I want more Ranger.

This novel moved the characters in a different direction than I had anticipated. I wonder how many more books Mrs. Evanovich has planned for Stephanie and the rest of the gang.

I have read every one of the Stephanie Plum books. They are light-hearted and fun with a dash of mystery and a whole lot of laughs and crazy. Dirty Thirty is no exception. All our favorite characters are back and Stephanie and Lula manage to get themselves into all kinds of precarious situations.

In Dirty Thirty, Stephanie is hired to find a jewelry store’s formal security guard nicknamed Nutsy. She is also looking for Duncan Dugan who is suspected of robbing the jewelry store. As with all things in Stephanie’s life, things get crazy! There are clowns, stolen jewels, grave digging, explosions, and people getting stun gunned and shot. Another funny adventure with Stephanie and Lula!

Dirty Thirty is vintage Stephanie Plum and a wonderful 30th installment to this much beloved series! With all the hallmarks readers have come to know and love like epic bond enforcement hi-jinks, the utter chaos both Lula and Bob the dog cause, love triangle tension with Stephanie, Ranger, and Morelli, the return of Simon Diggery and his boa constrictor Ethel, and a car bomb and a few house fires thrown in for good measure, Evanovich skillfully reminds readers why we can't get enough of this series and are always anxiously waiting for the next one!

I've been reading this series from the beginning and Dirty Thirty has much of the same content as the books that came before it. The characters are still wacky, Stephanie is still really pretty bad at her job, and for some reason she still can't decide between Ranger and Morelli (although the stakes are raised in this book). I'm hoping this book suggests an actual change in the endless on again, off again romances between the two leading men because after 30 books on it's getting a bit tiring. That being said, I also hope this plot twist at the end doesn't suggest the series may be shortly winding down.

Book Title: Dirty Thirty
Series: Stephanie Plum Bounty Hunter Book #30
Author: Janet Evanovich
Publisher: Atria Books
Genre: Humor, Mystery
Pub Date: October 31, 20232
My Rating: 4.2 fun Stars
Pages: 320

This is book #30 in the Stephanie Plum Bounty Hunter series and yep # 30 for me. I read "One for the Money" back in 1994 and have been a fan ever since.
Now I am a big psychological thriller fan and I can assure you that this series isn’t even close to being a thriller but definitely entertaining.
As a long time Bounty Hunter fan – I wonder
 Will there be car explosion
 Boston Crème donuts,
 Cluck-in-the Bucket chicken,
 Funeral viewings and mention of the button factor?
I will be totally disappointed if not included in this story, but I have a feeling I won’t be
disappointed!
Story starts with Stephanie ready to cuff fugitive Duncan Dugan when she finds him threating to jump off a roof. Duncan is wanted for robbing a jewelry store.
In the meantime, our Bounty Hunter is offered what seems like a simple freelance assignment.
Martin Rabner the owner of a local jeweler wants Stephanie to find his former security guard, Andy Manley (a.k.a. Nutsy), whom he believes stole a fortune in diamonds from him.
Wait a minute isn’t this the same jewelry store that Duncan robbed?
Stephanie knows ‘Nutsy’ from her school days. After high school ‘Nutsy’ enlisted in the army and when he finished he stint he went to clown school - graduated with honors (I kid you not there are clown schools – the most famous is the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Clown College in Florida – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringling_Bros._and_Barnum_%26_Bailey_Clown_College#Operation
‘Nutsy’ graduating with honors had me laughing out loud!)


Stephanie needs the help from her “A” team of Crime Fighters ~Lula; Connie, love interests the good cop Joe Morelli, and the hunk yet a bit dangerous Carlos Manoso aka Ranger and of course Grandma Mazur..
In this story Morelli is out of town and Stephanie is dog sitting Morelli’s big orange dog Bob. So Bob is involved in this case.

Of course, there is more than catching whodunit as Stephanie has gotten herself in a bit of a pickle.
Now I am anxious for Book 31. Any guess on what the title might be?

At the end of the book, Ms. Evanovich takes long time readers down a quick trip down memory lane.
She asked longtime readers to pick a favorite saying from Stephanie’s many adventures. She has listed thirty.
Even if you are not a longtime reader you will enjoy them.
A couple I like
Lula – I didn’t have any antihistamine, but found some Tic Tacs, I think they’re helping.

Grandma Mazur ~ I got good ankles. They’re one of my best features. They haven’t started to sag yet.

Stephanie ~ I used to have birthday cake in the freeze for emergencies, but I ate it.

There are twenty seven more for you to read!

Want to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for October 31, 2023.

I look forward to these every year. It’s my go to for a quick read that has a mix of some mystery, some romance; and humor mixed in. I love the characters and seeing them develop over the years it’s like you kind of really know them. Not as many mishaps as in the past, and both Lulu and Grandma were a bit tamer but it was a good read.

Finally after 30 books our favorite bounty hunter just maybe moving in the right direction in life with the right person. When Morelli is away, oh boy does Stephanie Plum play. When she takes on a missing person/diamond case what could go wrong? Well, if you know Stephanie EVERYTHING! Between a car chase that involves a surprise driver, another viewing with Grandma Mazur, a clown, and a mysterious creature that wants Lulu's clothes this one has it all and then some. The gangs all here for another crazy, laugh filled ride and that cliff hanger at the end!!! Please 31 don't take too long.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for aloowing me to read and review.

In this 30th book featuring Stephanie Plum, the reader is taken on yet another crazy adventure. Stephanie and her sidekick Lula get themselves involved in a race to find stolen diamonds which is complicated by the presence of her boyfriend Morelli’s giant orange dog. Always ludicrous and entertaining.

By the time an author writes 30 books in one series, it becomes somewhat understandable that the they have a formulaic feel. That is the case with Dirty Thirty, as it has been for several prior books in the series. For me, Dirty Thirty didn’t give me the desire to read the entire book in a day, as many of the early books in the series did. I’m hopeful that the cliffhanger ending is signaling a satisfying series wrap up?

Thanks go to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC for one of my favorites! I have read and/or listened to every book in the Stephanie Plum series so many times I’ve lost track. It’s such a comfort, and the thirtieth book (not including between-the-book stories) really delivered. I think this was one of the strongest in a while. Morelli light, which wasn’t my favorite, but Bob heavy, which was so fun. Same shenanigans, including an emotionally confused Stephanie, hysterical Lula, explosions, fires, and absurd scenarios that turn out just fine because this is the light-hearted mysterious fun we’re here for. And as always, can’t wait for the next one!

Thirty plus books and I still enjoy reading this series. Yes, the situations can seems unrealistic sometimes, but that's what makes them so fun. The characters are a blast, from Stephanie the worst, but hard-working bounty hunter, to her sidekick Lulu, and her crazy and quirky grandmother, who never misses a funeral, you have to love them all. Morelli and Ranger add just enough romantic to keep it interesting, and I'm sure there are Team Morelli and Team Ranger fans (I'm not telling which team I'm on).

Between Stephanie's quest to retrieve lost diamonds and Lulu's wardrobe stealing demon this book is a woot. All the craziness you would expect from a Stephanie Plum novel. Enjoy! I know I did.

I received this advance review copy from NetGalley & the publisher for my honest review.

Janet Evanovich does it again! Morelli is away. Stephanie takes on a missing person (and missing diamonds case). Ranger comes to the rescue. Dirty Thirty is full of all of the best of the Stephanie Plum series: mystery, mishaps, romance. And oh that cliffhanger at the end!

Thank you for allowing me to read this! I eagerly look forward to Stephanie, Grandma Mazur, ranger and the other characters, Congrats on making it to Thirty. I enjoyed this as much as all the previous 29. Hijinks abound with a snake returning from a previous book and a clown.

Same characters in this series. Too much about the dog, Bob. Maybe little two much about the two men. Some of the characters are quite comical. Others just seem to be doing their thing. I have enjoyed this series, but this one was somewhat not there for me. Others will enjoy it as this is a talented author. Thanks Netgalley.

There used to be a time when I devoured a Stephanie Plum book like I do a bag of potato chips, laughing out loud at the outrageous antics of Lulu and Grandma, rereading the first 10 or so novels so many times that those particular books on my shelf look like they're falling apart. Yet over the years I've more or less started picking up the newest Stephanie Plum book with less enthusiasm and more obligation to see what was going on.

Now don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Dirty Thirty, the 30th book in this series (wow!), but to me, it doesn't have the same magic, same humor, same something that the first dozen or so books did. Maybe because the series has just gotten so formulaic now--Stephanie goes through multiple cars, something of hers (either her apartment or vehicle) gets firebombed), Grandma goes to a viewing at the funeral home, Lulu does something stupid, Ranger and/or Morelli are there to give Stephanie a hand when something goes downhill, not to mention being the two men she's in a love triangle with. I've been Team Ranger for decades wondering "will she or won't she" to the point of frustration. The one bright spot with Evanovich's latest and the number one reason that I'll definitely be reading book #31 is the cliffhanger she gave us at the end of this book--I did not see that coming!

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I love jumping back into the world of Stephanie Plum! I was absolutely tickled when reading the ending...Ranger...Morelli...what's a girl to do!?
Quite the cliffhanger and I can't WAIT till see what comes next.

#NetGalleyARC I've been with this series since the beginning and just when I think I can slowly back away, this title hooked me in. It's the classic recipe, bad guys who don't know what they're doing, Stephanie and her crazy life, and lots of funny situations. The ending really had me hooked though, no spoilers but bring on #31!!

A thrilling book that keeps you turning the pages until the shocking ending. Full of twists and turns and shocks. Brilliant!!

Another wacky Plum story. Oftentimes they blend together unless there is something really memorable- usually in the form of Ranger. In the early books, there was some character growth, but now she’s like Sherlock Holmes, blazing around, doing virtually the same things…until this book. This book Stephanie all of a sudden is thinking about life long-term. What?

Girl, listen…you know Ranger is the better pick. You will drive Morelli insane. His family will drive you insane. Forget it. Picture a lifetime of beer, ballgames, and dog hair, with a side of bad family. Now picture Ranger. No contest. He’s got your back in whatever you’re doing. He’ll make beautiful babies, and hire a nanny when you want one.

Easy decision.

Stephanie Plum is back! Morelli is absent for most of the book, but it has plenty of Ranger. Stephanie even enlists both her mother and Grandma Mazur . This book is fun and full of quirky characters and situations. Highly recommend!