VISIONS OF SUGAR PLUMS

When a big, handsome, ill-mannered stranger appears inexplicably in her kitchen, New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is tossed into a Christmas adventure neither she nor the listener will likely forget. Lorelei King narrates the story without giving much nuance to Plum’s character. She pulls out the stops, however, with the supporting characters: Stephanie’s born-to-be-wild grandmother; her niece who wants to be a pony; her cop boyfriend, Joe Morelli; a midget con man named Briggs; and the mysterious “Diesel,” who may be an alien, a superhero, or the Ghost of Christmas Present. While pursuing a bond-skipping toy maker, Stephanie has her car and her Christmas tree blown up by an octogenarian supervillain, is chased by a horde of angry elves, and must suffer the holiday guilt provided by her mother. S.E.S. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 02/ JAN 03]