Ten big ones by Janet Evanovich
Published by St. Martins
Grade: A
It begins as an innocent trip to the deli-mart, on a quest for nachos. But Stephanie Plum and her partner, Lula, are clearly in the wrong place at the wrong time. A robbery leads to an explosion, which leads to the destruction of yet another car. It would be just another day in the life of Stephanie Plum...except that she becomes the target of a gang. And the target of an even scarier, more dangerous force that comes to Trenton. With super bounty hunter Ranger acting more mysteriously than ever (and the tension with vice cop Joe Morelli getting hotter), Stephanie finds herself with a decision to make: how to protect herself and where to hide while on the hunt for a killer known as the Junkman. There's only one safe place, and it has Ranger's name all over it-if she can find it. And if the Junkman doesn't find her first. With Lula riding shotgun and Grandma Mazur on the loose, Stephanie Plum is racing against the clock in her most suspenseful novel yet. Ten Big Ones is page-turning entertainment and Janet Evanovich is the best there is.
I read through book 10 very fast. Stephanie is witness to a crime. She saw a gang member rob a store, and then she ran over the leader of the gang. A hitman is working with the gang to kill Stephanie. At first she isn't worried because there is always someone trying to kill her, but then she finds out that the other people on his hit list have all been taken out in painful ways. Steph is still living with Morelli at this point, and after Joe's house and Steph's car got spray painted full of threats towards Stephanie, Joe tries again to make Stephanie quit her job. They get into a fight, and Steph decides to move out.
Ranger had gone out of town a day or so earlier, giving Stephanie permission to use one of his vehicles. After she gets behind the wheel she plays around with the GPS system, and finds a route back to 'home'. Thinking that she has found the Bat Cave (What they all call Rangers place, because no one has ever seen it) Stephanie is very excited.
She makes her way to a building with 7 floors, and the top floor being one big apt. Since Ranger is out of town, and she needs a safe place to stay, she decides to hide out there.
For days, Stephanie gets to sleep Rangers bed, under Rangers sheets, using Rangers shower gel, and she even gets to wear his clothes! Lucky bitch.
Once Ranger comes back she finds out that it's not really the Bat Cave after all. It's just a building that Ranger owns for his security business. He keeps the apt to sleep in becuase he spends so much time there.
Oh yeah, Ranger isn't at all upset find Stephanie sleeping in his bed when he comes back.
Like the other Plum books, this one has many laugh out loud moments. My absolute favourite happens after Connie (the admin person for Steph work) and Lula (Steph's side kick) kidnap a gang member to find out why the hitman is after Stephanie. They plan to tie him to a chair and beat the answers out of him. Well, when it comes time to do the actual beating they can't do it. Connie is able to lightly slap him across the face, and then Lula stick a pin between 2 toes. After the pin thing, Lula faints, and Connie throws up. They weren't getting any answers that way, lol.
Steph does end up getting her answers after she lets Ranger talk to the gang member. They are told that the hitman plans to pass Stephanie around to all the gang member before doing her himself. Stephanie is pretty sickened at the idea of being gang raped. Ranger isn't too pleased with the news and tries to force Stephanie to stay at his apt. He even instructs his buddies who work for him to stun gun her if she tries to leave.
A few stolen kisses from Ranger, laughs from Granda Mazur, and an unlikely hero (Sally Sweet) saving the day makes Ten big ones, my favourite book out of the series so far.
In order the books in the series are
“Every culture in the world is just one good shove away from the precipice of barbarism.” Dan Fesperman, author of The Prisoner of Guantanamo and The Amateur Spy. One reason why public libraries must survive.
Dear Reading All Night
The year after Hurricane Betsy, I enrolled in college at USLNO. I had to take a two-hour bus trip on the New Orleans transit line from St. Bernard Parish out to Lake Pontchartrain. I hated trigonometry, and anyway, I didn’t think it would help me escape my life near the Mississippi levee or the constant smell spewing from the sugar plant. So I usually ended up at the downtown public library, then later headed to Jackson Square for a couple of Jax brews. That public library was my sanctuary. After Katrina, I decided to write THE book, start The Beatitudes Network, and donate all royalties from sale of The Beatitudes to the New Orleans Public Library Foundation to help rebuild the libraries. I give you and NOLA The Beatitudes…
Out of New Orleans before the catastrophe that was made by a hurricane and, as Dante wrote, “of false gods who lied,” comes The Beatitudes, part one in the New Orleans Trilogy. The Beatitudes portrays New Orleans as Dante’s purgatory, a place where the sins of men are exposed for all to see, where redemption is close at hand but most often lost.
This world is revealed by the lives of two social workers, Hannah Dubois (white and nicknamed Scrimp) and Earlene Washington (African-American and nicknamed Pinch), who start their own business, Social Investigations, in order to solve the murders of ten foster children in New Orleans, Louisiana. The NOPD, the Catholic Church, and politicians have sidestepped clues that point to those who hold great power. As Hannah and Earlene find more and more evidence, they also know that they are dealing with a force that crosses into the realm of the paranormal. The murderers are part of a secret organization called the White Army (la Armee Blanc), centered in New Orleans, but rooted in Medieval Europe and the Children’s Crusades. Each clue leads to a beatitude and each chapter defines the novel: The Pure of Heart, The Persecuted, The Merciful, The Sorrowful, The Peacemakers, The Meek, The Poor in Spirit, and Those Who Hunger and Thirst for Justice. The Beatitudes is thus a study of good and evil, and that act, the murder of innocent children, which encompasses all of the seven deadly sins. The Beatitudes is Book I in The New Orleans Trilogy.
Please give me the opportunity to send you a "mini book" so that you may read part of the book before its release. Then if you like it let me know by replying to this email (lynlejeune@cox.net) and I will soon send you information about ordering the book. Remember, all royalties go directly to the New Orleans Public Library Foundation.
Just send me an address, either email or snail mail, and I will get the "mini-book" out to you. Also, if you go to www.beatitudesinneworleans.blogspot.com you will see that many prominent authors such as Julie Smith, Alafair Burke, Ken Bruen and many others support The Beatitudes Network. The site also has news about New Orleans, writing, Cajun recipes, and excerpts from The Beatitudes.
If you wish, I will link to your blog and post it on my blog, along with a one or two sentence description you send me. My campaign starts “all in” this August, 2007 and will continue into 2008, including book fairs, speaking engagements, bookstores, web campaign and much more. So join us in this worthy cause to help save a great American city – New Orleans, The Heavenly City, The Crescent City, The City That Care Forgot, The City of Sin, The City of the Dead……
MERCI MILLE FOIS - THANKS A MILLION - and pass the word along about this worthy project and how authors can help. Lyn LeJeune.
This one isn't ringing a bell and I thought I'd read all of them up to the latest. Well, I guess I know what I'll be getting soon.
Aren't they a hoot though? I love the way they make me laugh.
This is the best books. Before I read these I never used to care about reading all the books in a series.