Stephanie Plum breaks the rules, flirts with disaster, and shows who’s boss in this “fast and fun” (Publishers Weekly) thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Janet Evanovich.
Monday
mornings aren’t supposed to be fun, but they should be predictable.
However, on this particular Monday, Stephanie Plum knows that something
is amiss when she turns up for work at Vinnie’s Bail Bonds to find that
longtime office manager Connie Rosolli, who is as reliable as the tides
in Atlantic City, hasn’t shown up.
Stephanie’s worst fears are
confirmed when she gets a call from Connie’s abductor. He says he will
only release her in exchange for a mysterious coin that a recently
murdered man left as collateral for his bail. Unfortunately, this coin,
which should be in the office—just like Connie—is nowhere to be found.
The
quest to discover the coin, learn its value, and save Connie will
require the help of Stephanie’s Grandma Mazur, her best pal Lula, her
boyfriend Morelli, and hunky security expert Ranger. As they get closer
to unraveling the reasons behind Connie’s kidnapping, Connie’s captor
grows more threatening and soon Stephanie has no choice but to throw
caution to the wind, follow her instincts, and go rogue.
Full of surprises, thrills, and humor, Going Rogue reveals a new side of Stephanie Plum, and shows Janet Evanovich at her scorching, riotous best.
It has been a few years since I have read a Stephanie Plum novel, but on a recent trip to Books A Million, this was on the table when I sat to drink a coffee, so I picked it up and got hooked.
I stopped reading Stephanie Plum with Top Secret Twenty-One From book 17 forward, the stories felt similar to the previous book in many ways. By books 20 and 21, I was angry that Stephanie could justify cheating with Ranger and Joe. In my head, I couldn't rectify a woman who found her husband cheating, finding it so easy to cheat on the men/man in her life. Honestly, I am okay with Stephanie deciding on either man. I love them both. Decide, Stephanie, for goodness sake.
Anyway, present day, I was pleasantly surprised for the first three-quarters of the story in Going Rogue| I laughed a few times. I enjoyed the banter among the characters. It felt like Stephanie started to act her age. (As an aside: I am curious how many book years have passed since One for the Money.) If I remember correctly, she had at least one birthday over the series.
This case begins when Connie doesn't show up at work. Before long, Stephanie realizes that one of her skips (she works for her cousin Vinnie's bail bond company) has a coin that the kidnappers want. Stephanie uses her police boyfriend, Joe Morelli, and her former mentor, Ranger, to get information and help find clues to where Connie is. In her pursuit, the usual events happen. Stephanie's car is in a mishap. Stephanie's grandmother goes to a funeral where something happens. Morelli's grandmother Bella gives the evil eye to people, etc. All in all, this was fun and engaging. I loved everything.
Then I hit the last quarter of the book. Up to this point, it appeared that Stephanie decided that Joe was her man. Then she reverts to her selfish, childish self. Why? I give up! Stephanie is back on my incomplete series list. As much as I love the cases, Stephanie's behavior bothers me. She needs to grow up. I don't see that happening in this series. Evanovich has a formula that her readers love. Why would she change at this point in her career? I love a woman with a backbone, and that will never be Stephanie Plum.
3 Stars
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