Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanocivh

Published: November 2013

Publisher: Bantam

Pages: 309

Copy: Library

Summary: Goodreads

New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum knows better than to mess with family. But when powerful mobster Salvatore “Uncle Sunny” Sunucchi goes on the lam in Trenton, it’s up to Stephanie to find him. Uncle Sunny is charged with murder for running over a guy (twice), and nobody wants to turn him in—not his poker buddies, not his bimbo girlfriend, not his two right-hand men, Shorty and Moe. Even Trenton’s hottest cop, Joe Morelli, has skin in the game, because—just Stephanie’s luck—the godfather is his actual godfather. And while Morelli understands that the law is the law, his old-world grandmother, Bella, is doing everything she can to throw Stephanie off the trail.

It’s not just Uncle Sunny giving Stephanie the run-around. Security specialist Ranger needs her help to solve the bizarre death of a top client’s mother, a woman who happened to play bingo with Stephanie’s Grandma Mazur. Before Stephanie knows it, she’s working side by side with Ranger and Grandma at the senior center, trying to catch a killer on the loose—and the bingo balls are not rolling in their favor.

With bullet holes in her car, henchmen on her tail, and a giraffe named Kevin running wild in the streets of Trenton, Stephanie will have to up her game for the ultimate takedown.

I have been reading this series by Janet Evanovich since the first volume - One for the Money - came out in 1994.  So yes, that has been one book a year for 20 years.  She's become a little bit of a guilty pleasure. Generally I have thoroughly enjoyed them, and this one really wasn't an exception.  The only thing is, that after 20 years they are starting to sound just a little repetitive.  Not badly so, but there are only so many times that you can blow up/tow/steal a car, and only so many animals that you can add into the mix.  This time it's a giraffe!  Not as nearly as funny as the monkey a few years back, but Kevin the giraffe did add a few smiles this time around.

There is such a huge triangle in this series, that it's time Stephanie made up her mind.  Now me - I'm for the bad boy Ranger 100%, but I do understand that there are a lot of you out there who are on Morelli's team.  I don't agree, but I do accept that we can't all be right.  One of the things that Ms. Evanovich has done really well is that these books don't seem dated.  That a hard thing to manage after such a long haul, but she has succeeded admirably.  I still laugh out loud every time I read a new book, and when I reread the old ones (which I do fairly often) but it\s time to lay them all to rest.  I thought this one might be the last, but I guess not.  I wonder what will happen in the next one?

For laugh out loud escapism, you just can't beat this series, but don't expect something you can take seriously, or you'll be disappointed. Oh, and you really don't need to have read the whole series, but if you read and enjoy this one, then I guarantee you'll want to read them all.  Have fun.

PS don't let the disastrous movie put you off - they books are way better.  Babe!