Two for the Dough

Why read the second Stephanie Plum novel? Mostly for the people. Stephanie's hunt for Kenny leads to a funeral home where caskets are going missing, to a gun dealer with secrets and to a series of messages that make it clear someone is enjoying frightening her. Grandma Mazur, who treats every viewing at the local funeral parlour as a social event, nearly steals the book, and the family dinners are among the funniest scenes.

The mystery itself is fairly simple; the pleasure lies in the comedy, the neighbourhood of the Burg, with its gossip and its loyalties, and Stephanie's sparring with Morelli and her mentor, the mysterious Ranger. There is some violence and plenty of innuendo, but nothing graphic, and the tone stays light. Evanovich writes in a breezy first-person voice that makes the pages fly.

A quick, cheerful read, best enjoyed after One for the Money, and the start of a long habit for many fans; the series continues with Three to Get Deadly. Expect to laugh out loud at least once a chapter. About 346 pages in the St. Martin's mass-market paperback.