teal background and Janet Evanovich Going Rogue in large type with gold coins scattered across the cover.Going Rogue is Janet Evanovich’s latest Stephanie Plum novel. Loyal fans will be delighted. Because the book fleshes out old characters with more in-depth personalities. And Stephanie Plum is showing growth as well. As usual there are several laugh out loud moments from the delightful supporting cast.

Missing in Action

The story opens up with bail bonds office manager Connie Rosolli missing and three Failure to Appear (FTA) accounts lined up for skip tracer Plum to chase down. Complications quickly arise as one of the skips is Joe Morelli’s Grandma Bella. The Sicilian grandmother able to wreak havoc by giving those she despises the “evil eye.”

Kidnappers contact the office wanting an exchange. A valuable coin was put up for collateral. The trade is simple, Connie for the coin. But the coin is missing from the evidence room. One of the skips palmed it. Millions fall into the wrong hands and the madcap chase is on.

Going Rogue

Evanovich keeps her Stephanie Plum character fresh after twenty-nine iterations by fleshing out established characters and introducing new ones. In Going Rogue, Grandma Bella becomes more than just an evil eye throwing Nonna. She is a bit more rounded and a bit more human in her treatment of Stephanie. But just a tad bit.

And the character of Stephanie Plum continues to mature. Although she is still divided between her feelings for Joe versus Ranger (the key tenet for the series) her behavior is more virtuous…to a point.

Furthermore, the protagonist is finding herself. Going Rogue replaces the unhappy with work vibe with an acceptance of the career path. Quite refreshing to be honest.

Pure Entertainment

Books serve many purposes. The Stephanie Plum series is designed for entertainment. These books offer a much-needed release from the realities of life. Evanovich is a pro at instilling complete personalities into secondary characters. Her love triangle between Stephanie, Joe and Ranger is classic and can divide households.

Best of all, this series stays fresh for the many loyal followers. If you have not read any of this series, I encourage you to begin with the first. You will have plenty of reading material to last for the near future. Each addition is a fun read.

Game On Book Review

Posted on by Econogal

New Stephanie Plum

Game On is the latest in Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series. The fun read brings back Diesel, a character introduced a few years ago and then spun off into the Lizzy and Diesel series. A contemporary problem, hacking, is the catalyst for the usual murder and mayhem. However, Game On is not just the same.

Freshness in a series that dates across decades can be elusive. Evanovich accomplishes the task with Game On. However, identifying the source of the novelty eludes me. Perhaps tighter editing? Maybe a change of focus for the lead character? The result is satisfying.

Protagonist in Game On

Stephanie Plum is the lead character in Game On. For readers unfamiliar with this comedic series, Plum is a bounty hunter with extraordinary luck in capturing elusive quarry. And the luck? Mostly bad. So she has a bevy of support characters. The regular cast ranges from sexy to spasmodic. Plum’s luck in Game On has a twist.

Perhaps the most satisfying aspect of the book, is the return to character development. The protagonist shows growth lacking since the novels in the mid-teens were released. A much needed change.

Game On Story Line

The plot of Game On centers on the competition between Stephanie Plum and Diesel (Just Diesel) to capture the elusive Oswald Wednesday, hacker extraordinaire. But Wednesday’s evil deeds don’t end at hacking. Thwarted by amateurs, the villain of the story begins to knock off his victims one-by-one.

Plum and Diesel work together to keep two young hackers alive. Melvin and Charlotte portray nerdy IT geeks, only interested in computers and each other. Thus, they are no match for a supervillain intent on crashing the International Space Station. The nerds need saving and Stephanie and her co-horts are ready to rescue.

Entertainment

The Plum series is pure entertainment. Zany characters and unbelievable situations keep readers chuckling. One can only take so much strife. Game On balances out a library containing tomes on climate change, social behavior and the like.

An added benefit to reading an Evanovich release is the good natured humor sprinkled throughout. The light-hearted novel provides a needed escape for a few hours. Then the reader can return to reality with a game on approach.