Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books now number 28 and they rarely disappoint. Plum remains sassy, outspoken, brave, and definitely one-of-a-kind. The work of a bail-bond enforcement agent is rarely stress free, but Stephanie's cases never fail to up the ante. In her latest outing, she inadvertently gets pulled into a serious computer-hacking scam, through which five gifted amateur hackers, known as the Baked Potatoes, have managed to break into the system of noted tech genius Oswald Wednesday. The Potatoes think Wednesday will be impressed with their ingenuity, but, instead, he starts killing them off in the most gruesome fashion. Cop Joe Morelli, Stephanie's boyfriend, is called to the first murder, so naturally, Stephanie comes along and, as per usual, puts herself in the middle of the investigation. She's on the trail of Wednesday, but so is her rival and sometime lover, Diesel. What results is a hilariously madcap, action-packed caper filled with crazy twists and some nail-biting suspense. Along with Diesel and Morelli, the gang of series supporting characters that fans have come to love--Stephanie's feisty Grandma Mazur; her colorful, hair-obsessed sidekick, Lula; and her long-suffering parents--are all in attendance, and they provide plenty of comic relief to offset the doings of uber-baddie Wednesday. All in all, this finds the irrepressible Stephanie and cohorts in absolutely top form.

In bestseller Evanovich's fast and funny 28th Stephanie Plum mystery (after 2020's Fortune and Glory), Stephanie, the perkiest bail bonds enforcement agent in Trenton, N.J., chases an odd assortment of bail jumpers. In particular, Stephanie is looking for Oswald Wednesday, "the best hacker living or dead, ever," who failed to show up for his court appearance. Her old acquaintance Diesel, "over six feet of hard muscle and bad attitude," is also looking for Oswald on behalf of Oswald's mysterious employer. Then members of a hacker group known as Baked Potato, who managed briefly to infiltrate Oswald's system, start turning up dead with their tongues cut out. The master of the diverting diversion, Evanovich brings to life the zany antics of Stephanie's dysfunctional but loving family and of her fellow bounty hunter, the outrageous, always-in-motion Lula. As usual, Readers are treated to a merry-go-round of handsome hunks who have made their way into Stephanie's bed over the years. This is pure entertainment. Agent: Shane Salerno, Story Factory. (Nov.)

Would you believe that Evanovich is back with another Stephanie Plum mystery, 28th in a series that has claimed 24 No. 1 New York Times best sellers in 25 years? No plot details, but the game is on! With a one-million-copy first printing.