Ten Big Ones

By book ten, Stephanie Plum's formula is exactly what it is: Stephanie gets in over her head, Grandma Mazur steals scenes, the Morelli-Ranger triangle goes nowhere, and things blow up — sometimes literally. This time a gang contract on Stephanie's life gives the stakes a sharper edge than usual, and the supporting cast (including Sally Sweet) delivers genuine laughs. For fans who've made it this far, it's a reliable couple of hours. But that's also the ceiling: the romantic arc is deliberately stalled, Stephanie's growth is minimal, and the mature content — language, implied sexuality, gang violence — keeps it firmly adult. New readers have no reason to start here when book one is sitting right there. Comfort reading for the faithful; nothing more.