Twelve Sharp Review

Stephanie Plum, Janet Evanovich's bumbling bounty hunter returns for her twelfth adventure with Lula, Ranger, Grandma Mazur, and Joe Morelli.  This time, the story opens with Stephanie being confronted by a woman who claims to be Ranger's wife, Carmen.  Stephanie is followed by Carmen, and when Carmen winds up dead, a mystery ensues.  As it turns out, someone is trying to take over Ranger's identity and life.  After the person kidnaps the real Ranger's daughter, events move rapidly.

The novel is filled with the usual sexual tension between Stephanie and her two men, Ranger and Morelli.  It also has its fill of the comical situations Stephanie, with usually, Lula, often find themselves in.  And of course, any Plum novel has to have a scene with Grandma Mazur at a visitation.  This one is no different.  It's a very quick read, and, if one is a fan of the series, one will mostly likely be satisfied. 

I recommend the book, but do find that as time goes on, the novels seem to become more formulaic.  I think that it's very difficult for authors to continue to break new ground.  After all, once an author has found a writing style and niche audience that is successful, the motivation to break the mold isn't nearly as strong.  I enjoy the books immensely and will continue to read them to see what Stephanie has gotten herself into.