What do you do when you hit a reading funk? You go back to your old standbys. For me, that means a trip to “The Burg,” the old stomping grounds of bumbling bond enforcement agent, Stephanie Plum.


There was a little twist here, as the wanted man in this story is none other than the mysterious Ranger, Steph’s mentor in the bounty hunting biz. A pawn in an organized crime ring is murdered and burned in a building downtown, and Ranger was the last man seen out of the building. Along the way Steph gets mixed up in a number of botched recoveries with Lula in tow and Mooner as a secondary partner of sorts.

It's the usual flair here, so nothing all that new. There’s comfort in meeting familiar characters, seeing what they’re up to. It does get a little creative in terms of developing new people in Steph’s life and accelerating (sorta/kinda) her lovelife, which I thought was a nice touch. Dialogue is snappy and funny, Steph knows everyone who knows everyone, and the suspense is there. It’s a good mystery, maybe just slightly edgier than the last.

It also feels dated: they just started to have cel phones, but they still carry pagers. And I felt like the later versions (remember: I skipped – pardon the pun – around a lot) feel more intricate and funny. So, I’m considering just picking up around #24 or so. What do you think?

Hot Six really took the all the characters and plot to the next amazing level. You won't believe what Grandma Mazur has in store for the reader...and the heat between Stephanie and Ranger get's kicked up a notch but what about the saucy - Joe Morelli?? Don't miss this unforgetable, laugh out loud, action packed story.

*** 4.25 ***

A buddy read with my friends at BB&B!!! Let's go hunt some bond skips!!!

I do not know how does this author keep on making me laugh??? I mean, this is book 6! I should be tired of the same old, same old, right? How long can one very inapt, clueless, and fully unprofessional bounty hunter, with propensity for finding dead bodies, keep bringing the funny and rev up the likability factor ever higher, from one book to the next??? And Stephanie Plum does all that and more, reeling us in with every misadventure, despite, or realy because of all of her ineptitude and ridiculous decisions and actions... And in this book she managed to destroy only two cars!!! Well, more, if you count those that belong to other people...

""Hey, man," Moon said to me. "Real shame about your car. That's mad crazy, dude." "What happened?" "I was sitting there on the bench waiting for you, and I saw Reefer walk by. You know Reefer? Well, anyway, Reefer just got let out of the tank, and his brother was coming to pick him up. And Reefer said why didn't I come out to say hello to his brother. So I walked out with Reefer, and you know Reefer always has good weed, so one thing led to another, and I thought I'd just relax in your car for a minute and have a smoke. I guess a pod must have jumped, because the next thing your seat was on fire. And then it kind of spread from there. It was glorious until these gentlemen hosed it." Glorious. Unh. I wondered if Moon would think it was glorious if I choked him until he was dead."

Her job mostly sucks...

" I flipped the top file open. Morris Munson. Arrested for vehicular manslaughter. "Could be worse," I said. "Could be a homicidal rapist." "You didn't read down far enough," Connie said. "After this guy ran over the victim, who just happened to be his ex-wife, he beat her with a tire iron, raped her, and tried to set her on fire. He was charged with vehicular manslaughter because according to the M.E. she was already dead when he took the tire iron to her. He had her soaked in gasoline and was trying to get his Bic to work when a blue-and-white happened to drive by." Little black dots danced in front of my eyes. I sat down hard on the fake-leather couch and put my head between my legs. "You okay?" Lula asked. "Probably it's just low blood sugar," I said. Probably it's my job.

She is attracted to two men, each of them wonderful in their own way, and honestly, even though I hate love triangles, in this case I totally understand the dilemma... They are both too perfect in two very different ways...

OKAY, SO HERE'S the thing. My mother's worst fear has come true. I'm a nymphomaniac. I lust after a lot of men. Of course, maybe that's because I don't actually actually have sex with any. And some of my lustings probably aren't going anywhere. Probably it's unrealistic to think I'll ever get it on with Mike Richter, the goalie for the New York Rangers. Ditto Indiana Jones. On the other hand, two of the men on my list of desirables actually desire me back. The problem being that they both sort of scare the hell out of me. My name is Stephanie Plum. I'm a bounty hunter, and I work with both these men. Both are involved in law enforcement. One is a cop. And the other takes a more entrepreneurial approach to deterring crime. Neither is very good at following rules. Both outclass me when it comes to lusting experience.

And grandma Mazur is moving in, hahahaha!!!!  "She's ringing my doorbell," I said to my mother. "What should I do?" "For goodness' sakes, let her in." "If I let her in, I'm doomed. It's like inviting a vampire into your house. Once you invite them in, that's it, you're as good as dead!" "This isn't a vampire. This is your grandmother."  

Add the Moon Man and an old mobster who keeps jumping in her car, and you have just another day in the world of Trenton, NJ, The Burg she and her family inhabit with their ethnic identities and bizarre energies...! Ooooo, and let's not forget Bob - the dog from hell with stomach of steal and limitless appetites, he is my favorite addition!!!

"Bob wagged his tail and looked from Grandma to me. Grandma ladled out oatmeal for the three of us. She and I took our bowls into the dining area, and Bob ate his in the kitchen. When Grandma and I went back to the kitchen, Bob's bowl was empty. The cardboard box that used to hold the cake was also empty. "Guess Bob's got a sweet tooth," Grandma said. I shook my finger at him. "That was rude. And besides, you'll get fat." Bob wagged his tail. "He might not be too smart," Grandma said. Smart enough to eat the cake."

I give up! This is one of the most hilarious series I have ever read and is the best cure for gray or dark days and moments of book slumps and some depressions... It is just fun! Everybody should read it, but be prepared - there are stereotypes, cliches, and many tropes, but if you understand the intention with which the books are written, and they are for entertainment purposes only, I promise all a good time all around!!!

Now I wish all of you Happy Reading and may you never loose your sense of humor!!!!

n  

"You know, when you're a cop you get to a point where you think you've heard it all," he finally said. "You think there's nothing left that could surprise you. And then you come along, and it's a whole new ball game."

n

I agree Morelli, but you know what? Stephanie is not the worst, it's everyone that surrounds her who is. In this series they're all crazy mad. Poor Stephanie's mother, why is it always her? Why does she have such a daughter and such a mother that should be a poor old lady but actually behaves like a rebel teenager? Haha.

n  

He pulled me out of my chair and kissed me.
The doorbell rang, and we both jumped apart.
"Shit!" Morelli said. "Now what? It's always something! Grandmothers and murderers and pagers going off. I can't take it anymore."

n

Poor Morelli HAHAHA. At some point those interruption were starting to annoy me as well WTH

A fun good time.

Why is it so hard for Stephanie to stay out of major, life threatening trouble? Stephanie is off on more bounty hunter jobs; one is to find a wife abuser who has skipped out on court appearing and he is not willing to cooperate in any way shape or form with Stephanie. Soon he is threatening her life and is evading her in every way possible. Will she ever catch him and not get hurt in the mean time? Also, she has heard shocking news...Ranger is being looked for, but not in a seeking his services way, but a he skipped out on his bail kind of way and Stephanie is bound and determined to find out what he is running from or trying to figure out and get to the bottom of why he is suspected of murder in the first placed. Soon Stephanie finds out that Ranger may be getting misjudged here and is now determined to prove he is innocent, no matter what that takes. The only one against her helping Ranger and risking her life to do it?...Joe Morelli, her on again off again cop boyfriend. Stephanie also finds herself with a couple new roommates, who she is undecided on if she likes or not yet. Can she figure all this out, catch her man for bounty hunting, get her living arrangements figured out, and dissect her feelings for Ranger and Joe all without getting hurt or killed? Who is Ranger really?

Hot doesn't even start to describe this book, more like sizzling or boiling! Once again Evanovich entices readers with adventure, suspense, mystery, mayhem, love triangles, and a crazy set of characters. Her books are like Pringles potato chips, "once you pop, you can't stop". You just can't stop reading once you pop open that cover to the wonderfully written pages inside. Before you know it, you are over 100 pages in and saying, just one more chapter...until there are no more chapters. Then you are saying, one more chapter...in the next book. I just love this series and can't get enough of it! It's writing, plot, characters...they all are phenomenal and so much fun to read. I just love the quick and witty humor and the details in the writing that make you laugh out loud as you picture them happening. I haven't found any characters, in any other books, that are as thrilling to me as Stephanie Plum and her family and friends. This book works as a stand alone or as a great continuation in the series if you have read all the previous books. This is a book that just happens to be part of a series, not a book that has to be part of a series. That's what makes it so great! This book has so much happen in it and ends in such a way that makes you want to read on in the series just to see what Stephanie gets into next. I look forward to reading on to see what happens in the Plum family and the bounty hunting business! This is a great book, written by a fantastic author, you will only be sorry you didn't read it sooner. Very highly recommend!!!

5/5 Stars!!

Stephanie is after her toughest guy yet: Ranger!

Obviously he didn't do it, and she's determined to help him catch the real bad guy. In the meantime, she has to avoid getting set on fire by one of her FTAs.

Another fun, Stephanie Plum mystery. I'm backtracking right now, trying to catch up on reviews from 3-4 months ago so details are hazy, but I always feel happy when I think about reading one of these books. They're just funny and upbeat. This is the last audiobook that Debra Mazar reads in the series, at least based on what my library has. All the ones after this are read by Lorelei King. They both do an awesome job.

I will say, Ranger is sexy, but I'm Team Morelli! ;D

Mooner, Ranger, homicidal maniacs, a Rollswagon, dog poo, a dead guy in a lawn chair, the nemesis from hell, a Star Trek party and eccentric Grandma Mazur all make up my favorite Stephanie Plum novel so far! Lots of laugh-out-loud moments and great secondary characters.

Just a few spoilers! Nothing big!

I haven’t reviewed any of the Stephanie Plum books on my blog before, even though I’ve read 1-5 because I didn’t want to start reviewing in the middle of a series. But the people have spoken! Here’s my review of Hot Six!

Background: Stephanie Plum is a bounty hunter living in Jersey. She has a cop boyfriend, a bounty hunter BFF (and sometimes boyfriend) and an insane family.

Stephanie goes after a couple of skips in this installment, but her main focus is clearing her friend Ranger, a super tough bounty hunter and semi-legal businessman of suspicion in a murder and arson. She’s being followed by a couple of guys who are working for not such a nice man and Ranger has enlisted her to help him clear his own name. Not to mention there’s a guy trying to set her on fire and her grandmother has moved in with her. And she gets a dog. His name is Bob.

Favorite new character: Bob the dog (he’s funny and I can connect with him.) Also Mooner, the stoner dude who cracks me up every time he appears.

Funniest recurring character: Grandma Mazur, who has moved in with Stephanie for the time being. She’s the coolest old lady on the block and never fails to make me laugh.

Funniest moment: The opening scene in the book where Stephanie is talking to Carol is a riot. And when Stephanie and Lula bust a guy at Dougie and Mooner’s Star Trek party.

Favorite Plum vehicle: The Rollswagon! Righteous dude!

Overall, not my favorite Plum novel, but the laugh out loud funny moments make up for anything left to be desired plot-wise.

3.5/5 stars

Book review blog: http://thebookgirlblog.wordpress.com/

Actually, my rating is more like 3.5 stars

This is my first Janet Evanovich book (although sixth in the series,which I didn't realize) so I can't compare to the ones that went before. It's got a peppy pace and is often hilarious with memorable one-liners. She should be a stand-up comedienne! Rare to find a book so humorous and witty.

The characters, the Mooner and Dougie the Dealer, are like totally cool, dude (and dudettes). Perfect caricatures!

The only thing that bogged me down is that it seems to go in circles: the heroine, Stephanie Plum, goes to her office, then goes to her apartment, after that she goes to her mother's house, then comes back to her apartment, goes to Hannibal's (the bad guy's) house, goes back to her apartment, goes to the office, goes to the Ramos family's house, goes to the office, goes back to her apartment, goes back to Hannibal's house...around and around so much I got dizzy.

I bought a whole bunch of this author's ebooks, so it won't be the last of Evanovich for me.
Stay tuned.

Ideal book sorbet after heavier fare and when you need a palate cleanser... Lula's not quite as outrageous as she can get but Ranger is hot, hot, hot!

Hot Six (Stephanie Plum #6) by Janet Evanovich

Synopsis /

Low-rent bounty hunter Stephanie Plum reaches depths of personal experience that other women detectives never quite do. In Hot Six, for example, a sequence of new and hideous cars bite the dust; she finds herself lumbered with a policeman's multiply incontinent dog; and she has several bad skin days. All this when she is trying to prove her distinctly more competent colleague and occasional boyfriend Ranger innocent of a mob hit; avoid the heavies trailing her in the hope of finding him; and cope with a wife-abusing bail defaulter with nasty habits, such as setting Stephanie on fire.

My Thoughts /