One For The Money

One For The Money by Janet EvanovichSo I'm realizing how many books I've read this past year....Since I've read every one of the 17 Stephanie Plum novels, it is quickly adding up. I loved these novels, up until about book 14 then they just got annoying. But I loved them up until then, and would still suggest reading them regardless.

They are funny, with a few very likable characters, Grandma Mazur is a hoot, and I love Morelli and Ranger. I actually started reading these many years ago getting only into 3 or 4. Just this past year I remembered them and thought I would read them again. I was like a chain smoker, barely setting one down before starting the next. (until around book 14 or so) But I still read them....I'm a glutton for punishment.

Synopsis: Stephanie Plum, a bounty hunter with attitude. She's a product of the "burg," a blue-collar pocket of Trenton where houses are attached and narrow, cars are American, windows are clean, and (God forbid you should be late) dinner is served at six.

Now Stephanie's all grown up and out on her own, living five miles from Mom and Dad's, doing her best to sever the world's longest umbilical cord. Her mother is a meddler, and her grandmother is a few cans short of a case.

Out of work and out of money, with her Miata repossessed and her refrigerator empty, Stephanie blackmails her bail bondsman cousin, Vinnie, into giving her a try as an apprehension agent. Stephanie knows zilch about the job requirements, but she figures her new pal, fearless bounty hunter Ranger, can teach her what it takes to catch a crook.

Her first assignment: nail Joe Morelli, a former vice cop on the run from a charge of murder one. Morelli is also the irresistible macho pig who took Stephanie's virginity at age sixteen and then wrote the details on the bathroom wall of Mario's Sub Shop. There's still powerful chemistry between these two, so the chase should be interesting.

It could also be extremely dangerous, especially when Stephanie encounters a heavyweight title contender who likes to play rough. Benito Ramirez is known for his brutality to women. At the very least, his obsession with Stephanie complicates her manhunt and brings terror and uncertainty into her life. At the worst, it could lead to murder.