Four to Score (Stephanie Plum, No. 4) (Stephanie Plum Novels) [Kindle Edition]

Stephanie Plum, New Jersey's colourful bounty hunter extraordinaire, is on the trail of Maxine Nowicki. But this time she's double-dipping. She's got her sights set on the usual payoff from her bond bailsman boss, Vinny, who wants Maxine corralled as an FTA on a car theft charge. But Stephanie's also been promised a $1000 under-the-counter payoff from Maxine's ex-boyfriend, Eddie Kuntz who says he wants to retrieve some potentially embarrassing love letters that might damage his macho reputation "with the chicks". The case ratchets up to new heights of raucous, raunchy comedy when Stephanie teams up with Sally Sweet, a hairy seven foot tall cross-dressing rock singer who's shacked up with a very jealous, very gay, very male Marilyn Monroe look-alike.

Four musketeers out on the prowl - Stephanie, Sally Sweet, Lula, the 200 pound black reformed prostitute with a heart of gold and a mouth of pure dirt plus Grandma Mazur - definitely make for some laugh out loud moments. But, for my money, this entry in the Stephanie Plum series didn't quite tickle my funny bone in the same way as the previous three novels. Evanovich's usual clever comedy and wit started to fall by the wayside and were increasingly replaced by Vaudevillian physical comedy and enormous helpings of vulgar trash talk designed to entertain by shock value.

While there was some definite warm-hearted and enjoyable movement forward in Stephanie's relationship with long-standing love interest, cop Joe Morelli (not to mention some pretty hot action in the boudoir, the kitchen, the hall and the shower among other locations), the formulaic approach to the plot line in her stories is also beginning to wear thin after only four novels. Stephanie's apparently harmless chases after low level FTAs that look like they're going to be easy-picking low hanging fruit always seem to coincidentally cross paths and mesh with Morelli's much more complex cases. This time around is no different. Morelli's hooked up with the Feds chasing counterfeiters and money launderers and it isn't long before Stephanie finds herself involved in Morelli's case and up to her neck in mayhem, murder and mutilation.

That kind of coincidence might work once or twice but to repeat it over and over again verges on silliness. Even for a series like Stephanie Plum that is clearly pure parody, it wears thin.

For new readers, "Four to Score" probably is worthy of four stars as a stand-alone entertaining comedic parody of the typical PI novels and more serious mysteries out there. But for continuing fans, "Four to Score" is getting tired and has probably dropped to a somewhat lower three star rating. I'll still read "High Five", the next in the series, but if it's a repeat performance of "Four to Score" that will put paid to Stephanie Plum for me.

Recommended.

Paul Weiss

Janet takes Stephanie,Lulu,Grandma Mazur, and Sally Sweet(a transvestite musician). To the shore and Atlantic City on her search for Maxine Nowicki. Along the way people are murdered, scalped, and fingers chopped off. Also Stephanie gets her car and apartment set on fire. Then there's Joe Morelli. After her apartment catches on fire. Her and Rex move in with him. This is a great,funny book. Just remember with any of Janet's books. Be prepared to do a lot of laughing. Enjoy.

In this episode of the life of Stephanie Plumb, bounty hunter, we get to be introduced to a new character added to her short list of friends. Sally, a male cross dresser with much style and no grace helps Stephanie with the codes that are thrown at her when she is put on a new case. She must find Maxine, a small town waitress but a seemingly easy search turns out to be a web of mystery and a treasure hunt involving Maxine's ex-slime ball boyfriend. And behind her back, her "boss" and cousin Vinnie also lets the marriage wrecking wanna be bounty hunter Joyce take the case. So, with the help of Lula, her almost fearless friend, they must get to Maxine before Joyce does. In the meantime, Stephanie's apartment is caught on fire and she must turn to...(drum roll please)...Joe Morelli for a place to stay until her apartment is fixed. We do not get much Ranger in this "episode" but we get plenty of our beloved Morelli. And who can argue with that?? I have not read any mystery novels quite like this series and it disapoints me to know that I am getting closer to the last books!! The characters are so colorful and wonderful that you can't help but feel connected to them as if you are involved in their lives as well!! I recommend this series and I guarantee if you like silly, off the wall mysteries, these books will NOT disappoint you. Happy reading!