I just read this the other day.  It was funny.

But I was a little disappointed.  I felt like the ending was hurried and slapped together.  I was also disappointed in the developement of Stephanie's life, outside of the actual case/mystery at hand. Did anyone else feel that way?

(hopefully we can keep this free of spoilers since it's such a new book and I imagine a lot of people haven't picked it up yet)

I enjoyed the book, hated the ending.

I just started it this morning - looks like it'll be a fast read, so I'll check back in when I'm done :)

I have about 60 pages to go...so I'll check back in too!

I wonder if it's getting close to time bring the series to an end. I was disappointed with 12. 13 & 14 are sitting in my TBR and I haven't had the urge to make an effort to get to them quickly.  I did read "Plum Spooky."  I thought it was a little out there, but then again, probably really no more then the other between the number stories and it did have some LOL moments.

I think it is Pat. Or she needs to make some drastic changes.  For me they are starting to get a little stale. I do enjoy the between the number novels, even though they are "out there".  They have the humor which I like but enough that's different that it re-interests me.  I haven't read Plum Spooky yet though....

I'm glad I'm not the only one that found the ending crappy, Meghan!

I loved the first few, then realized how much the same every book was...got really bored and fed up in the middle of Hard Eight, stopped reading and never looked back. I thought it was time to end it a long time ago. If she would only choose her true love and get on with life I might see coming back to reading the rest, VERY well-spaced out, like months and months between books. Otherwise...not gonna happen for me.

Cheryl

I haven't read 15, wasn't thrilled with 12, definately didn't like 13 but for some unknown I liked 14.  Maybe this one has a funny ending because she's not sure how to carry on?  Again I haven't read it so I shouldn't be commenting on 15 at all!!! 

Yep, ending was pretty rushed.  Plus, the book is short - but "bulked up" with larger print and wide margins.

I miss the earlier books - they were soooooo funny!

This is sad.  I haven't read the book yet, but I was disappointed with #14.  I listened to an interview with JE at the end of one of the audio books.  She said Stephanie will never age she will forever be 30ish.  Well, the characters need to grow or as well or it is time to end the series.  I shelled out the $$ for hard cover because the books are keepers.  Hmmmm - I think I will read the reviews on 16 before purchasing.  This may be the last one I read.

I was very disappointed in this one, as I was in 12, 13 and 14.  JE was a must buy for me but not lately.  For the last few books, I just get left with the impression that JE's found a formula that appears to work and now is just churning them out.  The characters need to grow as far as I'm concerned: if JE is going to leave Stephanie in limbo doing the same old stuff and going back and forth between Joe and Ranger, I don't  knrow that I'll bother reading any more.  As it is I don't buy them anymore just borrow from the library.

I am so disappointed though: I can remember discovering the series and laughng out loud on the metro on the way to work when I was reading the first couple of books. 

It did make me laugh, but it was still really the same old stuff.  I mean how many cars can get blown up in one book?  The humor was also a little raunchier in this one.  So I was a little disappointed.

It's a good thing I borrowed the book from work because I'm tired of paying through the nose for books I can read in only a few hours.  Although I enjoyed it I thought it was a little dissapointing like Evanovich is only putting in a token effort still and all reading an Evanovich book is like visiting an old friend, you just want to know what Stephanie is up to; the Stephanie Plum books aren't nearly as bad as Graftons last few, I can't remember when I last enjoyed a Grafton book but again I like to see what the character is up to.

I read it, passed it along to my mother, then passed it along to a friend. We all agreed that we didn't enjoy it. I think its about time for her to put this series to rest.

I get the feeling that this is comming to an end!   Stef slept in Rangers bed But left everytime he came home LOL  Do we see a Wedding in the future???  

I haven't read 15 yet, and sad to say I'm not in a hurry.  I used to love these books--couldn't even wait for Amazon to ship them to me, had to run right out to the bookstore to get it the first day it was out.  Now?  I'm something like 989th on the waiting list for 15, and I'm not anxious in the least.

I swear, it is almost like losing a friend.  But somewhere along the line, I think about 10 or 11, I just got bored. Cars explode, Grandma Mazar says something inappropriate, Stephanie lusts after Joe/Ranger.  Just too much of the same old thing.  So at book 13, I just waited until I found it used, 14 I got here.  And like I said, I'm content to wait a long time for 15.

If anybody is interested I recently put my Evanovichs on my bookshelf.  Most are read once, bought new.  Non-smoking household, with ten cats who like to assist me while I'm reading though.

We are having a similar discussion in the L&R forum.  I think it's time to retire this series as well.  I'm tired of Stephanie being so indecisive and how many times can one woman have her car totalled? The series is played out. But she'll keep churning them out as long as people are buying them. 

I liked her Barney series (Motor Mouth and Metro Girl). I'd like to see her give Steph a life (I mean a break) and write another Barney book. 

I think I'm just going to get 15 on audio from the library and load it onto my IPOD.  I won't be buying anymore. 

I have to agree with the majority.  Although I like the characters Evanovich created, they can't keep saying and doing the same things.  Some growth should occur.  And as much as I find the Ranger character hot, he's completely one dimensional.  "Babe" is about the only thing he ever says.  This series isn't really even about the mysteries as much as it is about the characters, so if the characters could mature the books would improve.  Adding new jokes wouldn't hurt either.

Honestly, I doubt if Evanovich is the main author anymore.  (I read on the web somewhere that 60% of best selling series are ghost written after the first few books) .   There are a couple of scenes in the book that were laugh-out-loud funny, but otherwise the book could have been written by a computer that just re-combines the previous fourteen books.

I always wondered how these author's came out with so many books. I mean I just dont' think there's anywya they can crank out that many books and be writing them all themselves. So it's really no surprise that ghost writing is so prevalent.  I've noticed a lot of authors coming out with co-authored books now too.  I keep seeing James Patterson and so and so books and you just no the "so and so" was the one who wrote the book and the publisher put JP's name on it to get more sales. It's one reasons I've started to avoid a lot of the big authors now. 

# 15 was not the best; this I can say...I love this series, but i did feel the same way some of you have the book was rushed!!!! I usually finish her books withen a few hours...I take the time out and read untill I finish, but this time it took me days because I kept putting it down and finding it hard to go back  to, I just kept thinking maybe it will get better and pick up...well no it didn't for me. I have read every book Janet has wrote and pretty much liked them all, I wish that she would put out another Metro book and not wait a whole year to put out new ones. I also agree that I remember the books that you would laugh thriugh just about every page.

I skipped 150 pages and read the ending. Don't feel like I missed a thing. Thank goodness it was a library book. I hope she wraps up the series soon.

I just started this and am laughing already, but always do in her books.  I'll let you know more later on what I think of the book!

Perhaps instead of unacknowledged ghost writers, some best-selling authors have a computer program into which they can enter their usual elements, let the computer give it all a stir, then print it out double-spaced and fill in a few bits of dialog, jokes, or stuff that wasn't in the earlier books (we hope).

Last Edited on: 8/10/09 7:53 PM ET - Total times edited: 1

I tried reading it.. got to about 75 pages and had to return it to the library.  I will put in on my wishlist here and when I get it 6 or 9 months from now I may be able to compiete the book