Just finished 'Sizzling Sixteen' and it's just as formulaic as the others in the series. I did enjoy the first two but after reading a few more I realized they were all beginning to sound the same. It's rather disappointing and I agree that it seems to be a case of dashing them off and then sitting back and raking in the money. Obviously her books aren't great literature but during the summer when I'm sitting by the pool I like to pick up what we used to call 'lite lit' at the library. Books that don't have complicated plot lines that require a flow chart to keep track of who did what to whom, when, where or how. I want something enjoyable that's easy to read and amusing. Unfortunately her books have lost their appeal. She doesn't even bother to change the description of her characters - she uses the same phrases over and over from book to book. As a reader I find her laziness nearly insulting. Granted she's making lots of money so why change anything - I'm sure she's not worried about my critique. Maire

John Lescroart's Dismas Hardy series is about a San Francisco do-good lawyer and his police detective best pal. "Dead Irish" is the first book. Elizabeth George is the American author of a series of mysteries set in Great Britain. The first book in the Inspector Linley series is "A Great Deliverance". He is a handsome, upper crust Scotland Yard inspector, his partner is a frumpy woman from the working class. Very entertaining. William Bernhardt's Ben Kincaid books are about a bumbling lawyer whose oddball staffers have to keep him from getting himself killed. I don't remember which title came first - but it's not really a series. All the books stand alone. Funny, but not as slapstick as the Evanovich books.

I finally read Smokin' Seventeen and it was ... eh. Not good, not bad, just a lot of same old, same old, though Stephanie was actively thinking about making a choice between Ranger and Morelli. But unlike the majority of the other books, this one didn't have any laugh out loud moments for me at all. It was all just very formulaic and predictable. I knew who the murderer was as soon as he was introduced, and I'm really tired of Lula and Grandma. Stating the obvious, this has definitely run its course. I do wonder why Explosive Eighteen is coming out in November, rather than next summer. Is the series wrapping up (she asked hopefully)?? Or does Evanovich sense her fan base is dwindling? Here is a link that might be useful: Explosive Eighteen

I am just about in the middle of Jodi Picoult's "Handle With Care". I really like her books, she is very good at what she does, shows how everyday people handle life altering situations. I always feel like I've learned something, too. Joan Eileen, you might also like "The Nightingale" by Kristen Hannah. It also takes place in France during World War II. She is another of my favorite authors, I've read a number of her books, including "True Colors" . I thought it was the best yet until I read "The Nightingale" , it has far surpassed any previous book. In my humble opinion, anyway. Rusty