Rating: 
Summary: Never a disappointment...
Review: I have recently added Janet Evanovich to the extremely small list of authors that I will buy in hardback (Parker and Grafton are the only others - although I think I just deleted Grafton with her latest). And I am happy to report that I am not sorry for marking the release date of Seven Up on my calendar.After reading some of the editorial reviews, I was scared that I'd be reading page after page of the same Plum formula - destroyed cars, transvetites, midgets, etc, at the expense of the plot. JE wisely decides that less is sometimes more: only one car is maltreated, and it appears to be repairable. Weird characters abound, but they are mostly of the geriatric variety, and their problems and idiosyncracies are ones that most of us can visualize without much problem, although the, umm, byproducts, of these idiosyncracies are strictly Jersey. The plot of this story actually flows - I know that a few reviewers have had problems with it, but I personally found this story to be the most cohesive plot of the whole series, one that will have you nodding your head as you realize that you would do much the same thing in her situation. Her previous novels, particularly the first three, although I enjoyed them to no end, sometimes failed the "why would any sane, human person do that" test. This novel gives real moments to some usually peripheral characters: Steph's perfect sister Valerie is back from CA with two bizarre kids, no husband (he departed for places unknown with the babysitter and all of the family money) and a decision tto be a lesbian so she won't have to deal with scummy men. The Dealer, aka Dougie Kruper, and the Mooner are back as total pothead lovables who wind up in the midst of the plot. Steph's mom - in denial about menopause - gets accepted to school to be a nurse after several decades as a Burg housewife. And Steph herself is sort of engaged to vice cop Joe Morelli, while fellow bounty hunter Ranger has escalated the game of seduction to new levels. I really like that every book gives the main characters new dimensions, like they're growing along with us. All of this is backdrop to Steph's search for a decrepit mobster named Eddie DeChooch, whose prostate and hearing problems propel this story. This sounds less interesting than it actually is - wait until you read the story of DeChooch's mishearing of a simple set of instructions... So buy this book! Treasure it as a maturation of all the characters, a slice of life, whatever, just treasure it! I've owned it for 36 hours and read it twice!
Rating: 
Summary: Not up to typical Evanovich standards
Review: I have loved all of the previous Stephanie Plum books but I have to admit I was disappointed with this one. It didn't seem near as funny as the others. The plot was weak and the characters all seemed to be suffering from depression.I hope that this is just an aberation and that book eight will measure up to the first six.
Rating:
Summary: Great mystery-plenty of surprises
Review: Trenton, New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum becomes nervous as her boyfriend, police detective Joe Morelli, begins talking about marriage. Stephanie's mother wants a date set so they can buy a bridal dress and rent a hall. Stephanie stalls and uses a case from cousin Vinnie, owner of a bail bond business, to evade her mother and her lover. Stephanie is expected to pick up a seventy-something year old person who never made his court appearance. However, she finds him difficult to apprehend as he keeps slipping away. During her search, Stephanie is shot at, propositioned, and threatened. She uses herself as bait to catch her mark, but instead he kidnaps her grandmother. He uses his victim to force Stephanie to accept his terms. Desperate, she turns to former mercenary Ranger to help her, even as she wonders whether she really wants to pay the price he extracts from her for his services. This is the seventh book in the Plum series and it is the funniest and most enjoyable of a strong collection of novels. The villain is likable with many quirks and the budding romantic triangle provides a human angle to the characters, especially Stephanie. Janet Evanovich shows her talent by creating an innovative and delightful story line. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: Terrific comedy; a great choice for summer reading
Review: How I love a Stephanie Plum book! This one does not disappoint in that it delivers a hilarious string of vignettes involving the strange and shady peoples of Stephanie's acquaintance. Hooray that everyone wasn't gathered into one scene for an over-the-top slapstick sketch (as was done in one previous book). But would it be possible, Janet, that in book Number Eight you (1) show us Stephanie. She IS the star of the series; I missed getting into her head this time. (2) You do away with the Joyce-is-a-bounty-hunter idea. It didn't work the first time, and it has never worked since. A tiny bit of Joyce is great. More Joyce is not. (3) You get away from the funeral home. The same joke done, what, three? four? times gets stale. (5) Show us Stephanie improving in her job. As time goes by and she gets worse and worse, the impression is that she's stupid, and I'm sure you don't want your readers to think that! And (5), you give us about a hundred more pages not only of Stephanie, but of good, solid plot like in book number one. Oh, and (6): about that deja vu ending... But as a read in and of itself, the book kept me laughing at its language, its concepts, and the dwellers of the Burg. Evanovich writes the funniest stuff out there. There's a lot of sexual tension, too -- thank you! And perfect Sister finally shows her face. This isn't the best Plum book, but it's definitely not the worst. More plot, more Stephanie, less deja vu for next time, Janet, please! (And what the heck does "Seven Up" mean here?) One last note: isn't it odd that today, the day after the book went on sale, there are two used copies being offered on Amazon?
Rating:
Summary: Another brilliant success
Review: I read this book in under 24 hours after I bought it on it's release date of 6/19/01. It is excellent!!! Sister Valerie, Mom and Grandma Mazur are hysterical! But most exciting is the ever evolving relationship between Steph, Ranger and Morelli. I will be biting my nails with anticipation for book 8. I can't believe I have to wait a whole year. Thanks for this most excellent novel Janet. Keep up the good work.
Rating:
Summary: Not quite up to par
Review: "Seven Up" is another lively Stephanie adventure, with hair issues, crazy Grandma, car crackups, laughs with Lula, sexy heat with the two sexy men, and, of course, the continuing adventures of the Mooner and Dougie. Unfortunately, "7" isn't quite as good as the previous few Evanovich books, with fewer laugh-out-loud moments and a mystery that seems slightly less compelling. Also, Evanovich leaves us with another cliffhanger, and I must admit, after three of them, I am feeling slightly annoyed. Someone tell Janet that we'd buy 'em anyway! (Personally, I've been buying 'em all the first day since "Two for the Dough.") Despite that, there are a lot of good moments in "7." In-depth character development isn't a strength of these books (I mean, we don't read 'em for that), but despite that, Ranger is subtly developed even further in "7," which makes for some more interesting interactions with Stephanie. And Morelli -- well, which of us wouldn't kill for a Morelli in our lives? Grandma provides a few of those priceless Grandma moments, and the Mooner returns, hysterical as ever. And, thankfully, she doesn't have nearly as many car moments -- they were getting a big unbelievable. But all in all, "7" was a slight disappointment. It doesn't introduce the same one-shot strong supporting characters we've seen in other books, in addition to the regulars (I mean, who can forget Sally Sweet, or the midget FTA from Five?). I enjoyed it -- it simply wasn't up to the standard set in previous books. But, in the end, let's be honest here -- mediocre for an Evanovich book is still better than most of the humdrum mystery pack.
Rating:
Summary: Stephanie Returns!
Review: After anxiously keeping up with the progress of this book, I rushed out to buy it the day it was released and then immediately sat down and read it all. And, wow, what a read! These books just keep getting better and better. Though this installment isn't as funny as the previous ones (and it doesn't miss by much, mind you) it does show that Steph is growing up and maturing. She's not a static character and luckily Janet isn't keeping her "the same old Steph." She's starting to realize her strengths and weaknesses and I feel that she's beginning to "come into her own." This book had some moments that were a little bit darker than what Evanovich fans may be used to, but they fit in nicely with the developement of our heroine, and with the developement of the supporting cast. What sort of developements, well, you'll just have to read for yourself. On a final note, I *loved* Bob's scenes in this book. I still get a chuckle thinking about them.
Rating:
Summary: Can't Wait For #8!
Review: I have to first admit to loving the Stephanie Plum series, so I may be a little biased. I rushed out to buy this book and I was not disappointed. It was not the best of the series, but that is not really a criticism when it is such a great series. I laughed out loud in several places and that is the highest praise I can give any comedic book. I don't know how I am going to fill the time waiting for Janet Evanovich's next Plum adventure.
Rating:
Summary: waiting impatiently....
Review: i will admit that i loved this book. the not-quite-as-perfect-as-everyone-thought sister is a wonderful addition. i mean, thoughout the entire series, stephanie as been compared to her sister, valerie, and now we finally met her...right after she becomes the not-so-perfect daughter. anyways, this time the fta that she spends the entire book chasing is an old, used-to-be gangster type guy. of course that fact that he also was dating grandma mazur not too long along ago adds and interesting twist. mooner and dougie are back and are still involved in more stuff than seems possible. the romance between stephanie and joe gets to the point of being engaged to be engaged and then disappears. and the tension between stephanie and ranger comes to an all time high, and then a sudden stop when the book ends...which means all of the readers must wait patiently (or impatiently in my case) for the next book to be released next year to find out if stephanie and ranger will ever get to do anything more than kiss...ugh... but that's ok, besides the dissappointment about being left hanging again...it is a wonderful book. i was laughing out loud a lot. the book is definitely funny and has all the classic things that all plum mysteries must have...wrecking at least one car, lula in lycra, stiva's funeral home, and dad wanting to get rid of grandma. so, i definitely would recommend this book, but maybe don't buy it until closer to when the next one comes out...that way you don't have to wait quite so long.
Rating:
Summary: more laughs, more suspense
Review: I just discovered the Stephanie Plum series a week ago, amd finished up with running out to my nearest book store to buy this edition, #7. I can't say I was disappointed. I've been waiting for a little more action between Steph and Ranger and it looks like it's finally happening. Don't get me wrong I like Morelli too, I just think that a little competition will be good for him. The whole family is a hoot, including Rex and Bob. The evergrowing extented "family" is great too, I was hoping to hear more about Sally Sweet again though, maybe next time. Nobody can get in more predicaments than Steohanie, and if you are in need of a good laugh then I recommend you read this whole series. The only problem I'm having is that it took me less than a week to read the first seven books and now I have to wait a year for the next addition, bummer dude!
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