Dirty Thirty by Janet Evanovich Series: Stephanie Plum #30
Published by Simon and Schuster on October 31, 2023
Genres: Fiction / Humorous / General, Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Women Sleuths, Fiction / Thrillers / Crime
Pages: 336
Format: Audiobook
Source: Library
INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
Janet Evanovich, the “most popular mystery writer alive” (The New York Times), is in top form as she sends Stephanie Plum on the trail of a stolen stash of dirty diamonds.
Stephanie Plum, Trenton’s hardest working, most underappreciated bounty hunter, is offered a freelance assignment that seems simple enough. Local jeweler Martin Rabner wants her to locate his former security guard, Andy Manley (a.k.a. Nutsy), who he is convinced stole a fortune in diamonds out of his safe. Stephanie is also looking for another troubled man, Duncan Dugan, a fugitive from justice arrested for robbing the same jewelry store on the same day.
With her boyfriend Morelli away in Miami on police business, Stephanie is taking care of Bob, Morelli’s giant orange dog who will devour anything, from Stephanie’s stray donuts to the upholstery in her car. Morelli’s absence also means the inscrutable, irresistible security expert Ranger is front and center in Stephanie’s life when things inevitably go sideways. And he seems determined to stay there.
To complicate matters, her best friend Lula is convinced she is being stalked by a mythological demon hell-bent on relieving her of her wardrobe. An overnight stakeout with Stephanie’s mother and Grandma Mazur reveals three generations of women with nerves of steel and driving skills worthy of NASCAR champions.
As the body count rises and witnesses start to disappear, it won’t be easy for Stephanie to keep herself clean when everyone else is playing dirty. It’s a good thing Stephanie isn’t afraid of getting a little dirty, too.
My Review
I have a hard time reviewing books that are next in a series, especially when we are thirty books into one. So I have decided to include the goodreads description of book one, One for the Money, down below. I will then talk a bit about the series and probably touch on book thirty since this is supposed to be a review for Dirty Thiry. I most likely will reveal spoilers, which I am sorry about, so if you do not want any spoilers for the series, then probably skip this review. I am sorry for any inconvenience. This is what goodreads has to say about book one:
Meet Stephanie Plum, a bounty hunter with an attitude. In Stephanie’s opinion, toxic waste, rabid drivers, armed schizophrenics, and August heat, humidity, and hydrocarbons are all part of the great adventure of living in Jersey.
She’s a product of the “burg,” a blue-collar pocket of Trenton where houses are attached and narrow, cars are American, windows are clean, and (God forbid you should be late) dinner is served at six.
Out of work and out of money, Stephanie blackmails her bail-bondsman cousin Vinnie into giving her a try as an apprehension agent. Stephanie knows zilch about the job requirements, but she figures her new pal, el-primo bounty hunter Ranger, can teach her what it takes to catch a crook. Her first nail Joe Morelli, a former vice cop on the run from a charge of murder one. Morelli’s the inamorato who charmed Stephanie out of her virginity at age sixteen. There’s still powerful chemistry between them, so the chase should be interesting…and could also be extremely dangerous.
I will say that I absolutely loved these books, and I was hooked from book one. I am so grateful to my mail lady at the time, who recommended I give the series a go. I have listened to them all on audio through the library and have not been disappointed yet. I read somewhere a review of the new book in the series and I agree with what the reviewer wrote. She said that for years, she has followed along with these stories and has always enjoyed them but decided to step away for a time to give herself a break. She mentioned that she picked up Dirty Thirty and discovered that not much has changed in the books. I have to say that I agree. My agreement is not to say that I do not enjoy the series because I do I mean hello I just read book thirty in the series and I laughed just as much as I always have.
In this book, we follow Stephanie Plum, bounty hunter extraordinaire. Well, maybe that is a bit much to say regarding her skills. Stephanie’s skills in bounty hunting are more or less a run of dumb luck. However, it is still fun to read about. So, in this story, she is strapped for cash, and her boyfriend Joe is out of town on work, so she is stuck with his dog Bob. In my opinion, Bob should have his own novella because he is hilarious. I digress, though, back to Stephanie. As I said, she is strapped for cash without any significant bond cases in the near future. She is approached to do some freelance work for a local jeweler who seems harmless enough…The man is in his seventies, so how much of a threat could he be right? Martin (the jeweler) is convinced that his M.I.A. security guard Andrew (Nutsy) has stolen diamonds from his safe. Oddly enough, the day Martin claims this happened, his actual jewelry store was robbed by Duncan Dugan. Who happens to be the fugitive that Stephanie is assigned to search for since he skipped out on his court date. Martin offers her a nice chunk of change to find Nutsy, so she also agrees to search for him. She soon realizes that there is more to this story than meets the eye. Stephanie finds herself in danger rather quickly. Her apartment is firebombed, and her life is threatened yet again. All in a day’s work for this woman.
Meanwhile, Lula, who happens to be Stephanie’s partner in crime and friend, is having her own difficulties. She is convinced that a large monster is creeping into her apartment at night and stealing her clothes. She is scared for sure, but her fear level is jacked up when her apartment is also firebombed, and she loses everything, including her wardrobe. I should say that Lula loves her clothes; she loves them to the point of turning her bedroom into her actual closet and sleeping on the couch. You see, Lula used to be a hooker, and her clothes, shoes, accessories, and wigs are of all varieties and mean a great deal to her. They are, in a sense, part of her personality. This firebombing has left her without anything, and she moves in with Stephanie. Lula, with all of her snoring, has exhausted poor Stephanie due to her lack of sleep. This leads to Stephanie staying with Ranger because Joe’s brother is staying at his place while he is in Florida for a court case.
Joe has repeatedly made it clear that he does not trust Ranger regarding Stephanie. He does not trust that Ranger will not make a move on his girl. He does trust Ranger to keep her safe, though, and respects his ability to do so. Stephanie has had a relationship with Ranger in the past, but they never seem to last. Ranger has always made it clear that he loves her but cannot be what she wants. Joe has made it clear to Stephanie that he loves her, but he does not want to get married. So here lies the problem Stephanie loves them both, is attracted to them equally, and has no idea what she should do. The love triangle between them has lasted throughout the series, but a decision must be made. She does not know which one to make.
If you love mystery stories full of crazy characters, hilarious friends, romantic interests, and the underdog hero, then absolutely give these books a go. Like I said above, not much changes throughout the books, but you always know you are guaranteed to laugh and have a good time. I should rephrase that and say I know I am always guaranteed a laugh and a good time. I will continue in the series whenever Janet Evanovich comes out with a new book, but I expect it will be much of the same. Reader, my question for you is, have you read any of these books, and if so, which ones? Did you like them, and do you plan on reading Dirty Thirty? Please let me know your thoughts down below, and until next time, Reader, Happy Reading.
Trigger Warnings:
- Murder
- Robbery