Notorious Nineteen: A Stephanie Plum Novel - Janet Evanovich

Well, as the title says, this the 19th book in the series, and they are still a great deal of fun.  Yeah, Stephanie doesn't grow much, and her cars being blown up can get a bit old, but the humor is still there, and I don't know, I just like these books.  They are carefree fun. 

In this one, Stephanie as usual is trying to apprehend some slippery characters with her usual assortment of ultra competent (and sexy) and incredibly incompetent friends and associates.  This time a hawaiian Tiki, that may or may not be talking to Stephanie, is involved and encouraging her to eat way to much junk food and to do things that she knows better than to do.  And there is a wedding!!  Sort of.

I did like that in this book for the first time, Stephanie does admit that even though her life is a mess and her job isn't the best, she likes it that way.  She is rather addicted to the whole mess of it.  She is still torn between Ranger and Morelli.  Lula is still the plus sized ho who actually shows a bit of brains in this book, not her usual shoot first and not care later attitude.  Even Grandma Mazur shows some modicum of decorum, but hilarity still ensues.

These books still manage to make me laugh out loud, which is surprising in a series that has been going on this long.  I think the wacky characters do it for me, and they are wacky.  Nothing in these books is plausible, but that is part of the fun.  This is definitely not an intellecutal adventure.  In fact, I may lose a few IQ points every time I read one of these, but the pure fun is worth the ride. 

So here is to many more of Stephanie's adventures! 

It Says Here You Shot A Puppy - Elbow Jobertski

This is definitely a book for those who like dark humor, but beware there are some very serious issues dealt with in this book, which in my opinion, gives the story depth. 

This book is about the trials and travails of the fictional lawyer, Elbow Jobertski, a public defender in rural West Virginia.  Elbow starts out as a rather niave young lawyer who progresses to a more jaded viewpoint in about 300 pages. 

It was interesting to me how dealing with defending some of the lowest members of our society, many who prey on the most defenseless, that I found myself feeling more compassion for these people than I thought possible.  Reading this book gave me a lot of insight into the subjective nature of the law, and a greater respect for those who defend those accused of horrible crimes.  I really left this book with a new perspective. 

There are some gramatical issues - this is a the first book for Elbow, and it was self-published, but once you get past the comma issues and the unreferred pronouns, it is well worth a read. 

More of Elbow's writings can be found on his website: Elbow Jobertski, Legendary West Virginian Lawyer

The book can be purchased either hardcopy or electronically at Amazon.com