Posted on: July 27, 2009 Posted by: Jay NeuFutur Comments: 0

Finger Lickin’ Fifteen is the latest title in the Stephanie Plum series, which has turned 15 years old in 2009. Despite the countless titles that have been situated by Evanovich in this series over the years, I still feel as if ey is able to keep things fresh and ensure that fans of the series will be happy.

Finger Lickin’ Fifteen continues the series by having Stephanie take up the reins of eir bounty hunter job, while Lula (eir compadre) is given the spotlight for most of the work. This is due to the fact that Lula was witness to the murder of television chef Stanley Chipotle, ultimately being mixed up with the true killers. To ensure that they are taken in to justice, Lula showcases some of what ey has learned over the course of the previous works and works with Grandma Mazur to receive the bounty. Evanovich gradually gets into a strong stride when Lula enters the barbecue competition that Chipotle was slated to head up; thinking that this will be where the criminals make their next appearance, Lula and Mazur try to cook up a way to shackle the crooks. A side-plot, involving Stephanie and ex Ranger, solves the set of crimes that are shaking up Rangeman Security.

Finger Lickin’ Fifteen will have readers pounding each page until the novel finishes up; rich prose, fun plots, and (somewhat) realistic motivations and actions put this in the realm of a Monk or similar television show. While this may be the last book in the series, the story present in this title allows readers some semblance of closure. I have no clue whether Evanovich will be doing another serial type of series or move completely away from that style of title, but I know that readers should keep their ears to the tracks regarding news about Evanovich’s new projects.

Rating: 9.0/10

Finger Lickin’ Fifteen / Janet Evanovich / $27.95 / 320 Pages / St. Martin’s Press / http://www.fingerlickinfifteen.com / http://us.macmillan.com/smp.aspx

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