One for the Money by Janet Evanovich
Paperback, 304 pages
1994, HarperTorch
ISBN: 0061009059
Series: Book 1 of Stephanie Plum
Synopsis
First novels this funny and self-assured come along rarely; dialogue this astute and raunchy is equally unusual. The gutsy heroine introduced here is Stephanie Plum of Trenton, N.J., a recently laid-off lingerie buyer who has no job, no car and no furniture. She does have a hamster, a deranged grandmother, two caring parents and several pairs of biking shorts and sports bras. Finding work with her cousin Vinnie, she becomes a bond hunter and scrounges money enough to buy a gun, a Chevy Nova and some Mace. Her first assignment is to locate a cop accused of murder. Joe Morelli grew up in Stephanie's neighborhood. Possessed of legendary charm, he relieved Stephanie of her virginity when she was 16 (she later ran over him with a car). In her search, Stephanie catches her prey, loses him and grills a psychotic prizefighter, the employer of the man Morelli shot. She steals Morelli's car and then installs an alarm so he can't steal it back. Resourceful and tough, Stephanie has less difficulty finding her man than deciding what she wants to do with him once she's got him. While the link between the fighter and the cop isn't clear until too late in the plot, Evanovich's debut is a delightful romp and Stephanie flaunts a rough-edged appeal.
Review
If you want to start the Stephanie Plum series, One for the Money is an essential read. In this novel, you get all the background information needed to understand the rest of books that follow. Janet Evanovich is very good about making sure the reader knows the major reasons behind some of Stephanie Plum's references, but here you get to see the transformation from unemployed Stephanie to bounty hunter Stephanie. It is very humorous.
Rating
Links
Hey there! Came across your blog over at book blogs and really like it :) I just started the Stephanie Plum series myself and greatly enjoy them!
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