Review: Game On: Tempting Twenty-Eight
Game On: Tempting Twenty- Eight
Janet Evanovich
Synopsis: Stephanie Plum is back again! This time she is on the hunt for super computer hacker, Oswald Wednesday, who also happens to be a ruthless murderer who enjoys inflicting pain on his victims. But Stephanie isn’t the only one looking for Oswald. Diesel has returned and has his own reasons for wanting to apprehend Oswald.
Rating: PG-13- Some Violence
I have been a faithful reader of the Stephanie Plum series for roughly 15 years, and I look forward to picking up the newest installment every November. There have been very few that missed the mark for me. This one might be one of them.
Now, don’t get me wrong; the story itself was still good. It still had a really good mystery element to it, and in that way it absolutely delivered. It still had some of the classic Stephanie Plum elements (E.G.- Hot guys and cars on fire) that we have come to know and love. But it fell flat in a couple of areas for me.
First, I didn’t feel like this one had as much comedy. Part of why I love this series is they are usually really good mysteries, but still feel lighthearted, and I didn’t feel like I got as much of that in this one. Second, I am just not a fan of Diesel. It’s actually part of why I don’t read the Between the Numbers books. I don’t enjoy that he is borderline supernatural, and I don’t find him particularly likeable. Third, I didn’t feel like Joe and Ranger played enough of a role. Let’s be honest. Joe and Ranger are probably at least a solid third of the reason why people attracted to men read these books. I didn’t feel like they got the play they deserve. I think Stephanie’s Mom and Grandma had more of a role than either Joe or Ranger did.
Those few things aside, there are some fun new characters who bring a good amount to the story, and, without giving spoilers, I’ll just say I really enjoyed the ending! It was different, but in a very good way!
Was it my favorite Stephanie Plum novel? No, not really. But, I did enjoy reading it. If you’re a fan of the series, I still recommend it! If you’ve never read the series, you definitely should! But start at the beginning!