Finger Lickin' Fifteen

Title: Finger Lickin' Fifteen

Author: Janet Evanovich

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Copyright Date: 2009

Print Date: July 2009 (BC Edition)

ISBN: 9780312383282

Pages: 308

Series: Including the one short story and the Between-the-Number books, this is the 20th Stephanie Plum story.

Book Description (from dust jacket):

UNBUCKLE YOUR BELT AND PULL UP A CHAIR. IT'S THE SPICIEST, SAUCIEST, MOST RIB STICKING PLUM YET.

Recipe for disaster:
Celebrity chef Stanley Chipotle comes to Trenton to participate in a barbecue cook-off and loses his head — literally.

Throw in some spice:
Bail bonds office worker Lula is a witness to the crime, and the only one she'll talk to is Trenton cop Joe Morelli.

Pump up the heat:
Chipotle's sponser is offering a million-dollar reward to anyone who can provide information leading to the capture of the killers.

Stir the pot:
Lula recruits bounty hunter Stephanie Plum to help her find the killers and collect the moolah.

Add a secret ingredient:
Stephanie Plum's Grandma Mazur. Enough said.

Bring to a boil:
Stephanie Plum is working overtime tracking felons for the bonds office at night and snooping for security expert Carlos Manoso, aka Ranger, during the day. Can Stephanie hunt down two killers, a traitor, and five skips, keep her grandmother out of the sauce, and solve Ranger's problems and not jump his bones?

Warning:
Habanero hot. So good you'll want seconds.

Comments:

First, since food was a big topic from the last Plum book. Finger Lickin' Fifteen is all about the food. Luckily for me, the food in question is barbecue — not a favorite ... which helped avoid some of the cravings.

Anyway, this one had a very dramatic start. I was glad Evanovich managed to keep the humor, because I rather felt a certain murderer had a striking creepy laugh similarity to a certain sicko who brought Lula into the Plum books and Stephanie's life.

Stephanie and Morelli are in an off stage of their "on and off" relationship, which, of course, means more Ranger. (Since it seems so many people are Ranger fans — I'm more for Morelli myself — I'm sure this made many readers happy.)

I'm looking forward to the next Plum book... (Which, from the FAQs on Evanovich's website, will probably happen in June. ::sigh::)