Okay, so I made a promise to myself that this had to be the last one for a while. And let me tell you, it was an amazing one to end on. I got to witness Plum's attempt to leave the bounty-hunter business behind, and of course, it was just a一连串 glorious的灾难. One after another, it was like a never-ending comedy of errors.
I still get a bit mad about her whole "He's sexy, oh no he's sexy" thing. I understand that it's a tension-building love triangle situation. But I guess I just don't really get into those when the one stuck in the middle stays (mostly) in a relationship. I mean, you're in a relationship, you chose to be in it and you do seem to enjoy it. So, like, stop letting the other guy kiss you already!
In spite of that, though, I truly love everybody in these books. And I love following them around, and for me, this book was a lot more about just following everyone around and "hanging out with them" than about the mystery plot. Which is actually really cool.
I haven't been mentioning the mystery plot of each one as I've gone along, but they're almost always mapped out well, with some really cool red herrings. I've managed to figure out some things, but it doesn't make me hate the plot or anything when I do. I could do without Evanovich's tendency to have the "bad guy" sum up all his motives and actions at the end of the book, when Plum's "getting him to talk." You know what I mean? But it hasn't been too particularly irritating either, probably because I tend to kind of skip over those paragraphs of dialogue.
Heh.
Anyway, definitely there are problems with the books, but they are still extremely entertaining. And, as I said, this was a good one to stop on. But here's the deal. There's a preview of the next book at the end, in the form of that book's first chapter. And when I got to the end of that preview, I had to throw the book out in the yard. Somehow, I felt that doing that would keep me from going back on my promise to stop on Eleven on Top, at least for now. Because, dude. DOOOD.
(When it started to sprinkle outside, I hurried to rescue the book. It's fine.)
Stephanie Plum books are my go-to when I'm tired and in need of a great pick-me-up. Initially, I was concerned about this particular one as Stephanie seemed rather depressed and the typical humor wasn't immediately obvious. However, as I delved deeper into the story, the tone of the book gradually lightened, and the humor began to shine through more brightly. I adored the interaction between Stephanie, Morelli, and Ranger, just as I always do.
Stephanie is sick and tired of constantly being shot at, having her cars bombed, and being covered in garbage. So, she decides to quit her bounty hunting job with her cousin Vinnie. But she quickly realizes that settling into a new job isn't as easy as she thought. As she struggles to figure out what to do for a career, she becomes intrigued when she hears that three local men have gone missing in similar-sounding situations. While Stephanie attempts to piece together all the clues, she finds herself being stalked by someone who appears to have malicious intent towards her. With all of her usual sidekicks by her side, Stephanie must solve this mystery for her own safety.
The characters in Eleven on Top were just as wonderful as I expected. I find Stephanie to be a feisty and likeable heroine, and I thoroughly enjoy the characters of Morelli and Ranger. I've always been a staunch Morelli fan, but the last couple of books have also piqued my interest in Ranger. I'm excitedly looking forward to reading the next book in the series.