Plum Lovin'

Authors with a loyal following are able to crank out smaller works for special occasions like Fourth of July or Thanksgiving. Most come at years end -think John Grisham in “Skipping Christmas” and the annual Mary Higgins Clark offerings.
For fans of Stephanie Plum, author Janet Evanovich is sending along a purple-colored Valentine in “Plum Lovin,” a short and sweet offering that takes less than 200 pages to wrap everything in a bow. Unlike the traditional box of chocolates though, her readers should know what to expect inside.
Stephanie Plum is normally a smart-talking, gun-toting bond enforcement agent, but in “Plum Lovin,’” she spends most of her time playing the part of Cupid. Her bail-bondsman uncle Vinny is out of town, leaving her with a single case, a matchmaker charged with armed robbery. The woman is in the custody of Diesel, another of Stephanie’s acquaintances, who offers to trade the woman if Stephanie will complete the matchmaking.
Even compared to Evanovich’s normal fare, this is pretty fluffy stuff. Faithful readers will recognize Diesel as the scruffy blonde from the Christmastime “Visions” outing. Joe Morelli and Ranger - the other men in Stephanie’s life – make only token appearances, as do the regular band of ‘Burg residents.
Janet Evanovich has been writing the Stephanie Plum mysteries for more than a dozen years now, and the numbered series is as popular as ever. The wise-cracking Stephanie is always good for light reading laughs, and only occasionally falls into the desperate situations that befall normal detectives. Mostly she’s on the lookout for another jelly doughnut or Chicken-in-a-Bucket snack to tide her over until dinner.
“Plum Lovin’” is just that kind of tide-me-over, a low-calorie confection that goes down easily, and won’t ruin an appetite while the finished touches are made to the main course.