"Suspense Complete with a Healthy Dose of Humor"

Ms. Evanovich's ninth novel in her Stephanie Plum series finds bounty hunter Stephanie the target of a killer. As a bounty hunter for her cousin Vinnie's Trenton, New Jersey bail bonds business, Stephanie searches for missing Samuel Singh whose visa bond expires in a week. As an employee of manufacturing company, TriBro Tech, Singh works in the quality control department, and not even the Apusenjas, with whom he lived, have seen him.

Stephanie's investigation leads her and partner, Lula, to acquaintances of Singh who all turn up dead. Amidst the mayhem, Evanovich's lighthearted humor shines through, with tales of Lula's outrageous all-meat supermodel diet and Stephanie's truly zany family, complete with an eccentric grandmother and a very pregnant sister. Even her romances add zest to the plot when death threats force her to move in with long-time on again, off again love, Detective Joe Morelli, despite the recurrent sexual tension between Stephanie and fellow bounty hunter, Ranger.

As the quest for Singh leads Stephanie to Las Vegas, Vinnie's office manager, Connie, and Lula join her there, as the girls play the casinos under the watchful eye of one of Ranger's bodyguards. Though death threats follow Stephanie to Vegas, comic moments are never far behind, as a humorous misunderstanding results in the three women being escorted out of one of the casinos.

Total entertainment in a neat package filled with murder, suspense, humor, and spicy romance will satisfy readers of the Stephanie Plum series and should engender new fans as well. Stephanie is a fantastic protagonist, a strong and funny woman, whose realism is evident with the lack of perfection in her life.

Reviewed by Sheri Melnick
Posted July 28, 2003

Summary

Stephanie Plum's got rent to pay, people shooting at her, and psychos wanting her dead every day of the week (much to the dismay of her mother, her family, the men in her life, the guy who slices meat at the deli . . . oh, the list goes on). An ordinary person would cave under the pressure.

But hey, she's from Jersey.

Stephanie Plum may not be the best bounty hunter in beautiful downtown Trenton, but she's pretty darn good at turning bad situations her way . . . and she always gets her man. In To the Nines, her cousin Vinnie (who's also her boss) has posted bail on Samuel Singh, an illegal immigrant. When the elusive Mr. Singh goes missing, Stephanie is on the case. But what she uncovers is far more sinister than anyone imagines and leads to a group of killers who give new meaning to the word hunter.

In a race against time that takes her from the Jersey Turnpike to the Vegas Strip, Stephanie Plum is on the chase of her life. The unforgettable characters, nonstop action, high-stakes suspense, and sheer entertainment of To the Nines define Janet Evanovich as unique among today's writers.