Wicked Appetite (Lizzy and Diesel, #1)

by Janet Evanovich

[ibeforem]

I’ve put off reading this series despite my love for Janet Evanovich mostly because of the supernatural twist. Sometimes I’m just not in the mood for a combo of supernatural and absurd. I already knew it was a spinoff of the Stephanie Plum series, so the writing style and tone were not a surprise. Plus, Janet Evanovich’s books all kinda read the same.

To my surprise, I enjoyed this! Basically, there are 3 types of people — Normal, Unmentionable, and Questionable. Normal people are, well, normal. Unmentionable people have some sort of magical power, though they may not realize it themselves. And Questionable people seem to have some sort of power, but it’s not defined. And what are these powers used for? To find and control/take care of some magic stones. Each of the 7 stones induces the characteristics of one of the deadly sins in whomever has it. The more stones a person has, the more powerful they are.

Diesel, who is introduced in the Stephanie Plum books, is an Unmentionable. Turns out, cupcake baker Lizzy is too, and he enlists her help in tracking down the stones, in particular the stone representing gluttony. True to Evanovich/Plum form, there are a host of zany characters they encounter along the way. And a monkey.

As I said, I enjoyed it, but it’s not her strongest work. On the good side you find the slow-burning relationship between Lizzy and Diesel, Lizzy’s supporting cast, and Lizzy’s cat. On the bad side, you find the monkey. I really, really, really, could do without the monkey. He’s just straight-up absurdity. He serves no purpose. There’s plenty of funny in this book without the damned monkey.