This week I downloaded “Going Rogue – Rise and Shine Twenty-nine” by Janet Evanovich.
Reluctant bounty hunter Stephanie Plum’s life has been oddly quiet. Most of the “failure to appear” cases have been easy to find and bring in. She doesn’t make much money but can pay her bills. Lately she’s begun to actually like her job.
Most days begin with Stephanie and her sidekick and former “ho,” Lula, meeting at the bail bond office where office manager Connie Rosolli has donuts on her desk. But this morning the office is dark and locked. She and Lula use the hidden key to go in the back door. They find the storeroom a mess and assume robbery, but that doesn’t explain Connie’s absence.
They get a call demanding that Vinnie “return something” he’d taken as a bail guarantee or they’ll hurt Connie. While wondering what the kidnappers want, Stephanie heads out to pick up Brad Winters. He was booked for blackmail but failed to show for his trial. Grandma Mazur manages to tag along, hoping to use her trusty pistol.
When they find Brad, he is naked and willing to be taken in. Apparently, he slept with several married women then tried to blackmail them. Before Stephanie can get him to the car, a group of women arrive, grab Brad and drive off, promising to return him when they’re finished.
Stephanie contacts Joe Morelli for suggestions on finding Connie. She searches the neighborhood and finds Connie’s car at Pino’s Pizza but no sign of Connie. Next they look into recent items taken as bond security. All are located in the storeroom except for a coin-like game piece used as bond by Paul Mori.
When they finally reach Vinnie, he explains that he bonded out Carpenter Beedle the same day he bonded out Paul Mori. Mori had used the “coin” as security. Now Mori was dead and the coin is missing.
The kidnappers continue to call with more threats. Stephanie tells them that she doesn’t know where the coin could be and begs for more time. They bond out Beedle, and the investigation yields an assortment of Evanovich’s trademark twists and turns — including help from Ranger, another of Stephanie’s resourceful friends — before this entertaining mystery is solved.
Book: “Going Rogue: Rise and Shine 29” (Stephanie Plum, Book 29)
Author: Janet Evanovich
Publisher: Atria
Year published: 2022
Number of pages: 336
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