Janet Evanovich has just released the twenty seventh novel in her long running Stephanie Plum series. I was feeling Covid down in the dumps this last week and just wanted something fun, fluffy and light hearted to listen to. Fortune and Glory fit the bill. (It's the first one to not have a 'number' title, although it is in the small print at the bottom Tantalizing Twenty Seven.)
Fortune and Glory takes us back to the Burg - bail bond agent Stephanie's neighbourhood in Trenton, New Jersey. Familiar characters return as well - Stephanie's partner Lula, Connie in the office, Grandma Mazur (my fave) as well as Ranger and Morelli. They're the two love interests in the book - Stephanie just can't make up her mind. Two new characters make an appearance - the enigmatic (and dangerous feeling) Gabriela Rose. As well as a previous skip - George Potts - who feels he needs to keep an eye out for Stephanie and help her as she helped him. I quite liked him - for all of his neurosises he comes up with some good answers. I hope we see him again.
Grandma's short lived marriage to Jimmy Rosolli ended when he died. But he left her a clue and set of keys to a treasure. She and Steph are on the hunt for it - as are many others.
New listeners will be easily able to catch up with who's who and what's what. Evanovich provides lots of background. Those who've listened before will find comfort in settling in with familiar characters. Lula continues to provide the comic one liners. (I did find that some of the jokes fell a bit flat for me.) Stephanie continues to destroy cars. Skips gone wrong. And everything is better with a cannoli.
This is the familiarity and comfort listening I was looking for. There's lots of action and adventure in this latest and the mystery of the clues and keys was more involved that I imagined. But the fun of course is in the journey to the final answer. There are missteps and mistakes along the way, but you just know things will turn out the way we want them to. Except for that one burning question - Morelli or Ranger....?
I chose to listen to Fortune and Glory. Lorelei King has narrated much of this series and I was happy to see she was back for this book. Her voice is really pleasant to listen to and easy to understand. She provides different voices for all the characters. And they really suit. The voice for newcomer Potts was perfect! And I love Grandma Mazur's upbeat enthusiasm. King captures Evanovich's plot, bringing it alive. And it was perfect to beat the doldrums - a light hearted listen that will let you escape the real world for a bit. Hear for yourself - listen to an excerpt of Fortune and Glory.
Thanks for reading it Mystica!
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