Visions of Sugar Plums

Starred review from October 21, 2002
A sugar plum for Christmas, indeed! Stephanie Plum, Evanovich's delightfully zany New Jersey bounty hunter, is the star of this too short but hilarious holiday romp. Grousing about the approaching Yule is something many of us can relate to and wishing for a helpful angel might strike a chord with some. But it takes a special imagination to conjure the handsome, if sort of grungy young stranger, Diesel, who magically pops into Stephanie's kitchen one morning just four days before December 25. Diesel joins Stephanie in her hunt for a bail skipper, Sandy Claws ("It was probably Klaus and got screwed up at Ellis Island"), though in fact he's after another target entirely and Stephanie's skipper is a means to that end. In addition to trying to catch Sandy Claws, Stephanie has to get ready for Christmas—which gives Diesel the opportunity to meet her unconventional family. "I'm always knocked out," he observes, "by the way a family can be at the upper end of dysfunction and insanity and still work so well as a unit." When that family includes a pistol-packing grandma, a niece who thinks she's a palomino and a sister on the verge of crisis, that's quite a statement. Throw in some elves, a mad hunt for a Christmas tree and a few fires and you have a Plum-crazy Christmas classic. (On sale Nov. 5)Forecast:"'Tis the season for a spectacular marketing campaign," to quote the book's promotional blurb.
Hard Eight entered the lists at number one over the summer, and this Christmas-themed jewel should do the same, spreading holiday cheer among booksellers.

October 1, 2002
This magical little sweetmeat is clearly a Christmas present from Evanovich to the legions of fans of Stephanie Plum, Trenton bounty hunter. It begins just before Christmas, when a tall, long-haired blond in boots and jeans materializes in Stephanie's kitchen. Really--the door and windows are locked. He says his name is Diesel, and he needs Stephanie's help to find someone. She's looking for someone herself, a toy maker named Sandy Claws who has skipped his court appearance. Crazed elves (really little persons with fake ears), the inevitable blown-up car, and the latest in Grandma Mazur's boyfriends form a counterpoint to Stephanie's incompetence at getting it together for the holidays, her sister Valerie's possible pregnancy by the unfortunately named Albert Kloughn, and a small, boxed gift from Morelli. Through it all, the ingratiating and very pretty Diesel appears and disappears, trying to track someone who may be close to Sandy Claws and hinting that he is not all he seems. If you don't know the characters, you'd be pretty confused, but if you do, you can surrender to the hint of fantasy and the heavenly scent of Christmas cookies from the Plum kitchen.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)

January 6, 2003
Fans of the Stephanie Plum series won't be disappointed with this wonderful adaptation of Evanovich's Christmas tale. Although it's somewhat less creative than some of her other novels, this is still an amusing tale. The story begins with the mysterious arrival of Diesel, a tall, handsome stranger who appears in bounty hunter Stephanie Plum's kitchen. He's caught Stephanie at a bad time: not only is she woefully behind on her Christmas shopping, but she hasn't been able to locate bail-jumper Sandy Claws. As usual, she's got family problems, too. Her sister is pregnant, her grandmother has a new boyfriend and her mother is drinking more than usual. Listeners who aren't familiar with Evanovich's cast of characters may find this adaptation a little hard to follow at first. However, the recitation—complete with a dead-on old lady voice for Grandma and squeals from the elves—is so vivid that listeners will soon recognize the different voices and characters. Actress and veteran audio reader King's command of language and pacing is evident, and the three hour adaptation flies by. Simultaneous release with the St. Martin's hardcover (Forecasts, Oct. 21).