Smokin’ Seventeen is the seventeenth book in Janet Evanovich’s famed Stephanie Plum series. This series led the way for many other wacky female mysteries that have come out over recent years. The series is a lot of fun, but can’t be taken seriously. It’s got the right mix of suspense and humour to make it a light, enjoyable read despite what would seem to be the heavy emotion of murder and more.

Stephanie Plum is a former lingerie buyer turned bail enforcement agent for her cousin Vinnie. In the previous book, Sizzling Sixteen, the Bail Bonds office was burned down. Vinnie is working from various places where he and Connie, his office manager, can find internet and space. Bodies buried in shallow graves begin turning up at the construction site of the new office. The only thing that seems to be certain is that whoever has been killing these people also has it in for Stephanie.

Vinnie eventually makes the Bonds Office mobile for the time being by moving it into Mooner’s RV. This has the effect of adding hilarity to it as Mooner and Vinnie bump up against each other while Connie tries to keep the business going. That woman needs a raise!

To top it off, the grandmother of her sometimes boyfriend, Joe Morelli, puts a curse on Stephanie that makes her incredibly horny. You read that right. Apparently, Grandma Bella thinks Stephanie is a tramp, and she puts this curse on Stephanie, called a Vordo, hoping that it will convince Joe of the same. This leads to interesting encounters with both of the men in Stephanie’s life. At the same time, an old friend from high school has returned to town, and Stephanie’s mother thinks Stephanie should forget about both Joe and Ranger and settle down with Dave instead.

There’s the usual zaniness with Lula as well as Stephanie destroying cars. Ranger reveals to her that his employees always make a pool when he lends her a car, over how long it will take her to destroy it. You know what’s coming there. There are many trips to Cluck-in-a-Bucket as well as local doughnut shops. They also have to chase down a skip who thinks he’s a vampire and one who has an aversion to clothes.

I figured out who the killer was pretty early on. Still, I was entertained by the misadventures throughout, particularly when it came to how Stephanie was apparently affected by the Vordo. I still maintain she should choose Ranger, since he accepts Stephanie the way she is, while Morelli is looking for a traditional stay-at-home wife. Still, when there seems to be someone else in the picture for Joe, Stephanie is always jealous. That happens here, which is one reason I can excuse Stephanie sleeping with both men a night apart. If she ever does choose, I think the series will end.

The audiobook is narrated by Lorelei King. I like her narration, even if she overdoes the New York/New Jersey accent a bit. She voices Stephanie as someone who takes things in stride. Occasionally, she breaks down about what a mess her life is, but it takes a lot by this point to really phase her. That feels accurate to how Stephanie survives all that happens to her and around her.

This isn’t the type of series you can really binge through. There’s the feeling that I knew what was coming after seventeen books. If you read them back-to-back, it’s even harder to shake that feeling. Smokin’ Seventeen was light enough and fun enough that I enjoyed it in between heavier, more serious books that I read. It’s a great book for those times when you need something light and funny. You can’t go wrong with the series, and this is a great entry. Just give yourself space between the books.

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