Three to Get Deadly

Book: Three to Get Deadly

Author: Janet Evanovich

Grade: B+

Meet Stephanie Plum: Private Investigator Extraordinaire....or not. After finding herself broke and jobless, desperation leads her to beg her cousin Vinnie for work as a bounty hunter - with no experience, a sassy mouth and a problematic fear of guns. Add Stephanie's feisty gun toting grandmother and an outrageous former prostitute sidekick to the mix and you have yourself the most unlikely team of private investigators imaginable. Further complicating the situation is Joe Morelli: former high school lover who is now a cop and on her tail (figuratively of course). Buckle up and prepare yourself for a hilarious crime stopping romp!

The third installment of the Stephanie Plum series (there are 14 in all), "Three to get Deadly," finds Stephanie stuck with the unenviable task of hunting down the single most revered man in the town. Mo Bedemeir has owned the neighborhood candy shop (a staple of the community) for over a decade before finding himself arrested for carrying a concealed weapon and skipping bail. Ms. Plum must hunt him down, bring him in and turn him over to police. Easy enough right? The old man who sells penny candies can't be that difficult to find and reason with. Wrong - very wrong.

Instantaneously, Stephanie becomes Trenton's number one villain for even considering completing such a mission. Neighbors are hostile, her family is hysterical over the loss of their reputation and death threats become a daily occurrence. Alarmingly, evidence starts surfacing which suggests a far more sinister side to the beloved candy man. Dead drug dealers start appearing buried under the basement of Mo's candy shop - while clues to his secret sexual practices point to a whole new set of motives and accomplices.

"Three to Get Deadly" keeps you alternately laughing and holding your breath in anticipation. Stephanie is a bumbling, slightly ditzy and totally unqualified bounty hunter. Her trips and falls make her easy to identify and bond with; keeping you rooting for her as the underdog. Enjoyable easy reading from beginning to end - perfect beach read!