Let's Get Down to (Wicked) Business

I've been in a bit of a reading funk lately, but what better to pull me out of it than a continuation of a great series?  Janet Evanovich's Wicked Business was released this past month, and I could hardly wait to get my hands on it. A cupcake baking, sleuthing heroine in a supernatural farce, what's not to love?

The Basics
Evanovich, Janet. Wicked Business. New York: Bantam Books, 2012. Print.

Wicked Business is the follow-up novel to Evanovich's Wicked Appetite, published in 2010.  This is the second book in a relatively new series that follows pastry chef Lizzy Tucker as her partner, Diesel, drags her further down the rabbit hole.  The two are part of a select group of people with special abilities, which they must use to track down the SALIGIA stones.  These stones represent each of the 7 deadly sins, and this time they're after Lust. Sound goofy? Yeah, Lizzy thinks so, too.

The Book
I enjoyed this book every bit as much as the first one.  It picked up right where the last one left off, and didn't have too much recap information in there.  That was refreshing.  So many series feel the need to endlessly remind readers of what happened previously or, worse, the basics of the universe in which the book is set.  Given that this is only the second book, I could have excused any recap of basics (it's books that are 11-12 books in and still doing it that bug me). But, Evanovich keeps that stuff to the bare minimum of bare essentials.  She makes the connection between the series clear and gets down to business. I love the seamlessness of it.

I also enjoy the farcical nature of this particular series. It both pokes fun at and celebrates the supernatural mystery genre.  Carl, the pet monkey, who eats at the table, tags along on capers, and knows a few obscene hand gestures, is a favorite.  Or Lizzy's inept cohort, Glo, who constantly gets spells wrong by ignoring instructions and mixing up words, she's fun, too.  In this installment, she casts a spell on the villainous Gerwulf's minion, but botches it so that he winds up with perpetual gas. These moments are completely ridiculous (and laugh out loud funny), but they also fit so well with the overall story that the story itself succeeds and does not feel stupid.  It's an interesting - and fun! - balance that Evanovich strikes skillfully.

The story of Wicked Business itself is great; I almost like it better than the first one (too hard to tell for sure, though).  This one felt like it had a bit more mystery to it than the first one.  You're not too sure how and where Lizzy and Diesel are going to find the stone. You're also not entirely certain who the bad guy really is or how things'll turn out.  This book hits the ground running, with Lizzy and Diesel immediately heading to a murder scene to search for clues.  There's also a little bit more mischief involved in this book, since Lizzy and Diesel are forced to go to some interesting lengths on their quest to locate the stone.

Fans of other Evanovich novels will definitely love this one. And if you're not a fan yet, pick this series up and you soon will be.  Both novels are engaging and quick reads that won't fail to delight.

Extras
I've done several Evanovich books now, so my extras list is running a bit thin, but here ya go:

• Here's a nice interview with Evanovich, in which she talks a bit about the premise of the Wicked series and Wicked Business in particular.  
• You can also visit the book's official webpage on Evanovich's site. 
• From there, you can get to an excerpt of the novel.