By Pam Walatka

With subdued enthusiasm, I tell you about “Twelve Sharp,” by Janet Evanovich (St. Martin’s Press, 2006). Evanovich fans will read it with or without a reviewer’s recommendation, and I’m not sure I would suggest it to non-fans.

This is, obviously enough, the 12th in a series of numerically titled books - “One for the Money,” “Two for the Dough” - about Stephanie Plum, a plucky heroine who works as a bounty hunter in New Jersey; loves two guys; spends time with her family, including her nutty grandmother; gets noodles in her hair; partners with a plus-size former prostitute; blows up cars; eats a lot of dessert but stays cute; lives alone with her hamster but never stays home; wrestles with the bond-skippers she is trying to bring in; gets stalked by a murderer, and captures the murderer with help from the guys.

That’s the gist of all 12 books. Evanovich seems to have taken a poll of readers’ favorite bits and characters, and made sure to include them in every book. Note to Evanovic Some of your loyal fans are getting tired of the noodles in the hair, and we wish you would take the time and summon the courage to try some new ideas.

Book after book, Plum is torn between longtime boyfriend Joe Morelli and fellow bounty hunter Ranger: “In fact there isn’t a lot not to like about Morelli. So the hesitancy I have to commit is confusing. I suppose it has something to do with the fact that I’m horribly attracted to Ranger. Not that I would ever commit to Ranger. Ranger is an accident waiting to happen. Still, the heat is there.”

Why do I and millions of others keep reading these books? Because they are funny. Although the plot is both predictable and improbable, the lines will make you chuckle often and occasionally laugh out loud. In this book, the bad guy thinks he is Ranger. A co-worker tells Plum, “… You want to close Carmen’s case, and it’s possible she was shot by the Un-Ranger.”

One new and amusing sub-theme follows the development of a band featuring Plum’s partner, Lulu, in a variety of amusing costumes.

Plum is a down-to-earth, likeable heroine. Riding in the car with Ranger, and noticing he is in a zone, Stephanie thinks, “I’d like to say I was in a zone like Ranger, but the truth was, I’d never in my life achieved a zone. In fact, I couldn’t even imagine a zone, and didn’t really know what one was. If I had to describe my condition, I’d have to say I was freaked.”

Unfortunately, Evanovich weaves her humorous real-people scenes into a plot involving the kidnapping of a young girl. As Ranger says, “If the stakes weren’t so high, I’d probably think some of this was funny.”

Still, Evanovich writes with clarity, simplicity and punch. If you dampen your expectations, this might be the book to take to the beach this summer.

“Twelve Sharp” is available at Main Street Cafe & Books.