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- Title: Twisted Twenty-Six
- Author: Janet Evanovich
- Narrator: Lorelei King
- Length: 06:44:14
- Version: Abridged
- Release Date: 12/11/2019
- Publisher: Penguin Audio
- Genre: Romance, Mystery, Thriller & Horror, Detective Stories, Rom-Com
- ISBN13: 9.78E+12
As I settled into my favorite armchair with a cup of oolong tea, the familiar opening notes of Lorelei King’s narration transported me back to my graduate school days at Harvard, when I first discovered Janet Evanovich’s unique blend of crime fiction and romantic comedy. There’s something wonderfully subversive about how Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series simultaneously adheres to and upends genre conventions – much like how Haruki Murakami plays with magical realism (a comparison I often draw in my Comparative Literature seminars).
Twisted Twenty-Six presents an especially delicious premise: Grandma Mazur’s brief marriage to a gangster and its deadly consequences. What fascinates me most is how Evanovich uses this outrageous scenario to explore profound themes of family loyalty and personal identity. Through a cultural lens, I see parallels between Stephanie’s protective instincts toward Grandma Mazur and the filial piety values I grew up with in Chinese culture – though admittedly, my grandmother never married a mobster!
Lorelei King’s narration is nothing short of virtuosic. Having analyzed countless audiobook performances in my research on digital storytelling, I can confidently say King achieves something remarkable here. Her vocal characterization of Grandma Mazur – that perfect blend of feisty determination and comedic timing – reminds me of the way traditional Chinese opera performers embody their roles through subtle vocal inflections. King’s ability to shift seamlessly between Stephanie’s wry internal monologue and the various Jersey accents creates an auditory tapestry that would make any theater professor proud.
The audiobook’s pacing (clocking in at just under seven hours) creates an interesting tension between the breakneck speed of the plot and the more reflective moments. This duality reminds me of my semester teaching ‘Narrative Velocity in Contemporary Fiction’ at Berkeley, where we examined how different mediums handle pacing. Evanovich’s signature blend of action and humor translates beautifully to audio format, with King’s delivery enhancing every punchline and car chase.
From an academic perspective, I’m particularly intrigued by how Twisted Twenty-Six engages with gender roles. Stephanie Plum remains one of fiction’s most compelling female protagonists – neither a damsel in distress nor an implausible superwoman, but a realistically flawed woman navigating extraordinary circumstances. This nuanced portrayal makes me wish I could include Evanovich in my ‘Gender Representation in 21st Century Fiction’ syllabus alongside Margaret Atwood and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
While the novel excels in character and comedy, I did notice some formulaic elements in the plot structure that echo my research findings about long-running series. The love triangle between Stephanie, Morelli, and Ranger follows familiar patterns, though King’s vocal chemistry with each male character keeps these dynamics fresh. The mystery elements, while entertaining, don’t quite reach the complexity of classic detective fiction – but then again, that’s never been Evanovich’s primary aim.
For listeners new to the series, I’d recommend this audiobook as a perfect introduction. King’s performance captures the essence of Trenton, New Jersey so vividly that I found myself nostalgically recalling my first visit to the East Coast as an exchange student. And for longtime fans, this installment delivers everything you love about the series, with some surprising emotional depth beneath the humor.
As someone who regularly analyzes narrative across different media, I’m particularly impressed by how well Evanovich’s visual, slapstick humor translates to audio. King’s sound effects and timing make even the most outrageous scenes (like a disastrous funeral home visit) come alive. It’s a testament to both writer and narrator that I could perfectly envision every smashed car and exploding chicken, despite the absence of visual cues.
With scholarly enthusiasm and a bookseller’s recommendation,
Prof. Emily Chen
