12 Sharp

This was my first Janet Evanovich book. I have heard about her from friends for a long time, but never taken the time to pick up one of her books. I enjoyed 12 Sharp, but probably wouldn't seek out another one. It had several of the fictional elements that I enjoy, but her writing was a little silly for me. Some of the scenes reminded me of a Marx Brothers film, especially the scenes about the interviews. I can see the appeal though, a little craziness, a little sex, and some mystery. Her Plum character is someone that I think one might try to model themselves after. Her ability to just throw on clothes and get by with only mascara sounds heavenly, as does her ability to attract the two sexiest men in Trenton. I liked the way she described the men in her life. Morelli seems to be one of the ones that is dependable and would always be around, but not easily taken advantage of. "He was movie-star handsome in a rugged, lean, and muscled way" pg. 103. "Morelli was like a visit to the dark side,alluring and frightening" pg. 1. Ranger is Plum's guilty pleasure. "He was perfectly toned muscle, and he had classic Latino good looks. He always smelled great. He dressed only in black. His skin was dark. His eyes were dark. His hair was dark. His life was dark. Ranger had lots of secrets." pg. 10. Her supporting characters were ones you could sympathize with, be it Melvin or Lula. I would assume that if I picked up the 13th novel, I would read about several of the same characters from the 12th. This does appeal to me. I enjoy seeing characters evolve and grow from one book to the next. A few of my favorite ficitonal characters are: Lucas Davenport, Lincoln Rhyme, and my all time favorite - Alex Cross. Evanovich gave me a litte taste of these guys when she threw in the kidnapping and murder-mystery theme. Scrog is no Gary Soneji, but the suspense was there. The scenes around the dinner table at the family Plum house were the most enjoyable for me. I laughed at the comments made by Stephanie's father; "holy crap", "Italian Stallion", "You're older than dirt", and "bee-jeezus". The image of him actually running to the dinner table; "My father was the first to sit. My grandmother skidded in right behind him." page 257 was amusing to me. It reminds me of our childhood table when we raced to the "best" chair, the best chair being the only one that you could see the tv from. :) I thought Evanovich did a nice job on keeping different storylines going. I think that helped the novel be a quick read because there was so much going on. The energy in her writing was apparent. I'm not sure Stephanie, Ranger, or Morelli ever walked anywhere. They were always hustling, kicking, jabbing, skittering, jogging, rolling, or peeling out of somewhere. This book was a good sit-by-the-pool summer read.