Quick Take
- Narration: Lorelei King is Stephanie Plum – there is no version of this series that works as well without her, and she remains as sharp and characterful here as ever at book twenty-seven.
- Themes: Treasure hunting, family loyalty, the eternal Morelli-Ranger triangle
- Mood: Fast, chaotic, and genuinely funny – Trenton, New Jersey at its most absurd
- Verdict: Longtime Stephanie Plum fans will find this a reliably entertaining installment with more emotional weight than most – newcomers should start with One for the Money.
I have a reliable test for whether a Stephanie Plum book is working: if I find myself smiling before the first major catastrophe arrives, the book is doing its job. Fortune and Glory passed that test within the first fifteen minutes. I listened to most of this one during a cross-country drive, which is exactly the right context for Janet Evanovich’s particular brand of controlled chaos – it passes the miles, it makes you laugh out loud in a way that startles other drivers at toll booths, and it gives you something to look forward to when you stop for gas.
This is entry twenty-seven in the Stephanie Plum series, and the series is old enough at this point that any honest review has to acknowledge what that means. Evanovich has found her rhythm and she stays in it. The Trenton, New Jersey world is fully established; the supporting cast is a known quantity; the narrative engine runs on a familiar formula. None of that is a criticism – it is the contract this series has always offered, and at twenty-seven books in, the people listening know precisely what they are getting. The question for each new entry is whether it delivers enough fresh energy to justify the runtime, and Fortune and Glory mostly does.
Our Take on Fortune and Glory
The treasure hunt premise is one of the series’ more inventive setups. Grandma Mazur’s new husband dies on their wedding night, leaving her nothing but a beat-up armchair and a set of mysterious keys. The search for Jimmy Rosolli’s fortune pulls Stephanie and her grandmother into a collision course with two enemies from the past and a new adversary: Gabriela Rose, a soldier of fortune from Little Havana who is expert in mixed martial arts, gourmet cooking, and designer fashion. Gabriela is the best new character Evanovich has introduced in recent memory. She is a genuine rival to Stephanie rather than a foil or a joke, and the dynamic she creates gives the book a competitive energy that the series sometimes lacks.
The romantic subplot – the perennial question of whether Stephanie will ever actually choose between Joe Morelli and Ranger – is handled with somewhat more directness here than in some previous installments. Without spoiling the outcome, Evanovich gestures toward a resolution in a way that will satisfy some readers and frustrate others. One reviewer notes that this entry gets a little heavy on sexual references, which is fair; the romantic tension has escalated in recent books in ways that may not land equally well for all listeners.
Why Listen to Fortune and Glory
Lorelei King has been narrating this series for decades, and her command of the material is total. She is Stephanie Plum in a way that makes it genuinely difficult to imagine reading the books any other way. Her delivery of the physical comedy sequences – and there are several involving cars, gunfire, and the inevitable chicken – has a practiced timing that makes even familiar material land fresh. King’s voice work for Grandma Mazur is particularly strong in this book, given that Mazur has an unusually large role. The seven-hour runtime passes quickly under King’s handling.
What to Watch For in Fortune and Glory
New listeners should not start here. The emotional stakes of the Morelli-Ranger triangle only register if you have the prior history, and the book’s emotional climax depends on readers caring about characters who have been built over twenty-six previous volumes. The treasure hunt plot is broadly self-contained, but Stephanie’s emotional arc is not. If you are curious about the series, One for the Money is still the correct starting point, and it remains as sharp and funny as it was when Evanovich published it. For the series’ committed audience, Fortune and Glory delivers exactly what it promises: an entertaining, occasionally surprising installment that takes the central character’s life one step further down the road.
Who Should Listen to Fortune and Glory
This is unambiguously a book for existing Stephanie Plum fans, and for them it delivers reliably. The Grandma Mazur storyline is among the series’ most charming, Gabriela Rose is a welcome complication, and Lorelei King’s narration continues to be one of the better listening experiences in commercial crime fiction. Those new to the series should begin at the beginning. Those who gave up on the series some volumes back may find this entry – with its treasure hunt freshness and its directional gesture on the romantic front – a reasonable re-entry point.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Fortune and Glory a good starting point for the Stephanie Plum series?
No. The emotional weight of the Morelli-Ranger triangle and the significance of several returning characters require prior history. Start with One for the Money for the proper foundation.
Does Fortune and Glory actually advance the Morelli versus Ranger storyline, or does it reset as usual?
It moves further than some previous installments in that direction, gesturing toward a more definitive choice than the series typically allows. Longtime readers will find it more directional without being fully conclusive.
Who is Gabriela Rose and why do reviewers mention her specifically?
Gabriela is a new antagonist introduced in this book – a soldier of fortune from Little Havana with an intimidating skill set who serves as a genuine rival to Stephanie rather than a supporting joke. She freshens the formula considerably.
How does Lorelei King’s narration hold up at book twenty-seven?
Remarkably well. King has narrated the series for so long that her characterizations are deeply established, and her comic timing in the physical chaos sequences remains excellent. Listeners who love her work on earlier books will find no degradation here.
