Fearless Fourteen

Janet Evanovich

Brenda is coming to Trenton. She is a past-her-prime pop singer who is trying to hang on. She's been around forever, it seems. Range Man Securities has been hired to keep her safe and keep Brenda away from any booze or drugs. Ranger hires Stephanie temporarily to be one of Brenda's bodyguards - one who can follow her into bathrooms and dressing rooms when his men can't.

In between the gigs Stephanie is playing baby-sitter to a teen-aged boy who is Joe Morelli's cousin. Zook's mom Loretta returned to jail after missing her court appearance. Stephanie promised Loretta she'd keep an eye out for the kid until Loretta got everything straightened out. Loretta's brother, Dom, believes that Morelli is actually Zook's father. Dom also hates Morelli for inheriting Aunt Rose's house near the burg. Of course Dom had been in jail for a $9 million bank job when she died. Morelli got the house.

The first night they have Zook, Stephanie is certain she saw someone sneaking out of the cellar and out the back door of Morelli's. But the person was covered and she couldn't recognize him/her. Nothing seems to be missing from the house.She is now split between watching Brenda and Zook - two completely different sets of responsibility. There is a stalker that Stephanie has to keep away from Brenda. Zook is involved in an online role-playing game. His actions include spray painting his name on everything he can get close to, including Bob, Morelli's dog. Pretty soon the two lives/jobs intermingle. Then when Lula gets engaged to Ranger's head man, Tank, things spiral out of control - in other words, a normal time in Stephanie's life.

When Brenda decides it's finally time for a career change, she decides to become a reality TV bounty hunter turned television reporter. All Stephanie needs is an over-aged over-sexed woman following her around with a television crew. People start looking for the bank's missing $9 million - in Morelli's yard. And Loretta gets kidnapped.

Every year I expect these books to start getting old. Some definitely aren't as good as others. But Janet Evanovich has kept Stephanie and her friends fresh. Once again I found myself laughing out loud numerous times. Those of us who have followed from One for the Money had to laugh at Tank's reaction when he realizes he's engaged to Lula.

Fearless Fourteen is cute and rip-roaring. It helps if you know the characters from the earlier books, but not necessary. If you haven't read them yet, this one will make you want to go back and check them out. It's not great literature. But it is great fun.

Notice:  Non-graphic violence; Strong indecent language; Suggestive dialogue or situations

The Series:

One for the Money
Two for the Dough
Three to Get Deadly
Four to Score
High Five
Hot Six
Seven Up
Hard Eight
Visions of Sugar Plums
To the Nines
Ten Big Ones
Eleven on Top
Twelve Sharp
Plum Lovin'
Lean Mean Thirteen
Plum Lucky
Fearless Fourteen
Plum Spooky
Finger Lickin' Fifteen
Sizzling Sixteen
Smokin' Seventeen
Explosive Eighteeen