Tedious Formulaic with same-old same-old

I have listened to all 19 of the Stephanie Plum novels. There are so many characters in them that you come to love: Grandma, Lula, Connie, Moreli, Ranger, etc -- we even have a movie. But, the problem with the series at 19 is that Evanovich is using recycled events. Yup, Stephanie’s car gets blown up and Moreli’s car in flames. Bombing, knifing shooting, Lula pouncing, stun-gun, and a tiki all set in a mystery that I hardly was able to care about. A tiki, really? Can Evanovich possible pack more recycled gimmicks into a seven hour listen?

Evanovich still hasn’t moved any of the characters forward in their relationships except for a few, inconsequential declarations. Sure Stephanie Plum is a magnet for trouble and that’s still fun but we need to see some character growth. The love triangle is old and way past its usefulness. I would like to see more plot and a little more resolution within the series backdrop. Skip this book, you have read it all before.

66 people found this helpful

Same old story, read well by King

Would you listen to Notorious Nineteen again? Why?

Probably not, even though it was a fun yarn it's not a book you would take more away from by listening to again.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

As much as I've enjoyed the Plum novels, they are quite a bit formulaic, and even though the "timeline" moves on (technology, events, etc) the characters never really do. It would be nice to see some actual consequences or progress, but hey, these are ment to be fun, not serious.

Which character – as performed by Lorelei King – was your favorite?

I like how Lorelei performs as Stephanie. I definitely enjoy her readings as apposed to the earlier novels reader, I can't even sit through those.

Any additional comments?

If you're following the novels and feel like listening, it's a fun mindless book to fill your time. Worth a credit.

5 people found this helpful

Too short and not enough of what we love!

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would recommend it but lightly. While I understand that character development is not required, the story was VERY short... It seems as the numbers get higher, the books get shorter. I thought this with 17 and 18 as well. The story is good, the innuendo is fun and I love the characters, but I wanted more after I finished it. I was expecting it to bring me back to the earlier ones where it was entertaining for more than an afternoon.

What could Janet Evanovich have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

See above

Which character – as performed by Lorelei King – was your favorite?

Lula, I love her!

Could you see Notorious Nineteen being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No, it would be a short film....

Any additional comments?

Although I was disappointed in the length of this story, I love the series. It might be time to wind it down, however.

15 people found this helpful

More of the same stuff

Lorelei King does her usual wonderful job of voicing all the characters. Ms Evanovich seems to be getting tired of Stephanie, or running out of ideas for an inept female bounty hunter. I for one am sick of the same old Moreli-Ranger dilemma, and the same old find the skip, lose the skip three times and have Ranger or Tank take him in for you, and the same old destroy the car at the beginning of the book. I am hoping there will only be one more in this series, and it will have a new idea for Stephanie. Choose Ranger or Joe, move in or get married, and I wish she'd bring back Sally Sweet one more time. He/she was one of the best characters Stephanie ever met. Don't buy this book unless you have listened to or read the earlier ones in the series. This is definitely not the best one.

4 people found this helpful

Same thing all over again.

Any additional comments?

I've read and re-read and thoroughly enjoyed each of the first 12 books in this series. More and more the series has become just the same thing over and over; Stephanie's car blows up, she and Lula eat vast quantities of fast food, Ranger is hot, Joe is hot, Grandma Mazur is eccentric and there is pineapple upside down cake for dessert. The plots have become flat and the dialog predictable. Generally character development has stopped. Notorious Nineteen is just a little bit better than the last few books in that we've learned a little more about Ranger but for the most part it seems like Evanovich has been just calling them in... you can no longer sense the author's investment in the characters or story line.

Don't misunderstand; I will read the next book and the any after that but it's time for some forward movement, it's starting to feel like the same book over and over again. I'm completely invested in the series and love each of the characters so I am a die-hard fan who will keep reading whatever comes. For those of you who haven't read any of the series do not make this your first book, it is not the best or even very good. Go back and start with book one... you will be hooked too.

The narration couldn't be any better Lorelei King is the best!!! She gives each character a personality and makes them come alive.

15 people found this helpful

Yawn.

This same story line over and over again, with no resolution on Joe and Ranger, is geting very old and boring. The author is taking us for granted - and for idiots. I will give her one more book to breathe some life into the Stephanie series (which was wonderful in the earlier books). If she doesn't, I give up and will not go to #21.

Stephanie should marry Joe, have children and juggle her immediate family, dog, grandma and dad, along with bounty hunting. "Aunt LuLu" could love the precocious kids. The kids could be smarter than Stephanie is and solve her mysteries for her - or anything except the same old "Joe is hot", "Ranger is hot", "my car blew up" etc. There are certainly funny parts to this book, but that's about all it is - a few funny parts wrapped up in the same old story line. To make it even worse, the Joe I grew to know and love is getting very little attention and is becoming plain vanilla. Come on author. I know you made a lot of money already and are not too interested in writing great books, but either liven up this series or put it to bed.

6 people found this helpful

Janet Evaniwich makes her characters come to life

What did you love best about Notorious Nineteen?

I have been reading JE's books for a few years now. If you've never read one, you should definitely start with the first one. And pay no attention to the movie.. Although they tried to do a good job, this is the kind of book series that a movie can never duplicate. Evanovich has created this set of amazing, fun characters, who you will become attached to and want to find out more about, Her story lines are great--and include alot of comedy. This is probably the only series of mystery books where I have actually laughed out loud multiple times. And the narrator, Lorelei King is also great, and I think has narrated all of JE's books. She does great different voices, and makes the story come to life. I promise you will not be disappointed with ANY if her Stephanie Plum books. I cant say the same for some of JE's other series she started writing--those are a little fluffy for me. But you can't go wrong with a Stephanie Plum novel.

1 person found this helpful

Loved it!

Another fun story from the Stephanie plum series. It was quick and funny. Great listen.

1 person found this helpful

Like a box of fine chocolates

Would you consider the audio edition of Notorious Nineteen to be better than the print version?

I get such a kick out of following
Stephanie and friends. I can't stop listening until the last word. Good thing I can work and listen, too.

Who was your favorite character and why?

This time it was Lula. I love her wardrobe.

Which scene was your favorite?

I liked the scene where Grandma Mazur dresses up in a blonde wig and sexy outfit to go "undercover".

If you could rename Notorious Nineteen, what would you call it?

Hiring freelance grave robbers to dig up a dead guy is pretty nasty..Nasty Nineteen would be appropriate

Any additional comments?

I'd like to see more of Ranger :).

1 person found this helpful

Woo Hoo!!

The last few haven't been the greatest but I remain a Stephanie Plum/Janet Evanovich fan because they still make me laugh out loud. I went into this book hoping it would be better than the last. It was. It was like the good old days! I laughed out loud multiple times and was very happy. There weren't any scenes in the funeral parlor which was kind of weird, but plenty of cars got blown up. This was probably the best one since 11 or 12. If you're a fan and you've been disappointed in the last handful, you won't be with this one. The story is funny, the writing classic Evanovich and the narration is spot on.

12 people found this helpful