Fortune and Glory: Tantalising Twenty-Sevenby Janet Evanovich
Rating: ★★★★
isbn: 9781472246196
Series: Stephanie Plum #27
Publication Date: November 10, 2020
Pages: 304
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Headline Review
When Stephanie's beloved Grandma Mazur's new husband died on their wedding night, the only thing he left her was a beat-up old easy chair... and the keys to a life-changing fortune.
But as Stephanie and Grandma Mazur search for Jimmy Rosolli's treasure, they discover that they're not the only ones on the hunt. Two dangerous enemies from the past stand in their way-along with Gabriela Rose, a dark-eyed beauty with a taste for designer clothes.
Stephanie may be in over her head, but she's got two things that Gabriela doesn't: an unbreakable bond with her family and a stubborn streak that will never let her quit.
She'll need both to survive because this search for "fortune and glory" will turn into a desperate race against time with more on the line than ever before.
Let’s take it as read that this 27th instalment is in most ways exactly like the first 26th. Nowadays, there’s something comforting in a series being an ‘old reliable’ and the Plum series can always be counted on for Grandma Mazur defying her age, Lulu doing something outrageous, and at least one FTA that’s a total nut-job.
But I especially enjoyed this one because there was 100% more Ranger than there have been the past however many books, and while I like both of the male characters, I especially like Ranger and his ability to allow Stephanie to fly her flag of tenacious ineptitude with an astonishing degree of equanimity. He never tries to change her or thwart her and he supplies her with an endless number of cars to destroy in new and creative ways. You have to like that in a man.
I also enjoyed the treasure hunt, though it often got lost in the larger scheme of Stephanie’s what-am-I-doing-with-my-life rift, which if anything in this series is getting old, it’s this. I’m not one that insists she chose one man over the other, or that she even choose at all, but I would be exceedingly happy if she’d just come to terms with who she is and own it. I have faith that Evanovich could make this happen without altering the foundation of the series.
I enjoyed the ending quite a bit and I enjoyed the parallels to Indiana Jones, even though realistically they were weak; I love that Stephanie chose Indiana Jones over Lara Croft, though I can’t exactly say why, as I like and admire both characters. Probably the academic bent is what puts IJ in the lead, though I’m digressing.
Anyway – another fun book in a series that’s dependable in the best ways; I have other series to read when I want to be surprised, or challenged, but I love Plum because I can count on a laugh or three, endearing characters, and a rollicking fun adventure.