The Clock Strikes Twelve at December's Book Club Meeting

Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum Series features "everyone’s favorite" bounty hunter in Twelve Sharp, another madcap mystery. 

As you may know, or have imagined, this is the twelfth book in Janet’s Plum Series and it represents the twelfth hour on our library’s wall clock. While hoping not to confuse you too much, the library’s Read Around the Clock Book Club will meet on December 12 at 12:00 p.m. to discuss ANY book with the number 12 in its title.  The words noon or midnight also meet the criteria for the twelfth month's selected read. This past year I have read every book used to create the library's wall clock,as well as a few other books that I probably wouldn't have read, because of their numeric titles. The club's discussions have centered on a mix of fiction and nonfiction books and most were fairly good reads. Although I wasn't into reading Twelve Sharp, my OCD tendencies about finishing what I start, kept me turning pages in hopes of finding something worthwhile. One of my close friends loves the series. I guess Stephanie Plum just isn't a character I can relate to. As mentioned, she is a bounty hunter who is torn between to lovers: Joseph Morelli, bad boy turned vice cop, and Ranger a fellow bounty hunter. This dilemma sets the stage for romance and suspense.

Some reviews have compared Stephanie to a cross between Nancy Drew and Dirty Harry. I'll agree that she is very daring and spunky. In the opening chapters of Twelve Sharp Stephanie finds herself

hanging mid-air over an upper level mall floor, trying to talk Melvin Pickle, a fugitive from court into not jumping. Melvin is a shoe salesman who failed to appear on an obscenity charge.

Her sidekick, Lula, is a former hooker and quite flamboyant. Lula's attire is described as too skimpy for her well endowed figure and with each scene her outfits seem to get more and more shocking. Lula is also trying to establish herself as a punk rocker and has recruited Stephanie's grandmother to join her band.

The main case in this novel evolves when there appears to be someone impersonating Ranger,and his daughter is kidnapped. Evanovich's high action style is portrayed in this series as comedic. Set in New Jersey, I sort of expected Snookie to appear at any moment.

The quest to read a book with number 12 in the title did lead me to a favorite classic holiday tale, Jan Brett's,The Twelve Days of Christmas. Jan Brett is known for her beautiful detailed illustrations and is a well-loved children's book author. The illustrations fit the song/story so well. There is a story here, not just the song’s lyrics, but a whole family preparing for Christmas and New Years. The illustrations also include holiday greetings in various languages too, which is a nice touch.

You may like action comedy with an adult theme, you may like reading something to get you into the Christmas spirit, or you may discover something else interesting when you look to find a book that meets the 12:00 discussion requirements. And, whether or not you are a fan of Janet Evanovich I hope you'll join us at the library to share your reading discoveries.