GAME ON - Janet Evanovich


 Stephanie Plum is on the hunt for an international computer hacker - Oswald Wednesday. Stephanie is not the most technology proficient sleuth and she's probably going to need some help. 

One night Stephanie is awakened in the middle of the night when she hears footsteps in her apartment. Her gun is not in the bedroom, and Stephanie isn't sure how she'll fend off an intruder. Fortunately, she won't have to - the late night visitor turns out to be Diesel, a fellow agent.  And if there's going to be a man wandering in to Stephanie's apartment in the middle of the night, "over six feet of gorgeous, hard-muscled, slightly tanned male" is the way to go.

Diesel and Stephanie have shared a flirtatious relationship for years. He's been gone for a few years now and Stephanie is in a relationship with Joe Morelli. Letting Diesel stay in her apartment (sometimes in her bed!) will certainly test her relationship with Joe. But Stephanie's biggest probably with Diesel may not be romance.  It turns out that Diesel is on the trail of the same criminal. Will Stephanie and Diesel work together to bring Oswald in, or will Diesel be using Stephanie's contacts and information to swoop in and grab Oswald, and the reward, at the last second?

I'm relatively new to the Stephanie Plum series and frankly I'm generally unclear on her personal relationships.  I get the sense that she is, too.

Like so many good books, what makes this work is more than just a solid mystery adventure. The characters in and around Stephanie's life and work are absolute gems. In many cases the characters are borderline caricatures, but Evanovich works it with a deft hand and keeps it real and very, very entertaining.  I think Stephanie's grandmother is one of the best minor characters in modern literature.

While I may not understand the different relationships in Stephanie's life, it's quite possible that this is precisely what will keep bringing me back to reading more and more of the books.  It doesn't hurt that the mystery and chase are thrilling as well.

Looking for a good book? Game On by Janet Evanovich is the 28th book in the Stephanie Plum series. If the fact that the series has twenty-eight books isn't enough to make you want to see why the series has such longevity, then check it out and enjoy some really great characters in a detective setting.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

* * * * * *

Game On

author: Janet Evanovich

series: Stephanie Plum #28

publisher: Atria Books

ISBN: 198215487X

hardcover, 320 pages

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