Explosive Eighteen (Stephanie Plum, #18)

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Explosive Eighteen (Stephanie Plum #18)

by Janet Evanovich (Goodreads Author)

3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 · rating details · 30,473 ratings · 3,645 reviews

Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum’s life is set to blow sky high when international murder hits dangerously close to home, in this dynamite novel by Janet Evanovich.

Before Stephanie can even step foot off Flight 127 from Hawaii to Newark, she’s knee deep in trouble. Her dream vacation turned into a nightmare, she’s flying back to New Jersey solo, and someone who sounds like Sas

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Hardcover, 305 pages

Published November 22nd 2011 by Bantam

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Nov 27, 2011 Elizabeth (Book_Attict) rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: on-my-shelves, reviewed

Okay, I admit it -- I'm a Stephanie Plum sucker! I read Smokin' 17, and until the last chapter of the book, SWORE that I'd no longer be running out to get the hardcover edition of another Stephanie Plum book as soon as it was released, Instead,I'd be looking for the paperback at one of the used bookstores I frequent...

I love Janet Evanovich's writing style, her dialogue is hilarious, the characters are great, and reading the latest installment is like going home to visit with old friends -- well...more

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Jan 15, 2013 Carol rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: hardcore Plum fans only

Shelves: female-lead, mystery

Hi. My name is Carol and I'm a bookoholic.

I've been reading ever since I can remember, but Goodreads seems to be contributing to my disease. I can't control myself. I'm always adding books to my "to-read" list, which is so long that if I stopped adding books today, I'd still have three years of books on it. Then there is the library, where a drive-by is part of my routine. It's on the way home from work, so it is really unavoidable. If I only make a quick stop to pick up a monthly read, that isn...more
Hi. My name is Carol and I'm a bookoholic.

I've been reading ever since I can remember, but Goodreads seems to be contributing to my disease. I can't control myself. I'm always adding books to my "to-read" list, which is so long that if I stopped adding books today, I'd still have three years of books on it. Then there is the library, where a drive-by is part of my routine. It's on the way home from work, so it is really unavoidable. If I only make a quick stop to pick up a monthly read, that isn't a problem, is it? However, last time I was there I found this little number by Evanovich. I swore off the Stephanie Plum books a few numbers ago, but this one... it was on the New 14-Day Shelf. Why, that's free, not even a rental. How could I pass that up?

description

After I finished, I felt a little dirty and rather regretful. This was a cheap drink bolted down, perfectly serviceable but lacking any soul. There are so many better books to be spending time with--why do I do this to myself?

If you read any book between 8 and 17, you've read this book. No drag queens, but there is Joyce Barnhardt on the run, various oddball bondees getting the best of Steph and Lulu, Steph and Lulu ineptly breaking into a house, a bus blowing up, mom drinking, dad grunting, discussion of Lulu's clothes and eating habits, Grandma Mzur at a funeral, Connie running the business, Vinnie, car escapades, a '53 Buick, Ranger in black, Morelli in boxers, Rex and periodic attempts at kidnapping.

However, it did make me laugh out loud twice. Granted, I was likely delirious after swimming two miles, but I did laugh at a henchman's frustrating interactions with Steph and Lulu (specifically, his inept English cursing (view spoiler)), and an incident with rats (which kind of echoed her incident with a spider and various geese). There was also a semi-interesting plot device of referring to a significant incident that took place in Hawaii, where Steph was headed at the end of book #17. Naturally, everyone's curious what happened, but it takes a few days to find out.

Of course, the usual complaints apply to this book: no forward character motion. Stereotypes that border on the ludicrous. I knew that going in, but with the two or three year break, they were less annoying than they would have been.

Rounding up to two inept stars.

Cross posted at http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2013/0...(less)

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Jan 19, 2012 Duchess Nicole rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: genre-contemp-romance, read-in-2012

*************************
EDIT:
Still frustrated. Still love Lula and Grandma Mazur. Problem is, I love both Morelli and Ranger. I used to lean more toward Morelli, but lately he seems sort of apathetic towards any relationship with Stephanie. It's Ranger that tries to help her out and take care of her, and he seems genuinely worried that she'll get hurt. Morelli just complains that she gives him heartburn.

This one was still definitely worth reading, though if your looking for closure, it still a...more

43 likes · like · see review

Feb 06, 2012 Tori rated it 3 of 5 stars

I liken this series to an original document that you print out all new, and fresh, and perfect. And then the copy get's copied, and that copy gets copied and so on until you end up with a faded, scarred, crooked, ghost of that perfect original. It's old and it's tired and as much as you used to love it, it's time to let it go and start a new, original, document.
When I first discovered this series a few years ago, I absolutely loved it! I'm talking fan girl, crazed, running to the bookstore on m...more

41 likes · like · see review

Nov 25, 2011 Kristi rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

I like Stephanie Plum, I really do, but this series has failed to make any forward progress for at least ten books now. It's the same story over and over (and over) again. It's getting kind of pathetic that Stephanie can't pick a man. And we know that Lula's fat, and wears tacky clothes, and eats more than most circus animals... We don't need constant reminders. Please, please, please add something fresh to this series to keep the reader interested!

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Nov 10, 2012 Karla rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

*Heavy Sigh* Just okay...this needs to be over soon, it's gone on way too long. Pick Joe already Stephanie, although after all you've put him through I don't know why he still wants you. A few laughs, but a lot of the same old same old, and unless Janet Evanovich comes up with a new plot line, this series will be dying a slow, painful death. I will see it through to the end, mostly to see what happens to Joe than any other character, and hopefully I won't be bored to tears in the process.

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Nov 29, 2011 Erika Badass rated it 1 of 5 stars

If you like my review, go like it on Amazon would you ? Maybe JE's publishers will see it...

So, here I am again. I swore I wouldn't read another Evanovich Plum Novel--after my last review of 17, I swore tooth and nail to my husband, my mom, and my blog readers that I wouldn't read it! So...I went to the library. I really just had to know if it was as bad as the previous one. After being teased that she might make a decision in 18, I let my small curiosity overshadow my intellect.

Remember back i...more If you like my review, go like it on Amazon would you ? Maybe JE's publishers will see it...

So, here I am again. I swore I wouldn't read another Evanovich Plum Novel--after my last review of 17, I swore tooth and nail to my husband, my mom, and my blog readers that I wouldn't read it! So...I went to the library. I really just had to know if it was as bad as the previous one. After being teased that she might make a decision in 18, I let my small curiosity overshadow my intellect.

Remember back in the day of the early awesome plum books, where Stephanie felt BAD for kissing Ranger when she was dating Morelli? Remember back in the day where she swore she would never be like Joyce the whore? Remember? Well, it seems Stephanie has inhaled too many donuts, smoke fumes--from her cars always catching fire, and hair spray, because after she slept with Ranger and Morelli on back to back nights in 17, cementing her in my hoochie hall of fame; She is now sleeping with both men regularly in 18. How many times was it? 3 or so with Ranger? 2 or 3 with Morelli and then I'm sure her and Ranger had more sex in Hawaii than we were told. I mean, dudes--it's Ranger...and Hawaii. I would! Well, I would if I wasn't conflicted or dating another man, but hey, that's me. I have morals and scruples and a code of non-whorism.

I wish Joe had caught Steph having sex with Ranger in Hawaii. That would have been good. I also wish we got to see Joe and Ranger fight. That would have been panty melting too. But No.

Picturing Lula in all black with painted on pants and boob squish, does make me laugh. I did laugh a little. But it doesn't make up for the complete 180 degree turns every character in the Plum series has taken. Her mom is a lush, Steph is a whore, Ranger has no sack, Joe lost his possessive balls too, Lula still thinks too much about food, but she at least strives to be better...sometimes. When it's easier ;)

It seems that after 18 books, Ranger and Morelli have lost their balls. Huh. Who would have seen that one coming. Heh, I said coming. Did Stephanie here that? She probably is one of them right now, and while in the throes with whomever it is, is secretly wondering how long she has to wait to sleep with the other one so she doesn't seem tacky. Should she take a shower first? Nah. Why bother? She is just going to get sweaty again.

I jest. Sort of. I know, If I get so angry about the direction, why do I keep reading? I keep hoping things will change and they have! Finally, they have! Only for the worse. I remember thinking, why does she keep getting back with Joe? She should give Ranger a turn. Only, not this way. Why can't she have a relationship again? For a whole book, let her be with Ranger! Then at the end, have Joe tell Ranger to meet him at midnight, in the dark park, alone. with no guns. Only fists. YAY!

Pulease.

Janet Evanovich? What on earth are you doing to your characters? They have completely morphed into pod-people. They have been replaced with robots!

Lula got on my nerves. She reminded me of Boomer from ESPN with his "Whoops!" with her "Bams!"

So, once again we are left on a 'cliff' only this time? I am not falling! I am going to back away, gracefully from the edge, and bow down to the awesomeness that Stephanie used to be, and keep her alive in my memories.

I am getting off the crazy train. If I want to read cars getting blown up, her sneaky snarkness, and some hot glimpses of two actual men...I'll read the early plum books.(less)

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Nov 29, 2011 Sue rated it 2 of 5 stars

You know what, I was actually real hopeful that there would be some development in this book. For the whole series Stephanie and Lula have bungled along.

For a moment I thought there would be some sort of character development. Especially over the whole Hawaii ordeal. I was flipping pages like mad to find out what happened. It was kind of a let down.

We do have some introspection by Stephanie, but she said she's not the introspection type. She remarked abut how she knows it's not good of her to be...more You know what, I was actually real hopeful that there would be some development in this book. For the whole series Stephanie and Lula have bungled along.

For a moment I thought there would be some sort of character development. Especially over the whole Hawaii ordeal. I was flipping pages like mad to find out what happened. It was kind of a let down.

We do have some introspection by Stephanie, but she said she's not the introspection type. She remarked abut how she knows it's not good of her to be with two men, and she should come to a realisation. There's nothing glaringly obvious but it sure looks like we're pushing to (view spoiler).

This round I could honestly couldn't care about the crime and mystery, and I was really interested on the character relationship front with Ranger and Morelli. It seemed like it was going somewhere but it didn't.
It seemed like Morelli and Stephanie would finally have a TALK--where they might actually sit down and be open and confront the serious issue of their relationship, where it's going and what happened in Hawaii--but none of that happened and Morelli just forgave her. Grrrrrr!!! Seriously, I don't think he would be happy to know that Stephanie is (view spoiler)

Huge let down.

At least there's some small improvement with Stephanie. She's still a disaster, but it seems like she's better able of looking after herself. (view spoiler). She did mention the need for kickboxing or some sort of classes to improve, but alas once again nothing came to fruition. Looks like there seems to be no real plans for improvement on Stephanie's front either.

Can't begin to say disappointed I was. I thought for a moment the author was really listening. (less)

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Nov 22, 2011 Reina rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

Spoilers!

I really thought we'd have some romantic resolution in this book. But it's the same old formula she stumbles through things, gets herself into trouble, and doesn't decide anything about the men and leaves you hanging with thinking "maybe in the next book". Please Ms. Evanovich have some character development/ growth! I'll give the series one more book to improve then I am done with it. I'd also love to see Stephanie get better at her job - going to the firing range, taking a self defens...more

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Apr 13, 2012 Lisa Kay rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-in-2012-group-challenge, genre-suspense-a-smidgen-of, genre-romance-contemporary, genre-romance-suspense, genre-humor, amazing-secondary-characters, m-library-sj-audio-oda, setting-usa-new-jersey, genre-chick-lit-ish, well-narrated, reviewed-by-me, animal-hamester-in-story, authors-j, authors-e, zzcover-red-orange

★★★½✩ (This is a review of the audiobook.) Lorelei King does her usual wonderful job giving us Stephanie Plum’s first person POV. I have to be careful or I’m going to associate her voice as only Stephanie’s and she won’t work for me when narrating any other book. Of course, she does a superb Lulu, a funny Grandma Mazur, a sexy Ranger (though most of his dialogue is "Babe" in this one) and a yummy Morelli.

I heard an interview a while ago where Ms. Evanovich said she purposely has no growth plann...more

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Nov 27, 2011 Heather rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011

Here's the thing. I love Janet. I love the Stephanie world, I really do.

However - after 18 books a lot of things are starting to get very old.

Let's start with:
Lula's eating habits: It's getting really annoying, book after book, listening to her bitch and moan about what she eats, what she doesn't eat etc. etc. Either stick the girl on a complete diet or shut up about her eating habits. I really don't care that she's about to get sick after eating 10 cream filled donuts. She's a pig and it's ge...more Here's the thing. I love Janet. I love the Stephanie world, I really do.

However - after 18 books a lot of things are starting to get very old.

Let's start with:
Lula's eating habits: It's getting really annoying, book after book, listening to her bitch and moan about what she eats, what she doesn't eat etc. etc. Either stick the girl on a complete diet or shut up about her eating habits. I really don't care that she's about to get sick after eating 10 cream filled donuts. She's a pig and it's getting disgusting. Then she gets sick and after a few seconds immediately starts stuffing her face again because she thought she was "over it."

Lula and her over-dramatization of EVERYTHING. She's worse then a soap opera half the time. OMG. A cats ashes fell on me I'M BREAKING OUT IN HIVES. OMG! THE OLD GUY WHO CLAIMS TO BE A VAMPIRE JUST GUMMED ME I CAN FEEL MY TEETH GROWING. Seriously? I've read Bronte novels with less drama then Lula.

Stephanie: Her love life, lack of common sense, and the incapability to do her job are past being cute. Yes, she's torn between two men and the chase is fun. It's even more fun now that her and Ranger are hitting the sack a lot more often. But the whole her mother/grandmother trying to fix her up all the time..it's old. It's done. Apparently they haven't gotten the memo yet that Stephanie isn't going to end up with some other guy they throw her way. She's in love with Morelli, she's in lust with Ranger. Her common sense and incapability to do her job go hand in hand.

Let's take the newest book for example shall we?

Stephanie is chasing after a purse thief. That's right ladies and gents A. Purse. Thief. A whiney, child of a purse thief who believes he can just take anything he wants because mommy didn't tell him no enough as a child. So what does our darling, clueless Stephanie do? She takes her purse with her while she's trying to bring the bad guy. And what happens children? He steals her purse and then steals her car.

And if once wasn't bad enough... SHE DOES IT TWICE. Because clearly, she didn't learn her lesson the first time around. And then he continues stealing her car until she's forced to trade it in for a different one because he has the keys to her RAV4.

Also, the whole "I can't ask Ranger help because he'll see me as weak" thing is past its prime. He sees you as weak and he always will. That's why he protects her as much as he does, because Stephanie cannot hold her own. Not even against a purse thief.

You don't like guns. Well, get a different line of work. You don't charge your stun gun? I have no sympathy for you when you get kidnapped. You don't want to call Morelli or Ranger for help because you can't keep your vagina in check... not my problem.

Stephanie is no longer a novice bounty hunter. I would never call her an expert one, but she's been in the game long enough to know the basics. Even Joyce knows how to handle herself more when she's going after FTAs then Stephanie does and this is what Stephanie does for a living.

I really hope Janet starts progressing the character more in the next book. After 18 books, it should have started already.(less)

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Jan 03, 2012 Terri rated it 4 of 5 stars

Stephanie Plum is back with "capers" (read the book - you'll get it) aplenty - each of them more hilarious and scandalous than the next, in Janet Evanovich's latest, "Explosive Eighteen." I give it four stars just because it made me laugh out loud and shout "oh no" and "ewwwww" several times. Evanovich, though not known for her literary merits, is certainly a master entertainer! All of my friends are back - Lula (who was in rare form for #18), Morelli and Ranger (they took a backseat here, as St...more

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Feb 25, 2012 Lindsay Barnes added it

thrilled that we dont have to wait until next summer for another book - hopefully she'll choose between Morelli and Ranger...getting tired of that.

Update: Liked the book lots. Was thrown off but pleased with how she started this one so differently without the readers knowing what happened in Hawaii.

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Jan 04, 2012 Heather rated it 3 of 5 stars

I reorder but im hoping that she finally picks a man and moves on to the level. how long can this series continue the way it is? I really like morelli but pick already. I would love to read about Lula or grandma and could handle a little Stephanie thrown in.

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Aug 16, 2012 bookczuk rated it 4 of 5 stars

Another fun ear-read in the car. Somehow, Janet Evanovich has managed to keep the series vibrant and pretty funny. I have decided that half the fun of it for me is listening to Lorelei King (aka "the voice of Stephanie Plum) do all the characters. I found a video of her, and was pretty astonished to see that there were objections to her voicing of Lula and Connie, both of which I love. It's hard to believe that one woman can do all those parts. The series has grown on me, mostly through audio bo...more

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Jun 26, 2012 Wanda rated it 2 of 5 stars

As you can tell from my rating, I found this book to be terribly disappointing.

I love Ranger, and I hate how Evanovich turned him into nothing more than a booty call for Steph, who is still too immature to deal with her feelings. Even more immature than she was in 17, or earlier books.

I think Steph was stronger and smarter in OFTM than she has been portrayed in the last 5 books. Twelve Sharp was the end of the series, as far as I am concerned. It was the last time any of the characters came clos...more

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Aug 02, 2012 Arushi rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult, romance, mystery

~~Stephanie Plum is a tramp.~~

I was sitting on the porch in my rocking chair, whistling to myself as I read a steamy scene between Steph and Morelli moaning and praying to whoever was listening to drop a Morelli in my arms as well. I flipped to the cover to admire the intricate swirls of the title Juicy eighty five.

And then it hit me.

My hands were wrinkled and the reason for my moans wasn’t the raunchy scene but my old knees. I was dreaming. About reading. This book. Even when. I was ninety years...more

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Feb 08, 2012 michelle rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

Well, that was incredibly disappointing.

I get that when reading this kind of series it is going to be repetitive. It's a comfort thing - formula is good because you know what you're going to get.

Yet after 22 books (18 novels, 4 novellas), you expect /some/ character development. But it was just the same old thing.

Like many others, I want Stephanie to just choose a guy already or just accept that she is a two guy girl. The latter is unlikely because of the underlying prudishness of her charact...more

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Jul 22, 2012 Marcia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: evanovich-janet

Let me begin by saying, I love Stephanie Plum. Love her. I love Morelli, Ranger, Lula, Grandma Mazur, Connie, Vinnie, the Burg, and everything and everyone connected to Stephanie's weird, weird world. No, I don't consider these books to be "great literature," and yes, I do think they are formulaic in the extreme. But the formula still works for me, because...and this is a BIG because...it makes me laugh out loud. Every time. I'm always happy to buy the next book in the series, and Explosive Eigh...more Let me begin by saying, I love Stephanie Plum. Love her. I love Morelli, Ranger, Lula, Grandma Mazur, Connie, Vinnie, the Burg, and everything and everyone connected to Stephanie's weird, weird world. No, I don't consider these books to be "great literature," and yes, I do think they are formulaic in the extreme. But the formula still works for me, because...and this is a BIG because...it makes me laugh out loud. Every time. I'm always happy to buy the next book in the series, and Explosive Eighteen was no exception.

Having said that, I do think that this book seemed to have a little less meat on the bone than most of the earlier ones. And by the time the "Explosion" finally rolled around, it fell a bit flat to me. I wanted it to be...MORE...I guess, rocket launcher or no. But I still enjoyed every page.

My biggest complaint about the series is the same as many others have expressed...Stephanie needs to PICK ONE. And I know in my heart which one it needs to be, namely Joe Morelli. He has waited so patiently for her to grow up and realize he's meant to be with her, that I always end up feeling a bit sad for him. I can't believe she's still dithering around over this issue. NOT that I don't think Ranger is hot. He is. He's sexy, mysterious, and dangerous, too. What he is NOT is domesticated. Can you picture this tiger drying dishes or taking out the garbage? Would you WANT to picture that? Not I. He's perfect fantasy material, but husband? Not so much.
Morelli, on the other hand, is everything a woman could want in a husband, and Stephanie needs to wake up!

In the meantime, I am always uncomfortable with her fairly recent habit of bedhopping between the two men, as though she has no control over her hormones at all. Call me a granny, but I prefer my heroines to behave at least a bit more circumspectly. Of course, a circumspect Stephanie Plum is a bit of an oxy-moron, but still. I would feel better about Stephanie if she aimed higher in that regard. And apparently Stephanie would feel better about herself, as well, judging from her thoughts and comments in this book. Even if the course of her relationship with Morelli (I hope) doesn't always run smoothly, I personally think she should refrain from jumping into bed (or the closet, as the case may be) with Ranger, no matter how alluring he might seem. Otherwise...well, can we say "Bimbo," boys & girls?

Overall, though, these are small complaints for a series of books that still, after all this time, makes me laugh so loudly & so often. And that Laugh Factor alone warrants the 4 stars I'm giving Explosive Eighteen.

Bookin' It (less)

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Nov 27, 2011 Darcy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, e-book, mystery, chick-lit

This book frustrated me to no end. We were halfway thru before we found out what happened in Hawaii and then it was so anti-climatic that I didn't really care. I normally like the back and forth with Morelli and Ranger, but I am getting tired of it. I am all for Ranger but even I can't see things going that way. Although there are some hints that may tie the two closer together in a way I never really saw Stephanie.

As for the rest of the book, Stephanie is still a hot mess. Her antics with her...more

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Nov 30, 2011 Brittany rated it 2 of 5 stars

I really couldn't get into this one. At first, I really thought the author realized that the same old formula and indecision between the characters was becoming absurd and tiring, but obviously not.

The plot was slow and half way through the book I didn't care. It took me less than six hours to read this book due to the enormous margins. There was less humor in this book than in her previous novels- more than a bit disappointing. Thank goodness the library buys these books do I don't have to!

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Dec 29, 2011 Heather Gardner rated it 5 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book just like I have enjoyed all the others. I find them entertaining and laugh out loud funny.
It doesn't seem to bother me, as it does others, that the character Stephanie Plum is sleeping with more than one man at a time. She's young, not in a permanent relationship and FICTIONAL.

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Feb 03, 2012 Franny (The Reader's Edge) rated it 3 of 5 stars

I really think this series needs to reach an end. The books are full of the same stuff different title. I think she needs to pick a guy and wrap it up. This book was better than the 15, 16 and 17, but it really hasn't been the same since 12. An author really needs to know when the money train is over and the fans deserve a resolution. I keep holding out for it to get back to the magic at the beginning of the series. In addition to all this, the ebook prices for these books are unreasonable.

Ok....more

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Dec 16, 2011 Wendy F rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, comedy, contemporary, crime

I'm stuck between a 3 and a 4 star rating.

On one hand, all my old complaints still stand firm. She has got to start putting more time into this series. They all just seem so rushed and like she's not TRYING anymore.

But! I have to say that I have been waiting for (view spoiler). That makes me want to bump it up. Plus I laughed a bit more in this one then in the last two... oh and man, those are two hot men. I swooned a bit.

All in all, I'...more

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Dec 16, 2012 Peter rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum’s life is set to blow sky high when international murder hits dangerously close to home, in this dynamite novel by Janet Evanovich.

Before Stephanie can even step foot off Flight 127 Hawaii to Newark, she’s knee deep in trouble. Her dream vacation turned into a nightmare, and she’s flying back to New Jersey solo. Worse still, her seatmate never returned to the plane after the L.A. layover. Now he’s dead, in a garbage can, waiting for curbside pickup. His killer could

...more

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Jun 10, 2013 Anderson County Library rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: what-patrons-are-reading

Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum's life is set to blow sky high when international murder hits dangerously close to home. Before Stephanie can even step off plane from Hawaii to home, she's in trouble. Her vacation turned into a nightmare, and she's flying back to New Jersey. Worse still, her seatmate never returned to the plane after the L.A. layover. Now he's dead. And a ragtag collection of thugs and psychos, not to mention the FBI, are all looking for a photograph the dead man was supposed to be...more

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May 15, 2013 Nardy rated it 4 of 5 stars

A guy's perspective is in need here :)
I totally agree with the majority of reviews. I've been saying the same thing since around the 8th book. The situations are funny,the banter and humor are usually on point but,damn Janet!
I forget which book it was that Ranger took Stephanie to the gun range and she proved to be a decent shot. I thought,yes! Finally we get some forward development. Then back into the jar the gun goes. The same mishaps over and over. I'm really tired of seeing the complete a...more

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May 05, 2013 Paula Phillips rated it 4 of 5 stars

Stephanie Plum is back and this time she is hiding a few secrets up her sleeves , the one though that everyone is dying to know is - "What happened in Hawaii"? . From dead guys , fake FBI agents, real FBI agents and random hitmans , not to mention a ring tanline - everyone is wondering what went on ? After the bail bonds was blown up , we saw the team relocate into the Mooner's bus but it seems that they are having trouble staying in one place as this bus goes kaboom as well. We read as Lula and...more

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Apr 01, 2013 Shaylee rated it 2 of 5 stars

My roommate recommended this series to me and I've been hooked for the last month or so, reading the books one after the other. This book was really disappointing as I was (patiently) expecting a turn around to the overall downward trajectory to the series. Readers need atleast SOME satisfaction/closure/forward movement to keep them interested and here we are at book 18 waiting for a big beautiful plate of Thanksgiving dinner... To be served a big fat plate of nothing! I've also begun to realize...more

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Mar 03, 2013 Catherine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013

While on a trip to NYC, I read Janet Evanovich's Explosive Eighteen in two sittings. These books read like eye candy. I managed to spend three hours to get through the first two hundred pages. It made for a good distraction as it was too cold to do much sight seeing after work.

The book reads like most of Stephanie's other capers. She starts the book single and mad at both Morelli and Ranger. In this book there is a small mystery about 'what happened in Hawaii'. The mystery carries through about...more

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About Janet Evanovich

Janet Evanovich is the #1 bestselling author of the Stephanie Plum novels, twelve romance novels, the Alexandra Barnaby novels and graphic novels, Wicked Appetite (the first book in the Lizzy and Diesel series,) and How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author.

Also published books under the name Steffie Hall.

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Books by Janet Evanovich

Three to Get Deadly (Stephanie Plum, #3)

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Trivia About Explosive Eighteen

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Quotes from Explosive Eighteen

“[Stephanie Plum]Jeez. No True Love"
[Grandma Mazur] There's always been true love, but in my day, you either talked yourself into thinking you had it, or you talked yourself into thinking you didn't need it.” — 16 people liked it

“It wasn't exactly that Lula was fat. It was more that she was too short for her weight." - Stephanie Plum” — 13 people liked it

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avg rating	preview: Explosive Eighteen Goodreads rating: 3.83 (30473 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11746513-explosive-eighteen?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320458880l/11746513.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11746513-explosive-eighteen?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich[/url]

Explosive Eighteen (Stephanie Plum #18)

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