Series: Stephanie Plum (Book 25)
There's nothing like a good deli, and the Red River Deli
in Trenton is one of the best. World-famous for its pastrami, cole slaw, and
for its disappearing managers. Over the last month, three have vanished from
the face of the earth, and the only clue in each case is one shoe that's been
left behind. The police are baffled. Lula is convinced that it's a case of
alien abduction. Whatever it is, they'd better figure out what's going on
before they lose their new manager, Ms. Stephanie Plum.
Another fun bumbling bounty hunters book, but this one
has a twist. One of the many bondees from Vinnie's bail bond business has
skipped, forfeiting the business he used as collateral for his bond. So Vinnie
and his boss, Harry the Hammer, are stuck with a deli that they need to keep
running. The problem is, the managers keep disappearing. So Vinnie put
Stephanie in as manager, telling her not to mess it up while keeping up with
tracking her FTAs. Neither Morelli nor Ranger is thrilled with the idea of
Stephanie being in the line of fire.
Of course, Stephanie has no experience in managing a deli.
She has three employees - a waitress who seems pretty normal, a fry guy who has
questionable immigration status, and a line cook with a constant buzz. The ever-present
Lula made herself assistant manager. There are times when the deli gets busy,
and Stephanie and Lula have to pitch in, creating even more chaos. Lula is a
riot with her mad sandwich making skills, where she gets creative, and the
customer gets what she made whether they ordered it or not. Ranger shows
unexpected talents when even he gets sucked into helping while keeping an eye
on Stephanie.
When Stephanie hires an ex-skip to take her place as
manager, the man disappears in the same manner as the previous managers,
leaving Stephanie feeling guilty, and Lula convinced that aliens are abducting
the managers. Ranger and Morelli share the task of protecting Stephanie, with
Rangeman guards shadowing Stephanie's every move. When one of the guards goes
missing, the intensity of the search ramps up. Following the clues gets
Stephanie and Lula into a few sticky situations until Ranger himself joins the
hunt. There are a few interesting and inevitable twists in the search, and the
final takedown goes relatively smoothly, but there are a couple of unexpected
revelations. The book ended with a shocking cliffhanger and Stephanie in a
panic.
Though they took a minor position, Stephanie still has a
few skips to track down. Most were relatively easy though with some unusual
steps to make them happen. I especially enjoyed the one with the cat. For the most
challenging one, she was lucky enough to have Ranger with her - it is a joy to
watch that man work. Strangely enough, no cars were destroyed, and Stephanie
didn't get covered in any disgusting substances.
Stephanie's romantic relationships continue to be complicated.
I loved the scene with Morelli and Ranger setting up Stephanie's protection.
They may be rivals, but there's no doubt both care for her. She and Morelli are
still together, which makes his share of the protective detail easy. They are
easy and comfortable together. Stephanie's relationship with Ranger is
something else. There are sparks there, as illustrated by Stephanie's frequent musings
on knees melting and breathing issues. Ranger is a master of innuendo and is on
top of his game in this book. He can say a lot with a simple "Babe."
He is also protective of her, and I liked seeing him care for her. Meanwhile,
Stephanie fights the good fight against temptation.
There were some things missing from this book that are
regulars in the previous books. There is very little family drama, with only
one Plum family dinner to attend. There were no funerals for Grandma Mazur to
attend and disrupt. As mentioned before, no cars were destroyed. So while this
wasn't as over-the-top crazy as some of the books, it was still a fun read. I'm
looking forward to the next one and seeing how the cliffhanger turns out.
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