This was quite a mad cap story. Stephanie Plum Rides Again. Stephanie's uncle Fred goes missing after he had an altercation with the garbage department.

If you have been reading the series, you would get quite a laugh out of this story. Even gramma is involved and what a funny scene when Stephanie is hired to chauffeur a sheik to the aiport.

The story involves all the usual players, Joe Morreli the undercover cop, Ranger the bounty hunter and we have the homicidal rapist Benito Ramirez. And then of course we have Lula.

An enjoyable and fast paced story.

The first time I recorded reading this story was July 5, 2009.

Still loving the series! Its crazy how much bad luck Stephanie can have sometimes but I always enjoy reading everything that happens to her and the situations that only she can find herself in. The book ended on a cliffhanger, I have to find out who she called over! (although I'm pretty sure I know, I just would like it confirmed). Can't wait to dive into the next one to see what Stephanie can get into next!

I’m not even through the first chapter and am already disappointed!! I love this series and C.J. Croft was an AMAZING narrator. I purchased this audio book excited to continue the Stephanie Plum story to find out the narrator has changed and she is absolutely AWFUL! She is monotoned with no pitch difference for each character, she reads too fast, and says so many words wrong it sets my teeth on edge!!

Stephanie doesn't have the best of luck but she's reached an all time low in this fifth instalment of the series. Things are on the rocks between her and Joe Morelli, her favourite stalker Benito Ramirez has been released from prison and gone straight back to hunting her, she's completely broke and nobody seems to be skipping bail right now so work is hard to come by. To top it all off her uncle Fred is missing and she's now obliged to spend her time trying to track him down, something that won't help her financial situation as it's a job she won't be paid for. Thankfully her fellow bounty hunter and mentor Ranger throws her a lifeline and offers her a side job working for Rangeman Enterprises but that's only going to make things more complicated, especially when Ranger turns the charm on full force.

The Stephanie Plum series is so much fun to read and I think that High Five was the funniest book yet, I giggled so many times when I was reading this thanks to Stephanie's disastrous luck with cars and there were some hilarious conversations around Ranger's increasing interest in her romantically. Now let's just have a quick chat about Ranger here, if you thought Morelli had things all sewn up in the relationship department Ranger is about to make you question everything, and, as someone who normally hates love triangles with the passion of a burning sun, it's amazing how much I enjoy this one.

It's been a long time since I read this series last but I'm on my 3rd read through of about the first 10 books and 2nd of the following 6 so I'm not a newbie by any means and I honestly STILL can't decide which one of the guys I like best. They both suit Stephanie in different ways and I actually think she'd stand a good chance of making things work with either of them but I do think her history with Joe puts him in a good position to come out on top (please don't spoiler me if you know who she chooses, I honestly can't remember if a decision has been made or not in the books I read in and I'm planning on reading the entire series so I will find out for myself soon enough). Up until this point Stephanie's chemistry with Joe has been the most obvious but they both currently have very different ideas about marriage and what they want from the future. Ranger is a man of mystery but we finally get to learn a little more about his background in this one, including a couple of surprising revelations about his relationship history. We still have a lot of questions about what he does with most of his time and how he can afford to keep Stephanie stocked with a seemingly endless supply of high level cars but it's pretty clear that he works in a few gray areas. I enjoyed seeing him push Stephanie a bit in this book, he knocks her out of her comfort zone and it makes for an interesting dynamic between them.

The romance really isn't the main focus of these stories though and it's Stephanie along with her friends and family that really make this series shine. I absolutely adore Grandma Mazur, she never fails to make me laugh and she gets herself into some hilarious situations this time. I'm actually quite surprised that Stephanie's poor father hasn't moved out yet, he must be close to a nervous breakdown by now! We get fun new side characters introduced in every book but this one sees the return of the creepiest villain of the entire series and he absolutely terrifies me. Stephanie is one gutsy lady to manage to stand her ground when facing him and I don't blame her in the slightest for falling to pieces afterwards. The mystery of Stephanie's missing uncle was well done and took things in a direction I wasn't expecting but that's something this series has always done well. These books are brilliant, light hearted, very, very funny and the perfect way to spend an afternoon, High Five ends on a MAJOR tease so I'm glad I don't have to wait for the next book to be released.
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Series group read with Buddies, Books & Baubles starts 1st March 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)

Broke. No one is skipping out on bail. Struggling with the lack of satisfaction .. in life .. and with the two sexiest men on the planet, Stephanie Plum finds herself intertwined in family drama when asked to investigate and locate her Uncle Fred.

Flying purple-headed piglet Vinnie, is making money left and right. He doesn’t play much of a role in this book, but that doesn’t keep the small statements from ripping gasping laughter from my gut.

“Vinnie’s overjoyed,” Connie said. “He’s making money by the fistful. No bounty hunters to pay. No forfeited bonds. Last time I saw Vinnie in a mood like this was when Madame Zaretsky was arrested for pandering and sodomy and put her trained dog up as collateral for her bond.”

Ranger is a delicious bad boy character that gives you shivers and has the hair on your arms standing at attention. Although there may be a few women out there who would disagree or just flat-out would never admit it, Ranger is THE MAN of men. Mysterious. Sexy. Unobtainable. Wrong. In High Five, the attraction between Ranger and Stephanie is tiptoeing across a dangerous line of uncertainty.

Ranger’s a Cuban-American. His features are Anglo, his eyes are Latino, his skin is the color of a mocha latte, and his body is as good as a body can get. He had his black hair pulled back into a ponytail. He was wearing a black T-shirt that fit him like a tattoo and a black SWAT pants tucked into black high-top boots.

Joe Morelli is the type of guy that mother’s warn their daughter’s about. Stay away from that one! He’s a good cop and even better in bed. Stephanie tries her best to keep her distance, to suffer along with him as they play a game of who gives in first. Moments of doubt and jealousy leaves them both unsure of their standings and the sexual frustration between them does nothing to help the situation.

Get a grip! I told myself. We’re talking about a simple sex act here. This isn’t a medical emergency like having a heart attack. This can wait twenty-four hours. (Stephanie)

Lula as always, is a force to be reckoned with. A woman in need of no introduction;

Lula hauled a small cannon out of her shoulder bag and pointed it at Bunchy. “You slime-faced bag of monkey shit.”

An endless search for Fred is driving everyone crazy. A strange man is following Stephanie. A “little person” is crashed on her couch and uses her coffee table as his desk for work. A punk sheik in desperate need of a reality check in respect pushes Stephanie over the edge.

Cars explode. But that’s nothing new, is it?

I recommend this book to adults. There is mild violence (less in this book than the others) and some implied sexual content. Read books 1-5 as fast as you can, because they’re about to rock!

I enjoy this series. I read these books when I need something light. Grandma Mazur can usually be counted on to make me laugh out loud! I'm glad the character of Ramirez is now out of the way. I didn't like him still being in the story. I look forward to the next segment.....

It was fun to see Ranger in a more prominent role – him and his black cars… - but I’m still team Morelli all the way!

Nice cast of secondary characters. I liked both Bunchy and Briggs, and, in the end, even Stephanie’s young charge in the airport apprehension scene.

I think this one was my favorite so far?! So funny and witty, I was constantly entertained. And then we get a love triangle?? How amazing is that! I loved all the new side characters, especially Briggs and Bunchy and ofc the return of Ramirez!

High Five gets a high five from me. Check out my book review here:

http://anotherlookbookreviews.blogspo...

There’s something wrong with me. I know these books are low-quality in terms of plot structure and character development. They are hella predictable and super cheesy. But I’M ADDICTED. I’ve already started the next book in the series. I thought I’d share a drinking game I’ve developed for this series inspired by its laughable predictability.

THE STEPHANIE PLUM DRINKING GAME

TAKE A SIP IF:

- Joe calls Stephanie “cupcake.”
- Ranger calls Stephanie “babe.”
- Stephanie has to decide between Joe and Ranger
- Stephanie can’t find a weapon in her labyrinth of a purse
- Stephanie has to drive the Buick
- Grandma Mazur goes to a viewing at the funeral parlor
- Grandma Mazur tags along
- Lula tases someone
- Stephanie’s mom is ironing or cooking.
- Stephanie and Joe order a pizza
- Stephanie or Joe drinks a beer
- Anyone eats donuts
- Anyone mentions Joe’s butt

CHUG IF:

- Stephanie’s car gets blown up (one of her many cars, or Ranger’s company cars)
- Someone breaks into Stephanie’s apartment
- Joe or Ranger has to rescue Stephanie
- Someone leaves Stephanie a threatening voicemail or note.
- Stephanie is in the local newspaper

Love my second time around with this series. This time I'm listening and it's great. Seeing to beginning of the Joe-Steph-Ranger love triangle is so fun. Steph has had sex with Joe, but isn't ready to totally commit to him. The cliffhanger ending has me racing to read/listen to the next book.

Stephanie Plum is having trouble making rent and Ranger is helping out with some side work and new transportation, well a few new transportations. Steph's Uncle Fred has disappeared and Step is going to try and find him or find out why he disappeared. She also has a skip to find, shorty Randy Briggs, her latest skip trace. On top of all this Benito Ramirez is stalking Steph. And, oh my, the kiss. Wow, knocked my socks off.