Jul 28th 2008 Odd Thomas, Stephanie Plum, Rachel Morgan
Have you ever started a series and then couldn’t start a new series until you finished all the published books in the series you were reading? (Does that sound convoluted?) That happened with each of these characters’ stories. Odd Thomas, a story about a fry cook who can see the dead and helps them find their way “to the other side”, is an average likeable fellow who always finds himself in situations that require great courage and the ability to do or say what needs to be done whether or not he looks a fool. I am currently reading Odd Hours, the fourth book in this series and am enjoying it, but Koontz seems to have lost a little of the rhythm that he had in the first three. In other words, I’m not reading through it as fast because it’s not quite as good as the first three. I just finished Fearless Fourteen, Janet Evanovich’s latest addition to her Stephanie Plum saga. In this book, as in the last several, Stephanie finds herself in the middle of serious business but finds herself distracted by unusual sometimes hilarious characters that somehow end up helping in the end, not to mention Joe Morelli and Ranger, the mysterious bounty hunter. I read through this book fast, mainly because it contained the usual banter between the characters, so that I could get to the end. I wanted to see if she chose Joe for good. Alas, I am going to have to wait for number 15. I like these books, but the last few have felt like the same story, but with different details. Then there is Kim Harrison’s Rachel Morgan, a witch who is also a bounty hunter. Rachel seems similar to Stephanie in that she is surrounded by hunky men, although they are not always human, and has two partners, a pixie and a living vamp, who aide her in her missions. Lots of verbal sparring and hot sex and interesting characters later, we get to book 6. However, unlike the first two series, this book kept pace with the others and actually brought in new characters and ideas. I hope there will be a 7th. So, after all this rambling, what am I getting at? I love series because once I get attached to a character or characters I like to continue a relationship with them. And, as in real life, sometimes you are surprised by what happens and, at times, disappointed, but you can’t wait to see what happens next.
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