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FANS OF JANET Evano-vich's formulaic adventures will be drawn in, yet again, to the exploits of Stephanie Plum in her newest "Between the Numbers" novel, "Plum Lucky." Stephanie is the pint-size, skip-tracing, felon-hunting, gun-packing star of these stories, and readers will enjoy another farfetched but fun-loving tale.

The thirst for adventure runs deep in Stephanie's family, and this time it's zany Grandma Mazur who gets things going by disappearing one morning. Stephanie's search for Grandma and the ensuing efforts to undo the trouble she's caused is the trail that leads the reader through familiar places in South Jersey.

Oddball characters include the overmedicated low-level mob boss who is convinced that his mind is being controlled by aliens and horses and who wears a cap of aluminum foil to thwart their attempts to contact him. And there's Lula who provides reliable hands-on backup on some of Stephanie's iffiest outings, whether by subduing targets by sitting on their chests or shooting rocket grenades at vehicles.

Like moths to a flame, Stephanie's men friends are ready to help, defend, or whatever else she'll allow. Naturally, they all seem to be of the "hunk" variety; tough, attractive, and smitten.

"Plum Lucky" is an enjoyable quick read--there's no rocket science, just ridiculous fun.

Diane Makovsky is a freelance reviewer in Spotsylvania County.