I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the library
Fortune and Glory
by
Janet Evanovich
romantic suspense in a hardcover edition that was published by Atria Books on November 3, 2020 and has 320 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon, Audibles.
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Smokin' Seventeen, Love in a Nutshell, Explosive Eighteen, Wicked Business, Notorious Nineteen, The Husband List, The Heist, Takedown Twenty, The Chase, Pros and Cons, Top Secret Twenty-One, The Job, Two for the Dough, Stephanie Plum #3 – #7, Visions of Sugar Plums, Wicked Charms, Love Overboard, Stephanie Plums, Plum Spooky, , Tricky Twenty-Two, The Pursuit, The Scam, Curious Minds, Turbo Twenty-Three, Dangerous Minds, Hardcore Twenty-Four, "The Shell Game", Look Alive Twenty-five, The Big Kahuna, Twisted Twenty-six, The Bounty, Full House, The Recovery Agent, Thanksgiving
Also known as Tantalizing Twenty-seven, this is the twenty-seventh in the Stephanie Plum romantic suspense series and revolving around a lucky, if inept, bounty hunter in Trenton, New Jersey. If you’re interested, there is a chronological listing of the Stephanie Plum books on my website.
My Take
While it’s always fun to go for a ride with Stephanie, the lack of romance was a bummer. Oh, sure, there are little tidbits in here with Ranger (but nothing exciting) and a few moments with Joe (with whom Stephanie has broken up), but…blah… The excitement just isn’t here.
Stephanie has been getting serious for the past few books, wondering who she really is, what her life goals are, wanting to be a better version of herself. We know this partly because Evanovich uses first person protagonist point-of-view from Stephanie’s perspective; I can’t see that’s she made much progress, well, except for Trotter and that shopping binge. That was righteous.
We hear almost nothing about Vinnie (who was always good for a laugh); Lula’s wardrobe doesn’t get much mention (which was always good for a laugh!); and, Ranger and Joe don’t have that friction going between them anymore, or else it’s way under the surface.
I do enjoy Lula’s take on life. She’s always threatening to shoot someone but couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn.
Ranger sees Stephanie as entertainment, and he wants to keep her alive, so he’s always tracking her. You can better understand why when you think of Stephanie and her grandma as having Superhero Derangement Syndrome. Oh man, there is somethin’ about Grandma — even Benny wants to marry her, lol.
“I’m already too old to die young.”
Stephanie’s dad does make me laugh. He’d love to be rid of Grandma Mazur, and I loved that thought Stephanie “sees’ going through his head when Grandma mentions going to Hawaii, lol.
George Potts is both annoying, funny, and a treat-and-a-half at the end.
Unfortunately, none of it is enough, as Evanovich is just going through the motions.
The Story
It’s bad enough that Stephanie and Grandma Mazur witnessed Shine and Salgusta murder a man, but these two also want Grandma for the keys they’re sure Jimmy gave her.
There’s a fortune at stake. Shine and Salgusta want it. But Grandma “knows” she deserves a share.
The Characters
Stephanie Plum is a fugitive apprehension agent, a.k.a. bounty hunter, who’s always, almost, one step ahead of being totally broke. Rex is Stephanie’s hamster. Her parents, Frank and long-suffering Mom, live in the Burg. Grandma Mazur, a.k.a. Edna Rosolli, is Stephanie’s maternal grandmother, a widow for the second time, which comes with some scary perks. Valerie is Stephanie’s practical sister, who is married to Albert Kloughn. Stephanie’s hated back-up transportation is a ’53 baby blue Buick Roadmaster.
Vincent Plum’s Bail Bonds
Vinnie is Stephanie’s weasel of a cousin who fronts the company, which is actually owned by his father-in-law, Harry the Hammer. Connie Rosolli is the office manager whose family is not as tightly knit into the criminal underground since Uncle Jimmy died. Lula is a former hooker who is Stephanie’s permanent sidekick.
More of Connie’s relatives include an Uncle Big and Aunt Cookie.
Rangeman is…
…a high-end, under-the-radar security firm owned by Ranger, a.k.a. Carlos Manoso, who is all that when it comes to apprehending and security. He’s amazing in bed as well. Put that together in the gorgeous package he is…mama… Tank is Ranger’s second-in-command. Ramone is his tech guy. Others include Rafael, Wayne, Calvin, Rodriguez, Baker, Sanchez, and Jake. Ella is Ranger’s housekeeper.
Trenton PD
Detective Joe Morelli is one hunk of a plainclothes cop working crimes against persons and is Stephanie’s on-again, off-again boyfriend. He, um, doesn’t want a relationship with Indiana Jones. Bob is Joe’s huge shaggy dog who adores Stephanie. Joe is slowly redoing the house he inherited from Aunt Ruth. Tom Schmidt went to school with Stephanie. Manny Bartok.
The mysterious (and sexy) Gabriela Rose is slinking about.
FTAs
George Potts, a.k.a. the Pooper, is a crack-up, obsessed with all his allergies, PTSD, and other issues. Morgan, a fry cook at the Lucky Lucy Café, is his friend. Arnold Rugalowski is a fry cook who was arrested for a hate crime; the wife says it’s attempted murder. Rodney Trotter is doing rear-end enhancement without a license and does taxidermy for relaxation. He lives with his mother.
The La-Z-Boys are, were…
…a criminal partnership that always hung out at the Mole Hole, a strip club, in their lay-z-boys. Jimmy Rosolli, a.k.a. Mickey Gooley, Mickey Fast, +++, is Grandma’s recently deceased husband. Charlie Shine is a dandy, always with the flashy everything, only he likes to abuse women. Ed Gruman and Chick Rizer are the rude henchmen imported from Miami. Kenny Farmer is Shine’s nephew. Sanchez is a replacement. Lou Salgusta, Charlie’s partner, likes to torture with fire and knives, and he has an intense interest in Grandma and Stephanie. Benny the Skootch is another partner — he’s not in good shape. Nor is his wife, Carla.
Julius Roman had been one of the La-Z-Boys (Twisted Twenty-six, 26). The Margo is, was, a hotel.
Friends and Neighbors
Jean Mulanowski has a nephew who’s a pit boss. Loretta Bettman saw him at Dunkin’. Mary Jo Krazinski‘s daughter works at the bank. Dottie Clark‘s son is a fireman; she and Irene Hurley have styling stations at the beauty parlor Grandma goes to. Angie Mackie. Ruth Kaleski. Ranger Race is a video game with a character, Mugman, whom George wants to emulate. Philip of Salon Philip is a genius at cut and color. Good thing for Stephanie! Lena Kriswicki lives right behind the funeral parlor, and she has a Scotty. Mo Bernardi lives across the street. Marie Georgio spotted Lou. Jimmy Lucca likes to go fishing.
Lolita Sue always has a nice selection of guns. Leticia (she has a cat named Kiki), Lizzy, and Patches, a.k.a. Alice Smuther, know each other…and Georgy. Samantha forgot her paddle. Lucy and Sharon used to share a corner with Lula. Tim Windrow is one of Alice’s neighbors.
Carlotta’s is an Italian bakery owned by Emelio, Benny the Skootch’s cousin. “Lester March” rented a Kia. “Lou Balou” also rented a Ford Escape. Bobby Ragucci used to own a building on Cannon Street. Steve owns Used and Abused used cars. Louis is Steve’s assistant. Then there’s Uncle Matt’s Used Car Lot. Anthony Rosolli was Jimmy’s grandfather. Pauli Valenti used to be a tech for a security company…back in the day.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a soft royal blue background with a blue-tinged white at the top for the info blurb. The author’s name is below that in a chiseled blue. Immediately underneath is the series information in the same white to the left of a brass key with a nice three-dimensional feel to it, inserted into a traditionally shaped keyhole. Below that is the title in the same chiseled font and a metallic color; both author and title are embossed. At the very bottom is the series number in the same white.
The title is what Grandma Mazur and Stephanie seek, Fortune and Glory.
