Look, it’s been a rough week. DM me if you want to whole story, but suffice to say it’s been another of life’s kicks in the gut. The bright side is I got a chance to read as much as I want.

So, I deserve another Stephanie Plum story. This time, she’s after Maxine Nowicki, an FTA that took off with her boyfriend Eddie Kuntz’s car, then seems to have left a series of clues for him to get it back. But of course, there’s more to the story: Maxine’s family is threatened, and bodies start to drop all over Trenton. All Steph wants to do is catch her woman, but now she’s uncovered a potential counterfeiting operation, and she might just have ticked off the mob. And since someone firebombed her house, she’s moved in with her casual love interest-slash-arch nemesis, Joe Morelli, and the rumors fly all over the Burg.

It doesn’t disappoint! She does it again: bumbles through an apprehension, wrecks another car, nearly gets herself whacked more than once. The characters are colorful, but physically and metaphorically. I love Lula (and her stun gun, and her Firebird), and I loved how Sally Sweet gets added. Ranger appears a bit less, but I love some of his lines (“I’m the wind, babe”). Big, steamy scenes between Stephanie and Morelli, making this an NC-17, but there’s snappy repartee between them, better than the previous 3. There’s something comforting and personal about all the familiar sights, sounds and objects: the Big Buick, Cluck-in-a-Bucket, Carl Costanza. I wish Grandma Mazur would get her own novel!

Good plot development, as I thought Three to Get Deadly labored just a little. This was just complicated, just interwoven enough to run fast and exciting. I enjoyed how everything came together in the end, and the ending was great: a little unexpected, fun and satisfying. There were lots of storylines here, but Janet Evanovich wrapped them all up very tidily. She masters “cringe” humor, dumping poor Stephanie into crazy situations that either put her life, her hair, or her sanity in jeopardy. Again, read something this far back and expect some dated items: they all have pagers! HA!

Great audiobook, too. I listened to a few chapters while on the road, and I can’t confirm it since I didn’t hear credits, but I think it’s Lorelei King. Remember, I’ve skipped around a bit, so King’s narrated most of the later books in the series. She’s wonderful!

Nobody does it better than JE for my money. Onto #5!

At what point does this series jump the shark? I'm not sure, but I think book 4 is when all that potential energy starts coiling up for the leap.

This is the one about counterfeit money. Joe Morelli, Ranger and Lula continue to be recurring characters, and Janet E. introduces Sally Sweet in this one. Joe is working a case in partnership with the feds after phony twenties start showing up in Trenton. Meanwhile, Stephanie pulls a job to pick up Maxine Nowicki, who assaulted her ex-boyfriend Eddie. Dodging the law, Maxine leaves a trail of coded messages. Steph can't decode them, but Sally - a transvestite whose given name is Salvatore - is a crack puzzle solver who shows up to lend a hand.

This is also the book where Stephanie finally has sex. After 4 books, she finally does the deed with Morelli.

Every book has been a balancing act between investigation and oddball humor. One for the Money was probably, like, a 70/30 split. Then someone told Janet how funny it was and ever since, each book has been more weighted on the humor side. It isn't that I don't still enjoy these, but I have to change my perception of them - they are no longer investigative mysteries with some humor; they are now humorous fiction involving a mystery. With this in mind, I think I can start enjoying these more/again.

I am enjoying this series. The character interactions make these books entertaining. Stephanie Plum is once again looking for a person that did not appear for their court date. This time she is going after a woman named Maxine.

Stephanie and Lulu are at it again. I love Lulu because she is very sarcastic and ready to hurt people. She is always wanting to shoot someone and Stephanie won't let her. She actually comes to Stephanie's rescue.

I am continuing this series with number 5!

When Stephanie is asked to hunt down a waitress who skipped bail after stealing her ex-boyfriend's car she thinks it'll be easy. That's before the ex-boyfriend offers her extra cash on the side if she'll tip him off to Maxine's location before the cops get involved though. It turns out that Maxine has been leaving clues for her ex and now Stephanie finds herself on a crazy treasure hunt trying to figure out what Maxine is really up to. When Maxine's friend loses a finger and her mother gets scalped the chase really starts to heat up and it looks like Maxine is in a lot more danger that Stephanie could have imagined.

I really struggle to write reviews for this series, not because I don't love these books but because I just want to rave like a lunatic about how fantastic they all are. The main trouble is that I've probably said it all before, I adore these characters, they're all over the top and completely stereotypical but absolutely brilliant in spite of that (or possibly because of it). These characters are larger than life, funny as hell and all of the books make me snort with laughter. If you enjoyed the previous books then you're bound to love Four to Score too, I'm on at least my 3rd read through of the earlier books in this series and that probably says more about my love for these books than anything else could. It's a series that I continuously go back to when I need something that is going to put a smile on my face.

Stephanie is just as out of her depth here as ever, but she always manages to come out on top no matter how crazy the situations she lands in are. Grandma Mazur and Lula are two of my favourite fictional sidekicks but here we have the addition of transvestite Sally Sweet who I really hope is going to become a cast regular (it's been so long since I read these books last that I really can't remember if he crops up again later but I'm keeping my fingers crossed). We also have two great guys to swoon over and after all these years I'm still not sure if I can choose a favourite. Things are progressing well between Stephanie and Joe Morelli though and we even get to meet his family in this book. His grandmother is one scary lady and I certainly wouldn't want her giving me the evil eye! Ranger is still around too and I love the friendly flirtation between him and Stephanie, I don't think it'll ever go anywhere but I enjoy it all the same and who doesn't like to daydream about a batman type of superhero? These books are pure entertainment, perfect for when you're in the mood for something light hearted, a little bit silly and guaranteed to make you giggle and I don't think I'll ever get bored of spending time with Stephanie and her friends!
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Series group read with Buddies, Books & Baubles starts 1st February 2016. We're planning on reading one book a month so it'll be easy to keep up with if anyone else wants to join us :o)

This was a light funny enjoyable read. The characters are developing well. I thought the plot was a bit boring though but there was a good mixture of action and humour. Three stars.

If you liked the first three books you'll like this one as much or more. Stephanie Plum, novice bounty hunter, is at it again with her merry band of misfits. Grandma Mazur is at her wise-cracking best. Lula is at her big attitude finest. Add in Sally Sweet the 6'5" transvestite and you've got yourself the finest group of bounty hunters in Trenton. Well, at least the most amusing.

One of my favorites in the series...loads of fun!

Oh how I love the Stephanie Plum series. They never fail to please me.
In this book there are all the people that I have come to expect - Stephanie's family, Lula, Morelli, Ranger. This time there is new friend, Sally Sweet who is just as original as Lula :)
As always someone wants to kill Stephanie, and her unusual relationship with cars continues.

In this book Stephanie gets up close and personal with Morelli. I wonder if she gets up close and personal with Ranger in the future as I wonder how they compare :)

As always the dialogue is hilarious -

'Stay out of this, fatso,' Joyce said.
'Fatso,' Lula said, eyes narrowed. 'Who you calling fatso?'
'I'm calling you fatso, you big tub of lard.'
Lula reached out to Joyce, Joyce made a squeak, her eyes went blank, and she crashed to the ground.
Everyone turned to Joyce.
'Must have fainted,' Lula said to the crowd.
... 'I saw that!' I said to Lula, keeping my voice low. 'You zapped her with your stun gun.' (p88).

'Looks like you're going to work,' (Mrs. zuppa) said, leaning heavily on her cane. 'What are you packin'?'
'A thirty-eight.'
'I like a nine-millimetre myself.'
'A nine's good.'
'Easier to use a semiautomatic after you've had a hip replacement and you walk with a cane,' she said. (p102).

I SO recommend this book.

This might have been my favorite one since # 1 mainly because (can it really be a spoiler almost 20 years later?) JOE AND STEPHANIE FINALLY GET TOGETHER. that was 5 books overdue.

n  n    Book Reviewn  n
4 out of 5 stars to Four to Score, the 4th book in the "Stephanie Plum" cozy mystery series, written in 1998 by Janet Evanovich. I was still playing catch-up on this series when I read this one several years ago. Hard to believe this series is nearly 25 years old. Wow! In this little caper, Stephanie's trying to find a waitress who causes lots of trouble. And she seems to have stepped it up a notch now that those who come in contact with her wind up dead. Then there's Joyce, Stephanie's arch-enemy who seems to be trying to kill Miss Plum. So many people with vengeance. We need to figure out what causes those feelings in Trenton, NJ. Anyone live there who knows? Anyways... fun story, decent plot and lots of crazy moments. That's what really makes these books -- the laugh aloud moments where you hope no one saw you giggling to yourself like a child.

n  n    About Men  n
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**Content Warnings at End of Review**

It is so interesting reading these novels again now that I am around Stephanie’s age, but with the 2024 mentality that I didn’t have my first time through the series. I still enjoy this series, don’t get me wrong. There is something very comforting about a main character that is a mess and does not have her life together, but you know that it is all going to work out in the end. That being said, the language used is still very dated 1998 in a way that is jarring to read two decades after the publication. Still, this series will always have a soft spot in my heart because it was one of the first ones I have ever been obsessed with. Well, at least for all the ones that I have read before as we are up to 30 now.

I enjoyed the “crime” in this novel a lot more than in the previous one because while there is still a sense of danger, there are a lot less dead bodies in this novel than some of the previous ones. Stephanie is attempting to find an FTA, Maxine, that’s only crime was auto theft, but it is a lot harder to find than previously suspected. However, when individuals close to Maxine start losing body parts, Stephanie starts to think that there is more to Maxine than attempting to screw over her horrible ex boyfriend. However, when that sleazy ex boyfriend offers to pay Stephanie to find Maxine for him, she is willing to attempt to find her for more than just her retrieval pay. The downside is that Stephanie’s nemesis Joyce Bernhardt is also after Maxine and Maxine is leaving clues that Stephanie can’t unravel on her own. Enter Sally Sweets, who is referred to in the novel in a word that I am not going to use, and state that he is a drag queen. Between Sally and Lula, Stephanie is at no shortage of sidekicks as she attempts to unravel what is going on with Maxine and who firebombed her appointment, causing her to go live with Joe Morelli, which is dangerous in numerous ways.

While I wished that the handling of Sally Sweets and Sugar were handled with a little more tact, I do have to appreciate that it was written in 1998 and we are in first person point of view. Stephanie Plum’s thoughts are not those of Janet Evanovich as far as I know, but it was still jarring to read and the stereotypes that were being used. This has been an issue I’ve had during this reread with how Lula is treated as well. It isn’t as if they are treated poorly by the narrative, but the tongue and cheek references are far worse sounding to modern audiences. I can see how it would turn off certain readers and I completely appreciate that. However, I take it as Stephanie is not a very refined individual and her way of describing the world will be just as rough around the edges. Stephanie is also a lot more active in this novel in attempting to solve the mystery, though as always she does stumble into some convenient clues and information. Still, this novel was more lighthearted and focused on Stephanie and Morelli dancing around one another, which I appreciated.

Speaking of Stephanie and Morelli, they finally make it from teasing, making out, and foreplay to finally having sex. The spicy level is low and this is a closed door scene, but it was very fulfilling after three novels of the two of them almost getting together on multiple levels. I also appreciate that they both realize that their relationship at this point would be a disaster, but are drawn to each other anyway. Stephanie and Morelli have not changed as people, they just aren’t lying to each other any more about there being more between them than playful flirting and sexual tension. What that is, isn’t understood just yet. Still, it was satisfying to have them finally get together, even if it was only for a short amount of time.

Overall this was a fun read that doesn’t have the same dark undertones that some of the other novels did. True, dark things happen, but Evanovich writes in such a way that even when Stephanie’s apartment and cars blow up, you never think that she is in a lot of danger. Part of that might be because there are another 26 books published in the series as well. This is a 4 star read and a solid entry into the series.
**Content Warnings**

Homophobia, Transphobia, Body shaming, Cursing, Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia

**Original Review**

Four to Score has all the fun and excitement of the first three novels of the series, but it is also more character centered. As Stephanie tries to track down Maxine, who was only arrested for car theft but is no where to be found, it soon becomes clear that there is more to this case than just a car theft. However, as Stephanie starts to unravel the case she is targeted by an arsonist and forced to move in with Joe Morelli. This leads to more problems that Stephanie doesn't know if she can handle, that is if she stays alive long enough to deal with them.

As I mentioned above this novel is more character centered than the first three novels in the series. We get to see a lot more of not only the minor characters of the novel, like Lula and Joyce Bernhardt, but also Joe Morelli. The relationship between Stephanie and Joe becomes much more physical in this novel, but you also get to see more of their personalities as well. You can see that Joe cares a lot about Stephanie, but there is hesitation on both ends about being in a committed relationship. It was nice to see Morelli as more that this hot cop and more of a regular person.

Overall this novel was a lot of fun and the characters were very vibrant.

3! This book had me laughing so hard, tears were streaming down my face. Unfortunately, I am finding I couldn't care less about Plum's cases. Her personal life is what makes these novels a three...Otherwise...Yeesh!