Book Review: Twisted Twenty-Six by Janet Evanovich

Twisted Twenty-Six
Author: Janet Evanovich
Series: Stephanie Plum (Book 26)
Publication: G.P. Putnam's Sons (November 12, 2019)

Description: This isn't just another case. This is family.

How far will Stephanie Plum go to protect the one person who means the most to her? The stakes have never been higher in this #1 New York Times bestseller from Janet Evanovich.

Grandma Mazur has decided to get married again - this time to a local gangster named Jimmy Rosolli. If Stephanie has her doubts about this marriage, she doesn't have to worry for long, because the groom drops dead of a heart attack 45 minutes after saying, "I do.

A sad day for Grandma Mazur turns into something far more dangerous when Jimmy's former "business partners" are convinced that his new widow is keeping the keys to a financial windfall all to herself. But the one thing these wise guys didn't count on was the widow's bounty hunter granddaughter, who'll do anything to save her.

My Thoughts: Reluctant bail bond enforcer Stephanie Plum is at it again. This time she needs to protect her Grandma Mazur. Grandma was recently widowed after a forty-five-minute marriage to local mobster Jimmy Rosolli. Jimmy had a sudden heart attack while playing slots. 

Grandma is busy planning his funeral and wake and making plans to spend her new inheritance since Jimmy's will says his current wife gets everything. However, there are some problems. Jimmy left three sisters, and two ex-wives who also feel entitled to his estate.

Then there are some mysterious keys that were in his keeping that other local mobsters really want to have. They are certain that Grandma has them but are giving her a break until after the funeral is over before they use strong measures to get the keys. 

Unfortunately, Grandma doesn't have the keys. Stephanie is on the case to not only protect Grandma from all those who wish her harm but to find the missing keys. She is also busy doing her normal recoveries of people who have missed their court dates and need to reschedule, Ove the cours of these twenty-six books, Stephanie has gotten much better at her job. But this time their is a very elusive shop lifter who is giving her and her buddy Lulu fits. 

There is the requisite car explosion which leads to Stephanie having to borrow her Great-Uncle Sandor's '53 Buick. This time she lobs a Molotov cocktail thrown through her parents' living room window back outside where it hits her own car causing it to go up in flames. 

There is also the usual juggling of two men in Stephanie's love life. Her off-and-on relationship with Cop Joe Morelli is in the on stage which means that her relationship with Ranger is kept in the friend zone. 

This is a fun series, and this was a fun episode. It did feel a little unfinished, but the action continues in Fortune and Glory.

Favorite Quote: 

"Excuse me?" Lulu said, leaning forward, in Wisneski's face. "Fat? Did you just refer to me as fat?"

"Yeah," he said. "You're fat."

Lulu sucker punched him in the face, kneed him in his jollies, and he fell to the floor like a sack of sand. 

"I am a big, beautiful lady," Lulu said. "I got class and style and all that shit. Don't you ever forget it."

I bought this one April 13, 2021. You can buy your copy here.