Plum Lucky-Janet Evanovich

Plum Lucky
Janet Evanovich
St. Martin’s, Jan 2008, $17.95
ISBN: 9780312377632

Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum and her sidekick and sometimes assistant Lula are driving to the fat food joint for a Lucky Clucky shake when they see Grandma Mazur fighting with a little man in green pants over a duffle bag. Stephanie breaks up the fight before grandma hurts the smaller man, but fails to learn what is inside the bag. The next morning her mother calls to tell her Grandma disappeared. Diesel who has a magic touch visits Stephanie to tell her is seeking a horse thief. Stephanie goes to Atlantic City to find her Grandma.

She finds her gambling using money she found inside the duffel bag for the slots. She describes the man and the bag to Diesel who says it was taken by Stubby from mob boss Lou Delvina to take care of a former race hose that needs surgery. Stubby also needs the money to get mob boss Lou Delvina off his back. Delvina kidnaps the horse and Grandma; he informs Stephanie he will exchange them for his loot. However she has a slight shortfall problem as she and her friend who accompanied her spent $250,000 of the cash and has no way of replacing it.

PLUM LUCKY, a between the numbers interlude, is a hilarious action-packed tale filled with quirky characters. Although the plot is not as deep as the numbered thrillers, readers will be intrigued by Diesel who seems to have magic as part of his makeup and Stubby who believes he is a leprechaun. Throw in battling Grandma, the mob, and gambling to the mix so that fans will feel PLUM LUCKY to read Stephanie’s latest zaniest caper.

Harriet Klausner