Explosive eighteen a Stephanie Plum novel

(Review originally posted here at Fictionally Inclined.)

I started the Stephanie Plum series nearly 8 years ago and have been a loyal fan ever since. Explosive Eighteen is the latest in the series, so I obviously had to read it. Especially since Smokin' Seventeen ended in a cliffhanger. Also, the last few installments have not been quite up to par with the standards the series previously set, so I was interested to see what this one had to offer.

Any Plum book is going to be an enjoyable read, period. Evanovich has a knack for finding the most absurd problems, and the comments about said circumstances are unfailingly hilarious. The characters are crazy, in good ways or bad. You can't read a Plum book and not laugh. 18 was no exception to this rule. Stephanie and Lula continued to crack me up, and the one-liners abounded. My favorite one was probably the first one listed in the Quotes section below.

However, I have found myself getting frustrated in the last few books. I have been a steadfast Ranger fan from the very beginning. I never wavered for a moment. I nearly bought myself a “Babe” t-shirt at one point. However, with the ridiculous absurdity that was the Stephanie/Ranger interaction in 17, I found myself just wanting Stephanie to give it up and pick one. Of course I want it to be Ranger. Of course. But the triangle is nowhere as fun as it used to be. It's just getting old. Maybe that's just what happens after 20+ books (including the Between-the-Numbers novels).

There were some things I liked about 18. I love that Tank made an appearance! I've missed him. There was Steph/Ranger interaction that wasn't chock-full of WTF-ery, ala 17. There was a fun surprise that I can't mention for fear of being spoilery. I liked that the mystery about the vacation was drawn out, although it went on for a little long. Overall, 18 was definitely an improvement over 17, and I can only hope that 19 continues the trend.

❝I was driving a truck now. Appropriate, I thought. Empowering. I'd practically grown testicles.❞

❝Sometimes there's a fine line between a cowardly act and a brilliant decision...❞

❝It's like you're a reality show, all by yourself.❞

❝“He didn't impress me as much of a good time, so I didn't invite him in. Did he catch up with you?”
“Yeah. He was waiting downstairs.”
“And?”
“I shot him, and he left.”
“Nice. I was thinking we should put the frozen pizza in the oven. Is there any more wine?”❞