I have been reading and enjoying Stephanie Plum’s adventures as a bond enforcement agent (bounty hunter?) for twenty-five+ years (gasp!), ever since One For The Money. And everytime a new one comes out, it makes me happy to know I’m in for hours of entertainment. Seriously, I can’t think of any that let me down…so along comes Game On: Tempting Twenty-Eight, #28 in the series, and thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley, I received a copy in exchange for this honest review. 

For anyone who hasn’t read any of the series, not to worry. Each stands on its own (although I think it’s fun to see how the characters and their relationships progress), so you can dive right in and you will know soon enough who these people are. Stephanie works for her Uncle Vinnie, a bail bondsman in Newark, New Jersey. Stephanie has an ongoing relationship with cop Joe Morelli, and then there is Ranger, super sexy owner of a “security company,” always there to help her when she destroys another car or gets into whatever bizarre trouble she manages to find — or initiate. 

Stephanie lives in an apartment with her hamster Rex and works with Lula, a former “woman of the evening,” and they manage to get Grandma involved along the way. One night, fellow apprehension agent Diesel shows up in her apartment, in town  to look for Oswald Wednesday, a brilliant international hacker who is reportedly in town. It isn’t totally clear whether Diesel is her competitor or partner in the search for Oswald, but there is plenty of threatening action, murders, and general property destruction as(especially automobiles!) as Stephanie and Lula do their thing.

It was the perfect read to escape the pandemic for awhile: a bit zany, plenty of laughs, some surprises, and the ongoing dilemma of the impossible choice for Stephanie between Joe and Ranger. But, really, why have to choose? She has both of them (in different ways, but always entertaining for her and for the reader).  It isn’t by any means lofty literary reading, but it is well written, fun, and an awesome diversion. It is what it is, and for me it is 5 stars. One of the best SP stories in recent memory!