2008, ISBN: 9781416556985

Headline. Fair. 6.26 x 9.17 x 1.02 inches. Paperback. 2008. 320 pages. Ex-library. Cover worn.<br>In the fourteenth book in t he series, the stakes are raised even higher as Stephan… More...

Headline. Fair. 6.26 x 9.17 x 1.02 inches. Paperback. 2008. 320 pages. Ex-library. Cover worn.<br>In the fourteenth book in t he series, the stakes are raised even higher as Stephanie Plum fi nds herself in her most dangerous, hilarious, hottest, chase yet. With her loveably offbeat family along for the ride (as well as a few new faces), it's clear to see why the Plum novels are calle d Hot Stuff by the New York Times and why Evanovich herself is ca lled the master. Editorial Reviews From Publishers Weekly Starr ed Review. Lorelei King returns to Trenton, N.J., to continue the misadventures of Stephanie Plum, intermittently successful bount y hunter. King is one of many to voice Janet Evanovich's successf ul series, but her voice can be heard above the crowd, especially when she's bringing the more colorful characters to life. Her fo rmer prostitute Lula can tear down walls with the force of her pe rsonality, and King gives professional security specialist (read mercenary) Ranger the measured tones of one who is always in cont rol. Stephanie spends much of the book blue from a briefcase dye bomb. King's Plum accepts her blueness and responds to the reacti ons with indignity, ruefulness and eventually resignation. In add ition to established favorites, Evanovich has thrown into the mix a 60-ish singer trying to hang onto fame who gives King plenty o f scope for her Southern side. Fearless Fourteen becomes peerless fourteen with narrator King at the helm. A St. Martin's hardcove r (Reviews, May 19). (June) Copyright ® Reed Business Informatio n, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This t ext refers to the audioCD edition. From Booklist Our heroine, th e irrepressible bounty hunter Stephanie Plum, finds herself watch ing over a goth teen called Zook, who is heavily into gaming, aft er his mom can't make bail and disappears (or has been kidnapped) . A lot of people think there is stolen money buried in or near O fficer Morelli's little house--that's Steph's Morelli, the cop wh o is her number-one boyfriend most of the time, or at least when the entrancing Ranger isn't nearby. The money is the reason behin d Zook's mom's disappearance, and it's the tie that binds Evanovi ch's various plotlines, which carom about endlessly, not always r esolving. Questions abound: Are Steph's sidekick, the plus-size L ula, and Ranger's man Tank really engaged? Ranger is working secu rity for a fading but brassy pop star: How does Steph manage to g et into and out of her reality show? Can Zook and his sidekicks p rotect Morelli's house--and Stephanie--with their homegrown weapo nry (think potatoes as missiles)? Where else but Evanovich's four teenth novel can a line like it's raining money and popsicles! ac tually make sense? Fans will be delighted, but others, who stumbl e into the series at this advanced point, may find themselves sta rved for backstory, so much so that they may need to go all the w ay back to One for the Money (1994). --GraceAnne A. DeCandido --T his text refers to the audioCD edition. From the Back Cover Per sonal vendettas. Hidden treasure. A monkey named Carl. In her lat est adventure, bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is as fearless as eve r... The Crime: Armed robbery to the tune of nine million dollar s. Dom Rizzi robbed a bank, stashed the money, and did the time. His family couldn't be more proud. He always was the smart one. The Cousin: Joe Morelli. Morelli is Dom's cousin. He's also a cop . Less than a week after Dom's release from prison, Morelli has s hadowy figures breaking into his house and dying in his basement. Meanwhile, Dom has gone missing... The Catastrophe: Moonman. Mo relli hires Walter Mooner Dunphy, stoner and inventor turned crim e fighter, to protect his house. Morelli is low on cash. Mooner w ill work for potatoes. The Cupcake: Stephanie Plum. Stephanie an d Morelli have a long-standing relationship that involves sex, af fection, and driving each other nuts. She's a bond enforcement ag ent with more luck than talent, and she's involved in this bank-r obbery-gone-bad disaster from day one. The Crisis: Ranger. Secur ity expert Carlos Manoso, street name Ranger, has a job for Steph anie that will involve night work. Morelli has his own ideas rega rding Stephanie's evening activities. The Conclusion: Be fearles s. Read FOURTEEN! Visit: www.evanovich.com --This text refers to the audioCD edition. Review [Lorelei] King is one of many to v oice Janet Evanovich's successful series, but her voice can be he ard above the crowd...Fearless Fourteen becomes peerless fourteen with narrator King at the helm. -Publishers Weekly, Starred Revi ew Lorelei King gives a fantastic performance... relax and enjoy Evanovich's tight writing and King's amazing reading of everyone from Stephanie to tough cops to adolescent boys to a Big Black M ama of a woman. -AudioFile on Fearless Fourteen, an Earphones Awa rd Winner AudioFile Golden Earphones Award-winning actress Lorel ei King, who also read Evanovich's Eleven on Top and Twelve Sharp , returns, effectively bringing to life more than a dozen of Evan ovich's legendarily quirky characters. -Kirkus Reviews For fans of Evanovich mysteries on audiobook, Lorelei King is more than a reader -- she is Stepahnie Plum. -Publishers Weekly Stephanie Pl um is a bounty hunter with a great sense of humor that balances o ut her attitude and worse luck...like Dorothy Parker with a lousy job and a Jersey accent. -Time Evanovich's series is as addicti ve as Fritos...Evanovich serves up consistently craveable goodies . -People These books are really just laugh-out-loud funny. -Hub Pages --This text refers to the audioCD edition. Excerpt. ® Repr inted by permission. All rights reserved. Chapter One In my min d, my kitchen is filled with crackers and cheese, roast chicken l eftovers, farm fresh eggs, and coffee beans ready to grind. The r eality is that I keep my Smith & Wesson in the cookie jar, my Ore os in the micro wave, a jar of peanut butter and hamster food in the over-the-counter cupboard, and I have beer and olives in the refrigerator. I used to have a birthday cake in the freezer for e mergencies, but I ate it. Truth is, I would dearly love to be a domestic goddess, but the birthday cake keeps getting eaten. I m ean, you buy it, and you eat it, right? And then where are you? N o birthday cake. Ditto cheese and crackers and eggs and the roast chicken leftovers (which were from my mother). The coffee beans are light-years away. I don't own a grinder. I guess I could buy two birthday cakes, but I'm afraid I'd eat both. My name is Ste phanie Plum, and in my defense I'd like to say that I have bread and milk on my shopping list, and I don't have any communicable d iseases. I'm five feet, seven inches. My hair is brown and should er length and naturally curly. My eyes are blue. My teeth are mos tly straight. My manicure was pretty good three days ago, and my shape is okay. I work as a bond enforcement agent for my cousin V innie, and today I was standing in Loretta Rizzi's kitchen, think ing not only was Loretta ahead of me in the kitchen-needs-a-makeo ver race, but she made me look like a piker in the Loose Cannon C lub. It was eight in the morning, and Loretta was wearing a lon g, pink flannel nightgown and holding a gun to her head. I'm go nna shoot myself, Loretta said. Not that it would matter to you, because you get your money dead or alive, right? Technically, t hat's true, I told her. But dead is a pain in the tuchus. There's paperwork. A lot of the people Vinnie bonds out are from my Ch ambersburg neighborhood in Trenton, New Jersey. Loretta Rizzi was one of those people. I went to school with Loretta. She's a year older than me, and she left high school early to have a baby. No w she was wanted for armed robbery, and she was about to blow her brains out. Vinnie had posted Loretta's bond, and Loretta had failed to show for her court appearance, so I was dispatched to d rag her back to jail. And as luck would have it, I walked in at a bad moment and interrupted her suicide. I just wanted a drink, Loretta said. Yeah, but you held up a liquor store. Most peopl e would have gone to a bar. I didn't have any money, and it was hot, and I needed a Tom Collins. A tear rolled down Loretta's ch eek. I've been thirsty lately, she said. Loretta is a half a he ad shorter than me. She has curly black hair and a body kept tone d by hefting serving trays for catered affairs at the fire house. She hasn't changed much since high school. A few crinkle lines a round her eyes. A little harder set to her mouth. She's Italian-A merican and related to half the Burg, including my off-and-on boy friend, Joe Morelli. This was your first offense. And you didn' t shoot anyone. Probably you'll get off with a hand-slap, I told Loretta. I had my period, she said. I wasn't thinking right. Loretta lives in a rented row house on the edge of the Burg. She has two bedrooms, one bath, a scrubbed-clean, crackerbox kitchen, and a living room filled with secondhand furniture. Hard to make ends meet when you're a single mother without a high school dipl oma. The back door swung open and my sidekick, Lula, stuck her head in. What's going on in here? I'm tired of waiting in the car . I thought this was gonna be a quick pickup, and then we were go ing for breakfast. Lula is a former 'ho, turned bonds office fi le clerk and wheelman. She's a plus-size black woman who likes to squash herself into too small clothes featuring animal print and spandex. Lula's cup runneth over from head to toe. Loretta is having a bad morning, I said. Lula checked Loretta out. I can s ee that. She's still in her nightie. Notice anything else? I as ked Lula. You mean like she's tryin' to style her hair with a S mith & Wesson? I don't want to go to jail, Loretta said. It's not so bad, Lula told her. If you can get them to send you to th e work house, you'll get dental. I'm a disgrace, Loretta said. Lula shifted her weight on her spike-heeled Manolo knock-offs. You be more of a disgrace if you pull that trigger. You'll have a big hole in your head, and your mother won't be able to have an open-casket viewing. And who's going to clean up the mess it'll m ake in your kitchen? I have an insurance policy, Loretta said. If I kill myself, my son, Mario, will be able to manage until he can get a job. If I go to jail, he'll be on his own without any m oney. Insurance policies don't pay out on suicides, Lula said. Oh crap! Is that true? Loretta asked me. Yeah. Anyway, I don' t know why you're worried about that. You have a big family. Some one will take care of Mario. It's not that easy. My mother is i n rehab from when she had the stroke. She can't take him. And my brother, Dom, can't take him. He just got out of jail three days ago. He's on probation. What about your sister? My sister's g ot her hands full with her own kids. Her rat turd husband left he r for some pre-puberty lap dancer. There must be someone who ca n baby-sit for you, Lula said to Loretta. Everyone's got their own thing going. And I don't want to leave Mario with just anybod y. He's very sensitive . . . and artistic. I counted back and p laced her kid in his early teens. Loretta had never married, and so far as I know, she'd never fingered a father for him. Maybe you could take him, Loretta said to me. What? No. No, no, no, n o. Just until I can make bail. And then I'll try to find someon e more permanent. If I take you in now, Vinnie can bond you out right away. Yeah, but if something goes wrong, I need someone to pick Mario up after school. What can go wrong? I don't kno w. A mother worries about these things. Promise you'll pick him u p if I'm still in jail. He gets out at two-thirty. She'll do it , Lula said to Loretta. Just put the gun down and go get dressed so we can get this over and done. I need coffee. I need one of th ose extra-greasy breakfast sandwiches. I gotta clog my arteries o n account of otherwise the blood rushes around too fast and I mig ht get a dizzy spell. Lula was sprawled on the brown Naugahyde couch hugging the wall in the bonds office, and Vinnie's office m anager, Connie Rosolli, was at her desk. Connie and the desk had been strategically placed in front of Vinnie's inner-office door with the hope it would discourage pissed-off pimps, bookies, and other assorted lowlifes from rushing in and strangling Vinnie. What do you mean she isn't bonded out? I asked Connie, my voice r ising to an octave normally only heard from Minnie Mouse. She h as no money to secure the bond. And no assets. That's impossibl e. Everyone has assets. What about her mother? Her brother? She m ust have a hundred cousins living in a ten-mile radius. She's w orking on it, but right now she has nothing. Bupkus. Nada. So Vin nie's waiting on her. Yeah, and it's almost two-thirty, Lula sa id.You better go get her kid like you promised. Connie swiveled her head toward me and her eyebrows went up to her hairline. You promised to take care of Mario? I said I'd pick him up if Lore tta wasn't bonded out in time. I didn't know there'd be an issue with her bond. Oh boy, Connie said. Good luck with that one. Loretta said he was sensitive and artistic. I don't know about the sensitive part, but his art is limited to spray paint. He's p robably defaced half of Trenton. Loretta has to pick him up from school because they won't let him on a school bus. I hiked my b ag onto my shoulder. I'm just driving him home. That was the deal . There might be some gray area in the deal, Lula said. You mig ht've said you'd take care of him. And anyways, you can't dump hi m in an empty house. You get child ser vices after you for doin' that. Well, what the heck am I supposed to do with him? Lula and Connie did I don't know shoulder shrugs. Maybe I can sign f or Loretta's bond, I said to Connie. I don't think that'll fly, Connie said. You're the only person I know who has fewer assets than Loretta. Great. I huffed out of the office and rammed myse lf into my latest P.O.S. car. It was a Nissan Sentra that used to be silver but was now mostly rust. It had doughnut-size wheels, a Jaguar hood ornament, and a bobble-head Tony Stewart doll in th e back window. I like Tony Stewart a lot, but see, Headline, 2008, 2, Simon & Schuster, 2008. Simon & Schuster 2008 Very Good/ Unread, mended edgetear o/w Fine. In Plastic. ReviewFifteen years after court imposed desegregation, Jamie Ray Griffin is among the first students at his Louisiana high school to integrate. Berated by many of his white classmates, Jamie channels his anger into football and lands a starring role, earning the distant admiration, but not respect, of his peers and community. The brutal assault and lynching of his cousin prompts him to enroll in a black college in pursuit of a career in football, but balancing the rigors of practice and academics proves daunting. When an injury sidelines him for good and his grades slip beyond resurrection, Jamie returns to a low-paying job in his hometown and begins to confront the truth about himself. From Originally self-published in 1992, Hill's debut novel is a grim, archetypal tale of a young black man who almost averts a squalid fate. Jamie Ray Griffin is among the first students to integrate his local high school in 1970s rural Louisiana15 years after court-imposed desegregation. Despite harassment, Jamie internalizes his anger much better than does his best friend, Booger, whose volatile temper leads to a riot on the first day of school. Jamie's athletic abilities earn him a starring role on the football team and the apparent respect of local residents. Yet when his cousin is caught dating a white girl, Jamie witnesses a brutal assault and lynching, which he vows never to forget. In pursuit of a pro football career, he attends a local black university; while struggling to balance academics and increasing athletic demands, he falls in love with Stacy Lefere, an accomplished, upper-class black woman. His exploitive coaches drive others to quit, but Jamie, intent on a pro career, plays hard while his grades slide. When a crippling injury ends his chances to remain in college, Jamie is overlooked in the NFL draft and fails in a subsequent tryout as aagent when his knee again collapses. Unable to accept Stacy's love, and with academic failureabetted by counselors who urge him to take "bowling" and "sports injuries"a near certainty, he returns to a low-paying job at home and begins to confront the truth about himself when a profoundly senseless, stupid tragedy strikes. Hill writes some flavorful dialogue, but his tale is much better at conveying sociological truth than psychological complexity. 1996. Paperback. Very Good., Simon & Schuster, 2008, 3<

2008, ISBN: 9781416556985

Hardcover

Putnam, 1992. Hard Cover Hardcover. VERY GOOD/VERY GOOD. • Binding: Hard Cover • 1992 • Previous owner's name written in book, otherwise clean pages. Tight square bi… More...

Putnam, 1992. Hard Cover Hardcover. VERY GOOD/VERY GOOD. • Binding: Hard Cover • 1992 • Previous owner's name written in book, otherwise clean pages. Tight square binding. Dust jacket has light scuffs in the shine. •, Putnam, 1992, 3, Simon & Schuster, 2008. Simon & Schuster 2008 Very Good/ Unread, mended edgetear o/w Fine. In Plastic. ReviewFifteen years after court imposed desegregation, Jamie Ray Griffin is among the first students at his Louisiana high school to integrate. Berated by many of his white classmates, Jamie channels his anger into football and lands a starring role, earning the distant admiration, but not respect, of his peers and community. The brutal assault and lynching of his cousin prompts him to enroll in a black college in pursuit of a career in football, but balancing the rigors of practice and academics proves daunting. When an injury sidelines him for good and his grades slip beyond resurrection, Jamie returns to a low-paying job in his hometown and begins to confront the truth about himself. From Originally self-published in 1992, Hill's debut novel is a grim, archetypal tale of a young black man who almost averts a squalid fate. Jamie Ray Griffin is among the first students to integrate his local high school in 1970s rural Louisiana15 years after court-imposed desegregation. Despite harassment, Jamie internalizes his anger much better than does his best friend, Booger, whose volatile temper leads to a riot on the first day of school. Jamie's athletic abilities earn him a starring role on the football team and the apparent respect of local residents. Yet when his cousin is caught dating a white girl, Jamie witnesses a brutal assault and lynching, which he vows never to forget. In pursuit of a pro football career, he attends a local black university; while struggling to balance academics and increasing athletic demands, he falls in love with Stacy Lefere, an accomplished, upper-class black woman. His exploitive coaches drive others to quit, but Jamie, intent on a pro career, plays hard while his grades slide. When a crippling injury ends his chances to remain in college, Jamie is overlooked in the NFL draft and fails in a subsequent tryout as aagent when his knee again collapses. Unable to accept Stacy's love, and with academic failureabetted by counselors who urge him to take "bowling" and "sports injuries"a near certainty, he returns to a low-paying job at home and begins to confront the truth about himself when a profoundly senseless, stupid tragedy strikes. Hill writes some flavorful dialogue, but his tale is much better at conveying sociological truth than psychological complexity. 1996. Paperback. Very Good., Simon & Schuster, 2008, 3<

2008, ISBN: 9781416556985

Simon & Schuster, 2008. Simon & Schuster 2008 Very Good/ Unread, mended edgetear o/w Fine. In Plastic. ReviewFifteen years after court imposed desegregation, Jamie Ray Griffin i… More...

Simon & Schuster, 2008. Simon & Schuster 2008 Very Good/ Unread, mended edgetear o/w Fine. In Plastic. ReviewFifteen years after court imposed desegregation, Jamie Ray Griffin is among the first students at his Louisiana high school to integrate. Berated by many of his white classmates, Jamie channels his anger into football and lands a starring role, earning the distant admiration, but not respect, of his peers and community. The brutal assault and lynching of his cousin prompts him to enroll in a black college in pursuit of a career in football, but balancing the rigors of practice and academics proves daunting. When an injury sidelines him for good and his grades slip beyond resurrection, Jamie returns to a low-paying job in his hometown and begins to confront the truth about himself. From Originally self-published in 1992, Hill's debut novel is a grim, archetypal tale of a young black man who almost averts a squalid fate. Jamie Ray Griffin is among the first students to integrate his local high school in 1970s rural Louisiana15 years after court-imposed desegregation. Despite harassment, Jamie internalizes his anger much better than does his best friend, Booger, whose volatile temper leads to a riot on the first day of school. Jamie's athletic abilities earn him a starring role on the football team and the apparent respect of local residents. Yet when his cousin is caught dating a white girl, Jamie witnesses a brutal assault and lynching, which he vows never to forget. In pursuit of a pro football career, he attends a local black university; while struggling to balance academics and increasing athletic demands, he falls in love with Stacy Lefere, an accomplished, upper-class black woman. His exploitive coaches drive others to quit, but Jamie, intent on a pro career, plays hard while his grades slide. When a crippling injury ends his chances to remain in college, Jamie is overlooked in the NFL draft and fails in a subsequent tryout as aagent when his knee again collapses. Unable to accept Stacy's love, and with academic failureabetted by counselors who urge him to take "bowling" and "sports injuries"a near certainty, he returns to a low-paying job at home and begins to confront the truth about himself when a profoundly senseless, stupid tragedy strikes. Hill writes some flavorful dialogue, but his tale is much better at conveying sociological truth than psychological complexity. 1996. Paperback. Very Good., Simon & Schuster, 2008, 3<