Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 425
 boring and incohesive June 17, 2008
P. Casey
35 out of 52 found this review helpful
The review below is my own, but cut and pasted from the DISCUSSION board that is on this site for Fearless Fourteen, as Amazon.com would not allow reviews before the release date. It is in response to a number of strident posts by other members of the discussion.
Let me state that I have read the Advanced Reader Copy, not the published book yet. That said, I expect there to be nothing but minor corrections in spelling and grammar, not a wholesale clean up of the plot holes or the lazy, "why am I still writing about these people?" additude that permeates Miss Evanovich's latest entry.
It does make me sad, honestly and truly. Because Miss Evanovich has in the first 12 installments made me laugh so hard it hurt. She had me re-reading lines over and over in awe of the amount of detail she put into such carefully crafted sentences. I am currently re-reading Twelve Sharp, and only pages into it I am awed at the tight dialogue, the witty, sharp descriptive ability. BUT that was THEN. This book does not have that at ALL.
This book is a hodge podge of ideas. Thoughts about plots, hastily written on the back of napkins and somehow transcribed in their entirety into the finished book. She isn't true to even her main character, heroine Stephanie Plum, who in past novels always found herself knee deep in hilarious situations. Now, in Fearless Fourteen she seems mostly to be whining that her life sucks. She spends most of the novel complaining and doing little to change her situation. She is being DONE TO, not DOING anything spectacular.
And the side characters, new and old are poor shadows of who they were or who they could be. All in all a total disappointment.
THIS, BELOW, IS FROM THE DISCUSSION BOARD
That is not what this discussion is supposed to be about. It's really not for the members of private groups to banter about and try to get a rise out of people in a forum where you aren't being moderated.
This-Amazon---- is about discussing the merits of the BOOK. And as a writer, whether or not Miss Evanovich managed her task well.
And while there may be huge opportunities for us to dissect what was said, the issues for the buying public will be these--- Is it worth the cost of 5 or more gallons of gas to purchase this novel? The short answer is no.
Anyone who doesn't ALREADY read Plum is not going to become a fan of Stephanie, nor are they going to read 14 and become a life-long Morelli fan. They won't root for Ranger, either, as he is mostly absent.
And while you all know I am not a Morelli fan, I am horrified and saddened by Miss Evanovich's utter destruction of his character. What was once light-hearted, `I'm a changed man' talk has now been replaced with CANON descriptions that he slept with so many women, in dark garages where they all look the same that he can't recall sleeping with someone??
They will think Grandma is over the top, they will not understand why it's awful that Lula treats Tank with such disrespect. And they most certainly will not think they need to go read another 13 books by this author based on this new experience.
So when I write here that my recommendation is that this book be passed up, believe me it has nothing to do with the fact Ranger isn't in the book more. Honestly, the way Steph treated Ranger does more to make me feel that Ranger doesn't DESERVE Steph.
Rerun June 17, 2008
Tiina (Phoenix, AZ)
33 out of 47 found this review helpful
I've come to depend on Evanovich for summer laughs. I didn't get them. It wasn't that I hated this one, it was that I was bored by it. I kept putting it down to do other things...like bathe my dogs. Not much mystery, very little adventure, and scenes taken from previous books. I wish I could have those couple of hours back.
Such a shame June 17, 2008
haleigh (Maryland, USA)
30 out of 41 found this review helpful
The Stephanie Plum series is one of my absolute favorites. Each year, I wait impatiently for the next installment. Janet Evanovich has created a cast of characters which resonate with each of her readers - some hilarious, some serious, all endearing. Except the creepy bad guys, of course!
But probably my favorite part of this series is the sparks that fly in every direction as Stephanie tries to survive her job and the two men in her life.
In Fearless Fourteen, those sparks have been largely snuffed out. What is left is an amusing tale of Stephanie attempting to unravel a case involving a skip who has disappeared, a 14 year old computer gamer, a ex-con with a grudge against Morelli, a has-been pop star with a need to be back on TV, and a monkey.
There are some vaguely amusing moments, some creepy moments, and some sweet moments between Stephanie and Morelli. If you read the Plum series for the her relationship with Morelli, then you might enjoy Fearless Fourteen.
However, if you love the other characters - Steph, Lula, Ranger, Tank, etc, - or for the scary adventure, then Fearless Fourteen is probably not for you. Gone is the sassy, spunky, straight-talking Stephanie, replaced instead by Morelli's gaga-eyed girlfriend who sings his praises and calmly obeys each of his orders. Gone is strong, survivor Lula, replaced by a simpering bridezilla. And Ranger is just....gone.
To say I was disappointed with Fearless Fourteen would be an understatement. All the things that have made previous books stand out - the sexual tension, the strong characters - have been negated. I had been holding out hope that however Ms. Evanovich decided to resolve the love triangle, she would be able to do so while keeping all three characters strong and vibrant. Instead, Ranger has been relegated to a caricature present in less than 15 pages, and Morelli has even more of a disturbing past revealed. Before this book, I would have been happy with an end to the series that chose either man - I loved them both for different reasons. However, with the changes to Morelli's character and Ranger's character disappearing entirely, I find myself ambivalent about any ending at all. This is a series that I am sad to say I won't be keeping up with anymore.
Where is Stephanie Plum? June 17, 2008
C. Brubaker
30 out of 43 found this review helpful
I have been a fan of Ms. Evanovich since I discovered her shortly after the release of Eleven on Top (okay, I was a little slow). Needless to say I have been waiting for the release of Fourteen all year. Sadly, this book is not what I was hoping for. The characters are unrecognizable. Mooner is sober and acts like he hasn't seen her in years, Joe can't remember if he slept with his cousin and Lula has resorted to trickery. Not to mention Ranger has four lines. She has also used exact line that were in other books. There is a direct quote from 11 that she has used again.
And Stephanie, she has been reduced to someone who cries and literally stutters when she finds a dead body. What's with that? She is very domestic in this book. Where is the smart, sassy, independent Steph that we fell in love with in the beginning of the series?
It also appears that Ms. Evanovich has resolved the love triangle, which is perfectly fine with me, except she did it in such an abrupt manner without giving Ranger any props. He has simply been pushed into the friend category.
I have not much hope for 15 if it is going to be like this book. I, personally, don't want to read about meek, housewife Steph. I want the sass back!
Cupcakes Beware - and Babes, too June 17, 2008
Big City Librarian (New York)
30 out of 44 found this review helpful
This is billed as a Morelli book, but it's not the classic Janet that we've come to know and love. There are scenes stolen from previous books, but it seems like they're mostly Ranger's scenes that were redone to have Joe in them. We also find out more about Joe's past and it's not what I wanted to hear at all. I don't much think gross irresponsibility is funny. I wanted to see Joe in his own adventure, with an exciting plot and some dastardly villain. You won't find that in this book - it's not the usual exciting, can't-put-it-down book that is what we expect from Janet. She usually has some funny subplots that eventually tie in to the main story and make you LOL. Not here. The subplots kind of appear during the book, and peter out without fanfare or explanation. People turning blue, reality show journalism, frozen pizza premonitions - these all are around and just don't add anything to the book. I didn't even like the relationship between Joe and Steph - he ordered, she obeyed. Where was her spunk? There just wasn't much adventure inside these pages. This author is enormously talented, but this book doesn't show it - hopefully #15 will find her back on her game.
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