Dirty Thirty
Stephanie Plum #30
Janet Evanovich
8 hours and 2 minutes
Simon and Schuster Audio
published October 31, 2023
My very first audiobook was One for the Money many years ago. I laughed out loud listening to that first one and did it again listening to this latest in the series. I can’t believe this is book 30. Nothing really changes in Stephanie’s world. But that isn’t always a bad thing. I feel like I am spending time with long lost friends as I listen to what the gang is up to. I’m not sure she ages and she surely hasn’t chosen a man. I am Team Morelli and have been from the start. When I first listened all those years ago, Third Watch was on and Bobby Cannavale was my Morelli.
I think Grandma Mazur and Lula’s antics, while far fetched, are also always good to lighten my mood. Lula is sure she is being chased by a demon and Grandma Mazur goes on a stakeout with Stephanie. But my favorite part of this book is that Stephanie is watching Bob while Morelli is out of town. While I know I do not have a dog lifestyle, I love Bob and all that he gets into. And he helps to ease the pain of the MIA Morelli.
Lorelai King is the voice of these characters for me so much so when I hear her narrate another book, my mind wanders to this cast of misfits. She always nails it and keeps me loving the audio version.
And as an added bonus in book 30, there is a section of bonus material at the end where Ms. Evanovich and her readers choose 30 quotes from the series to share in this milestone book. It was great strolling down memory lane. I’m not sure how she pared it down to 30.
This kept my annual tradition of listening to Stephanie’s antics going and of course this ends on a small personal cliffhanger for the love triangle, so I am guaranteed something to look forward to.
Thanks to Simon and Schuster audio and book club favorites for my advanced listening copy.
About the book
Stephanie Plum, Trenton’s hardest working, most underappreciated bounty hunter, is offered a freelance assignment that seems simple enough. Local jeweler Martin Rabner wants her to locate his former security guard, Andy Manley (a.k.a. Nutsy), who he is convinced stole a fortune in diamonds out of his safe. Stephanie is also looking for another troubled man, Duncan Dugan, a fugitive from justice arrested for robbing the same jewelry store on the same day.
With her boyfriend Morelli away in Miami on police business, Stephanie is taking care of Bob, Morelli’s giant orange dog who will devour anything, from Stephanie’s stray donuts to the upholstery in her car. Morelli’s absence also means the inscrutable, irresistible security expert Ranger is front and center in Stephanie’s life when things inevitably go sideways. And he seems determined to stay there.
To complicate matters, her best friend Lula is convinced she is being stalked by a mythological demon hell-bent on relieving her of her wardrobe. An overnight stakeout with Stephanie’s mother and Grandma Mazur reveals three generations of women with nerves of steel and driving skills worthy of NASCAR champions.
As the body count rises and witnesses start to disappear, it won’t be easy for Stephanie to keep herself clean when everyone else is playing dirty. It’s a good thing Stephanie isn’t afraid of getting a little dirty, too.
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