This book isn't bad; it's very bad. I've read the previous eight volumes in the Stephanie Plum series and enjoyed them tremendously. This edition, however, lacks the intelligence, humor,and sexiness of the prior volumes. Dialogue is forced and flat. Situations such as the airport check-in are ludicrous rather than funny. Worse still, many of the recurring characters act strangely "out of character"--e.g. mysterious Ranger turns chatty; large, confident Lulu diets to impress a man. The attractive elements of many of the characters' personalities have simply disappeared. What a disappointment.