Review: Hardcore Twenty-Four

Hardcore Twenty-Four by Janet Evanovich
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Zombies have invaded Trenton!

Bail bond enforcer Stephanie Plum has heard all kinds of crazy excuses as to why FTAs missed their court dates but zombies is definitely a new one for her. After all, zombies are a thing of fiction - or are they? While caring for the 50-lb snake of one of her FTAs, Stephanie and sidekick Lula start to see what appear to be zombies - as Morelli lands a case in which funeral parlor and morgue corpses and murder victims are being decapitated and their missing heads are turning up without their brains.

As hokey as this sounds, it was actually pretty well done, with classic Evanovich humor and themes spread throughout the book. On one side, you had the believers, such as Lula; on the other side, the non-believers such as Stephanie, Morelli and Ranger who, as the book goes on, are forced to accept that zombies truly do appear to be roaming around Trenton searching for new brains. Adding to the supernatural aspect was the reappearance of recurring character Diesel, who seems to be a bit unreal in his own right, and his apparently being somehow connected to the zombies.

This was not great literature but it was one of the better books in the series. The resolution of the zombies was interesting and not entirely far-fetched, though definitely a little gross. The series does have some tired plot points after 24 books, primarily Stephanie's constant inability to keep a car for more than a few days before something happens to it, but at the same time, they are also the comforting blanket that makes this series feel a bit like coming home to visit family.

Overall, a quick, entertaining and at times engrossing book that ultimately touches upon a social issue without being preachy.

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