82. Lean Mean Thirteen

Just one more to go!

Here's another review from B&N:

In her rollicking 13th Stephanie Plum adventure (after Twelve Sharp), bestseller Evanovich is in top, quirky form. Plucky, bumbling New Jersey bounty hunter Plum is reunited with her two-timing lawyer ex-husband, Dickie Orr, while doing a favor for the mysterious, sexy Ranger. But when Dickie disappears from his house leaving behind only bloodstains and bullet holes, Plum becomes the prime suspect in his alleged murder. Determined to clear her name, Plum and her on-again off-again Trenton cop boyfriend, the irresistible Joe Morelli, uncover Dickie's ties to a shady group of men involved in everything from money laundering to drug running. And when Dickie's jilted business partners decide Stephanie holds the key to the $40 million they believe Dickie stole from them, she's in for a wild ride. With the author's usual cast of eccentric side characters-everything from a taxidermist with a penchant for bombs to a grave-robbing tax man-Evanovich proves once again that Stephanie Plum and her entourage are here to stay.

81. Twelve Sharp

Sorta sad I only have two more to read but sorta glad I'll be able to get to the stack of other books I have to read once I get this series finished. :)

To spice things up a bit, here's a review from B&N instead of the usual description:

The mixture of slapstick and gunplay that has put Evanovich's series about a sassy, less than competent New Jersey bounty hunter at the top of bestseller lists once again works its magic in Stephanie Plum's latest caper (after 2005's Eleven on Top). Stephanie, who freely admits her failings as a hunter of fugitives, faces a growing work backlog that threatens the continued existence of her job. Her clumsy efforts to clear some cases, along with the help of her outrageous colleague, Lula, result only in their adding another sad sack to the office payroll a forlorn shoe salesman who's talked off a ledge by Stephanie's offer of a position as file clerk. Stephanie's ambivalence toward the two men in her life becomes harder to maintain when one of them, the mysterious Ranger, is accused of kidnapping his own daughter. Countless over-the-top scenes, including one at a funeral parlor, will delight longtime fans.

80. Eleven On Top

I tried to take a break from these, really I did... started another book, like the other book but couldn't resist this one long enough to get more than about 50 pages into the other book.

Oh well, I guess we all know what comes next. :)

Here's the B&N description:

Stephanie Plum is thinking her career as a fugitive apprehension agent has run its course. She's been shot at, spat at, cussed at, fire-bombed, mooned, and attacked by dogs. Stephanie thinks it's time for a change. So she quits. She wants something safe and normal. But the kind of trouble she had at the bail bonds office can't compare to the kind of trouble she finds herself facing now…

Stephanie is stalked by a maniac returned from the grave for the sole purpose of putting her into a burial plot of her own. He's killed before, and he'll kill again if given the chance. Caught between staying far away from the bounty hunter business and staying alive, Stephanie reexamines her life and the possibility that being a bounty hunter is the solution rather than the problem. After disturbingly brief careers at the button factory, Kan Klean Dry Cleaners, and Cluck-in-a-Bucket, Stephanie takes an office position in security, working for Ranger, the sexiest, baddest bounty hunter and businessman on two continents. Tempers and temperatures rise as competition ratchets up between the two men in her life—her on-again, off-again boyfriend, tough Trenton cop Joe Morelli, and her boss, Ranger. Can Stephanie Plum take the heat? Can you?

79. Ten Big Ones

Loved it loved it loved it. Especially the unlikely hero at the end.

Here's the description from B&N:

Take an exit off the Jersey Turnpike to the irresistible world of Stephanie Plum, America's favorite bounty hunter, where she gets into more trouble than ever. This time, she faces a notorious gang in Trenton who wants her dead. Morelli warns that she's in too deep, and Stephanie more than agrees. But the gang won't let her bow out. With Ranger missing in action, Stephanie has to go into hiding—and stumbles on to the secret location of Ranger's “bat cave.” Is it the perfect place to disappear? Or will she get into more trouble than she knows by delving into his private world? The tenth Stephanie Plum novel is filled with Evanovich's trademark high stakes, high adventure, high wit, and sly comedy.

78. To The Nines

Yes... I can't seem to stop with these.

Here's the B&N description:

Stephanie Plum’s got rent to pay, people shooting at her, and psychos wanting her dead every day of the week (much to the dismay of her mother, family, the men in her life, the guy who slices meat at the deli… oh, the list goes on). In TO THE NINES, her cousin Vinnie (who is also her boss) has posted bail on Samuel Singh, an illegal immigrant. When the elusive Mr. Singh goes missing, Stephanie is on the case. But what she uncovers is far more sinister than anyone imagines and leads to a group of killers who give new meaning to the word hunter.

77. Hard Eight

The latest in the Stephanie Plum series... another fun read!

Here's the description from B&N:

In HARD EIGHT, Stephanie, Morelli, Ranger, Lula, Valerie, and Grandma Mazur are strapped in for the ride of their lives. This time, Stephanie is hired to find a missing child. But things aren’t always as they seem and Stephanie must determine if she is working for the right side of the law. Plus there’s the Morelli question: Can a Jersey girl keep her head on straight when more than just bullets are aimed at her heart? And with the Plum and Morelli relationship looking rocky, is it time for Range to move in for the kill?

76. Seven Up

Loved it!

Here's the description from B&N:

Semi-retired mob guy, Eddie DeChooch, is caught trafficking contraband cigarettes through Trenton, New Jersey. When DeChooch fails to show for a court appearance, bond enforcement agent Stephanie Plum is assigned the task of finding him and dragging his decrepit ass back to jail. Not such an easy job, it turns out, since DeChooch has learned a lot of tricks over the years and isn't afraid to use his gun. He's already shot Loretta Ricci and left her for worm food in his shed. He wouldn't mind shooting Stephanie next.

Likeable losers (and former high school classmates) Walter "MoonMan" Dunphy and Dougie "The Dealer" Kruper have inadvertently become involved with DeChooch. They've gotten sucked into an operation which is much more than simple cigarette smuggling and holds risks far greater than anyone could have imagined.

When Dougie disappears, Steph goes into search mode. When Mooner disappears, she calls in the heavy artillery and asks master bounty hunter Ranger for help. Ranger's price for the job? One night with Stephanie, dusk to dawn. Not information she'd want to share with her some-time live in roommate, vice cop Joe Morelli.

A typical dilemma in the world of Plum.

And on the homefront, Stephanie's "perfect" sister Valerie has decided to move back to Trenton, bringing her two kids from hell. Grandma Mazur is asking questions about being a lesbian, and Bob, the bulimic dog, is eating everything in sight-including the furniture.
Mud wrestling, motorcycles, fast cars, fast food, and fast men. It's Seven Up. Absolutely Janet Evanovich at her very best.

75. Hot Six

It's official. I'm hooked. I'm on my way to the library right now to pick up 7, 8 & 9. :)

Here's the B&N description of book six:

In this, her sixth Stephanie Plum adventure, readers will follow Stephanie on her biggest quest yet: Ranger, the super bounty hunter, is on the lam, and Stephanie has to team up with vice cop Joe Morelli to find him. Also, Hot Six answers the big question: Did Stephanie sleep with Ranger or Morelli? In addition to all the sex, FTAs, and donuts Stephanie can handle, Grandma Mazur has a fight with Stephanie's father and moves in with Stephanie and Rex, her hamster. Anything can happen-and everything does-in Janet Evanovich's wildest Plum adventure yet. She's back, and her latest band of offbeat characters fit the town of Trenton, New Jersey to a "T".

74. High Five

Ahh... the joys of jury duty meant I got to read all but about 30 pages of this one bright and early this morning before being sent home, unneeded. Oh well, at least i got another book in. :)

Here's the description from B&N:

Stephanie Plum, America's favorite Jersey-girl bounty hunter, is back in her fifth entertaining hit, High Five . Uncle Fred is missing, and even though Grandma Mazur is convinced aliens abducted him, Stephanie drops everything in order to sniff out her luckless relative. But finding dear ole Fred isn't all our hero needs to worry about. No, not in the least. Give Janet Evanovich a high five.

73. Four to Score

My latest in the Stephanie Plum series...

Here's the description from B&N:

The mix this time includes seven-foot-tall transvestite rock musician Sally Sweet; Lulu, a hooker-turned-file-clerk and wannabe bounty hunter; 83-year-old crazy Grandma Mazur; and, of course, sexy vice cop Joe Morelli. Not to mention some highly unpleasant people who want Stephanie hurt—or dead.

72. By A Spider's Thread

Yet another great one by Laura Lippman! And set in the parts of Baltimore I'm most familiar with which makes it even better!

I definitely recommend reading these in order because they do reference prior books a lot - so really, you should just read them all.

Here's the description from B&N: Mark Rubin's family is missing -- and the police won't do a thing because all the evidence indicates his wife left willingly. The successful furrier turns to Tess Monaghan, hoping she can help him find his wife and three children. Tess doesn't know what to make of Rubin, a wealthy Orthodox Jew who doles out vitally important information in grudging dribs and drabs. According to Rubin, he and his beautiful wife, Natalie, had a flawless, happy marriage. Yet one day, without any warning or explanation, Natalie gathered up their children and vanished.

Tess is able to locate the runaway wife and her stolen progeny, moving furtively from state to state, town to town, but the Rubins are not alone. A man is traveling with them -- a stranger, described as "handsome" and "charming" but otherwise unremarkable to casual observers who have no way of sensing the fury beneath his smooth surface.

An intricate web of betrayal and vengeance is already beginning to unravel, as memory begets rage and rage leads to desperation ... and murder. Suddenly much more than one man's future happiness and stubborn pride are in peril; the lives of three innocent children are dangling by the slenderest of threads.

71. Zapped

I like Carol Higgins Clark's books... they are quick reads and more lighthearted then her mother's books.

Here's the description from B&N:

Sleuth Regan Reilly and her husband, Jack, return to New York from their honeymoon in Ireland and discover that their next-door neighbor has put up his apartment for sale. They decide to buy it and enlarge the loft Jack lived in as a bachelor.

Regan takes time off from her work as a Private Investigator to supervise the construction, while Jack resumes his job as head of the Manhattan Major Case Squad.

On a sweltering summer night, a major blackout hits New York City and more than one person in the Reilly's building blows their fuse! In the midst of the chaos, with Jack out coping with the city's problems, Regan finds herself drawn into a case she would never expect to happen in her own home.

Zapped, set in New York City, blends Clark's sophisticated humor with her remarkable gift for portraying characters in different walks of life. Here, she creates a penetrating, humorous profile of bosses and workers in the New York real estate and construction business and the ardors of renovating a home, which we all know can drive one crazy.

70. Three to Get Deadly

The third Janet Evanovich book... I liked it. These are cute mysteries, not scary ones which is good.

Anyway... here's the description from B&N:

A "saintly" old candy-store owner is on the lam-and bounty hunter extraordinaire Stephanie Plum is on the case. As the body count rises, Stephanie finds herself dealing with dead drug dealers and slippery fugitives on the chase of her life. And with the help of eccentric friends and family, Steph must see to it that this case doesn't end up being her last...

69. The Beach House

This one was hard to follow at first - lots of different characters and quickly jumping between them. But... in the end it all made sense and was a really good read.

Here's the description from B&N:

Jane Green is one of the preeminent authors of women's fiction today, and with each new novel, her audience grows. Green's avid and loyal fans follow her because she writes about the true-to-life dilemmas of women—and The Beach House will not disappoint.Known in Nantucket as the crazy woman who lives in the rambling house atop the bluff, Nan doesn't care what people think. At sixty-five-years old, her husband died twenty years ago, her beauty has faded, and her family has flown. If her neighbors are away, why shouldn't she skinny dip in their swimming pools and help herself to their flowers? But when she discovers the money she thought would last forever is dwindling and she could lose her beloved house, Nan knows she has to make drastic changes.So Nan takes out an ad: Rooms to rent for the summer in a beautiful old Nantucket home with water views and direct access to the beach. Slowly, people start moving into the house, filling it with noise, with laughter, and with tears. As the house comes alive again, Nan finds her family expanding. Her son comes home for the summer, and then an unexpected visitor turns all their lives upside-down.

68. Lovehampton

Perfect summer fluff!

Here's the description from B&N:

It's almost summer, and in certain circles, summer means summer share. After an intervention by her three best friends forces her out of a breakup-induced personal hiatus (read: depression), TV producer Tori Miller ditches her old look with the help of a makeover on a reality show pilot. She premieres her new-and-improved self in a rented Hamptons summer house she's sharing with seven complete strangers. Over the next three months, Tori becomes the wing-woman to a glamorous new B.F.F., attempts to win over her house's prickly Resident Alpha Female, is drawn into a web of secrets by a charming Brit, and suddenly finds herself entangled in one too many complicated romances. But it isn't long before Tori starts getting tripped up by the many Hamptons Unwritten Rules of Survival, which threaten not only to implode her new, carefully cultivated social standing but more importantly, call into question Tori's ability to see people for who they truly are, including herself. Ultimately, Tori must decide who she really is, what she wants, and what she's willing to give up to get there—all by Labor Day.

67. Sleeping Arrangements

I was hoping for light and fluffy reading today as last night's mystery freaked me out so much. This sorta met that expectation, but actually had a bit too much substance for my current frame of mind.

Here's a review from B&N:

Wickham (The Gatecrasher; also, the Shopaholic series as Sophie Kinsella) spins a delightful story of British families forced to spend their vacation together after a mutual friend promises them the same week in his Spanish villa. Chloe Harding hopes that a holiday will soothe the strain between her and longtime partner Philip Murray, who is worried that a recent takeover of his company may cost him his job. Their hopes are dashed when they arrive and find another family already settled at the villa. To Chloe's disappointment, she'll be sharing the space with Hugh Stratton, the beau who broke her heart 15 years ago. Now married to high-maintenance Amanda and with two children, Hugh apologizes, and though Chloe initially expresses nothing but hurt and disdain (all the while keeping their past a secret from Philip), she eventually considers beginning life anew with Hugh. Wickham does a bangup job of creating believable characters-even Amanda is less vapid than she at first seems. Surprises abound as the plot unfolds, and the families begin to wonder whether their mutual friend made an innocent mistake in getting them together.

66. The Last Place

This one freaked me out. I think it was the change in perspective from the usual third person of the other Tess Monaghan books and the first person freaky stalker. Especially since he was after Tess for some reason that was implied tied to her past but, I couldn't figure it out even having read all of the prior books.

yeah, the twists and turns were really good and unpredictable and... freaky!

Here's a description from B&N:

Five brutal homicides ... zero arrests. Disgraced private investigator Tess Monaghan agrees to review the police murder files for blunders and finds a single common thread emerging with shocking clarity -- the link is Tess Monaghan herself.

65. Girls in Trucks

Here's another that I liked, but didn't. The story jumped around a lot and switched from first person to third frequently and well, it was just enough jumping and switching to make it hard to follow, or really, I guess better phrased hard to care.

Here's a review from B&N:

Sarah Walters was born into the prim and proper debutante class of South Carolina, but that's as close as she ever comes to white-gloved gentility. The heroine of Katie Crouch's debut novel, Girls in Trucks, is a salty-tongued rebel who slips the bonds of a girlhood of dance lessons to find freedom in the cold and baffling North. There, Sarah loses her accent, her values, and, in sometimes sad and often spectacular fashion, her way in life. She had planned on greatness and instead has to settle for survival. Here's Sarah, halfway through the book, self-aware and still defiant: "I have made many mistakes in my life so far, the biggest of which, according to my mother, was leaving the South. Never mind the fact that I managed to spend three good years pining after a cruel man, that I have let a once promising career in journalism go, that I drink too much and have come to like my pot. I wouldn't say that I'm an addict, but try and take it away, and swear to God, I'll bite you like a snake." The story caroms from man to man and job to job, as Sarah struggles to make sense of her life. Just as it seems Crouch has written herself into a corner, she'll switch scenes, push forward or backward in time, and give herself a clean slate. It's a tricky little dance, and unlike our heroine, Crouch is up to it. From start to finish, she makes smart choices that keep the chick from derailing this often lovely bit of lit.

64. Two for the Dough

Still on the mystery kick, this was the next in the Stephanie Plum series. I'm sure book three will be coming soon...

Here's the description from B&N:

Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is still learning the ropes at her cousin Vinnie's bail bond office, so when she sets out on the trail of Kenny Mancuso—a suspiciously wealthy, working class Trenton boy who has just shot his best friend—the stakes are higher than ever. That Mancuso is distantly related to vice cop Joe Morelli—who is trying to beat Stephanie to the punch—only makes the hunt more thrilling….Taking pointers from her bounty hunter pal, Ranger, and using her pistol-packing Granda Mazur as a decoy, Stephanie is soon closing in on her mark. But Morelli and his libido are worthy foes. And a more sinister kind of enemy has made his first move…and his next move might be Stephanie's last.

63. Butcher's Hill

This was the Tess Monaghan book i skipped and it explained a lot that I had been missing so I'm glad I read it.

Here's the description from B&N:

Tess Monaghan has finally made the move and hung out her shingle as a p.i.-for-hire, complete with an office in Butchers Hill. Maybe it's not the best address in Baltimore, but you gotta start somewhere, and Tess's greyhound Esskay has no trouble taking marathon naps anywhere there's a roof. Then in walks Luther Beale, the notorious vigilante who five years ago shot a boy for vandalizing his car. Just out of prison, he says he wants to make reparations to the kids who witnessed his crime, so he needs Tess to find them. But once she starts snooping, the witnesses start dying. Is the "Butcher of Butchers Hill" at it again? Like it or not, Tess is embroiled in a case that encompasses the powers that-be, a heartless system that has destroyed the lives of children, and a nasty trail of money and lies leading all the way back to Butchers Hill.

62. Things I Want My Daughters to Know

This was a complete and total tear jerker and a really really good read. Definitely recommend it.

Here's the description from B&N:

Warm, funny, and loving, Barbara had always been the backbone of her family. Her four daughters adored her and relied on her. Faced with the reality of leaving them before any of them are ready, Barbara writes letters to each of them, and a journal about the things she wants them to know.

Facing their first year without her, drawing on the wisdom in the legacy she has left behind, her girls might just find a way to cope with their loss. And in coming to terms with their bereavement, can they also set themselves free to enjoy their lives with all the passion and love each deserves?

61. In A Strange City

Another Tess Monaghan mystery... I liked it and obviously read it quickly. On to the next one now... :)

Private investigator Tess Monaghan witnesses a local tradition turn deadly at the gravesite of Edgar Allan Poe. Now someone's leaving cryptic clues on her doorstep ... someone who knows her every move. Someone who must be stopped.

60. The Sugar House

The next in the Tess Monaghan series, again, a good mystery. I have yet to actually figure out all of the twists and turns of these books before they are revealed in the end. I would suggest reading them in order - I skipped one because it wasn't in at the library and there are new recurring characters that I am in the dark about and it annoys me greatly.

Anyway, here's the description from B&N:

A nameless teenage girl was killed 14 months ago. The glue-sniffing youth who did the deed spent barely a month in prison before meeting the same fate. The dead boy's sister wants Tess Monaghan to find out why.

But first Tess must uncover the identity of the original victim. And once she does, the shocking revelation will make headlines across the country, and drag Tess down into a fetid and deadly swamp of power, dirty money, high-level political corruption, and sordid secrets.

59. One for the Money

The first in the Janet Evanovich series, I think I'm hooked on these now and will quickly move through the rest. I listened to the audio version of this and think I'll like reading the books better as the "Joisey" accents got a bit annoying :)

Here's the description from B&N:

Stephanie Plum is a bounty hunter in Trenton, New Jersey. She's out of work and out of money. Her first assignment is to nail Joe Morelli, a former vice cop on the run from a charge of murder one.