Full Blast is the newest book (released April 6, 2004) in the “Full” series by Janet Evanovich and Charlotte Hughes.
I’ll admit it…I am a huge Janet Evanovich fan. To those familiar with Evanovich, NO this is not a new Stephanie Plum novel…expect Ten Big Ones this coming June.
Full Blast is the 4th novel written by the tag-team author-duo Evanovich and Hughes in their “Full” series. The other books are: Full House, Full Tilt, and Full Speed. The characters in this novel were all introduced in earlier editions of the “Full” series. Full Blast picks up 3 weeks after the end of Full Speed. Suggestion: read the other novels first, otherwise, you would never understand the lead character’s frustrations.
Background Information:
Jamie Swift inherited the local newspaper in Beaumont, South Carolina from her father. She has worked hard to keep the paper profitable. In the past, Jamie was close to losing her paper, but millionaire Max Holt, founder of Holt Industries, came to her aid with an offer of partnership. Did I mention that Max is apparently gorgeous? So, needless to say, Jamie and Max have had a semi-love affair. Of course when Max is with Jamie, she tends to find herself in dangerous situations. So, just three weeks after her latest dangerous endeavor (the end of Full Speed), Jamie finds herself confronted by another dilemma and immediately calls Max. And here begins our story….
Plot:
Jamie decides to become current with new developments in the newspaper business. She has developed a “Personals” section in her newspaper. Beaumont now has a Personals section in their newspaper and the bakery down the street is claiming to be selling aphrodisiac-laced brownies. A woman arrives at the office and states she knows Jamie is going to be hiring a psychic to write a column and she wanted to be the first to apply. Jamie stares….she never told anyone that. The psychic goes on to tell Jamie that she will be visited soon by a man in uniform. Woohoo! A man in uniform? Calm down, ladies!!
Jamie did receive that visit – it was the Beaumont sheriff. His visit was pure business, no pleasure for Jamie. A woman was murdered. In her home, they found a copy of the new Personals section of the newspaper. It may or may not be related. But, what if it is? Is Jamie responsible for the woman’s death?
Everyone in town has seemingly become sex-crazed with the new brownies being sold. People and pets, alike. Is Jamie’s Personals section responsible for the woman’s death? Will there be more deaths? Can the murderer be found before they can kill again?
Characters
Jamie Swift: local newspaper owner. If you are an Evanovich fan, Jamie is a watered-down version of Stephanie Plum. Evanovich and Hughes have definitely made this character easily distinguishable from the other.
Max Holt: founder of Holt Industries, Jamie’s business partner since bailing her out of losing her newspaper. Max designed a $2 million car – remember Knight Rider? Ok, it’s Kit from that television show. However, Max designed Muffin (the car) to have human capabilities – so this computer has been known to think she is going through menopause in a previous book. Ok, that is a little farfetched!
Vera Bankhead: the woman who watched over Jamie as a child and throughout her adult life. Vera carries a .38 gun in her purse (just in case, you never know when you may need a gun!). Vera is outspoken and is not afraid to tell Jamie exactly what she thinks, when she thinks it.
Dee-Dee: Max’s sister, also has more money than she knows what to do with
Destiny: the psychic in town. She seemingly talks to herself….spirits visit her if they don’t want to “cross over” to the other side. Remember the movie “Ghost”?
My recommendation:
Yes, I did enjoy this book and I would recommend it. I am an avid book reader and enjoy any novel that can make me laugh or think about issues. This is one of the lighter reads – it’s for laughs. It’s a comedy/romance/mystery novel.
I honestly did not figure out who the murderer was, so that is good sign - I read a lot of mystery novels.
If you want to read a book that is just plain fun, I would highly recommend Full Blast. Be sure to check out the other novels in the “Full” series - Full House, Full Tilt and Full Speed.
Other Novels Recommended if You Liked this Novel:
Janet Evanovich: the Stephanie Plum series
Charlotte Hughes: A New Attitude and Hot Shot
Jennifer Crusie: Welcome to Temptation, Tell Me Lies, and Faking It
Recommended:
