One for the Money

Rating:
Summary: The Unlikely Bounty Hunter is Born
Review: This is not my first Stephani Plum novel. I picked up 'High Five' from the end table one day while waiting on a guest. My wife had left it there. Before I knew it, I was thirty pages into the book and had had several good laughs.

I was looking for something light hearted to read to wittle away some spare time the other day, and I decided to give 'One For the Money' a shot. I loved it every bit as much as 'High Five'.

Janet Evanovich has created an incredibly funny cast of characters. Stephanie, a down on her luck former lingerie purchasing agent, leads them all. At five foot seven, she is not the prototypical bounty hunter, but facing desperation and a depleted bank account, she blackmails her cousin vinnie, who has a fetish for kinky sex his wife doesn't know about, into giving her a chance to bring in a few bond jumpers.

Stephanie's grandmother, Grandma Mazur, is probably the next most charming character. In a way she looks up to Stephanie. Impressed with Stephanie's black biker shorts, Grandma Mazur runs out and buys herself a bright blue pair, which she wears with her knee high stockings and cotton blouse.

This is a funny and great story that follows Stephanie as she determinedly bumbles her way through several apprehensions while in pursuit of a cop accused of shooting an unarmed man. She hopes to collect the $10,000 bounty and get her financial life in order. Evanovich has skillfully written this book interjecting wit in just the right places and making wonderful characters out of everyone, and in some cases, Stephanie's cars. There is even a bit of a twist to the end.

I'd recommend this novel for more mature readers that like humor and crime fiction. Elmore Leonard fans should enjoy this novel. Its an easy read and would be a wonderful way to pass a plane ride.

Rating:
Summary: Meet Stephanie Plum......you got to love her!
Review: What a book. This was hilariously funny. Stephanie Plum is from NJ and having some money problems. Sold her furniture, her car has gotten repo and next she will be needing a place to live if she doesn't come up with an idea fast. She goes to see her cousin Vinnie ( Bail bondsman ) looking for a job. The job had just been filled but the bounty hunter he used was having surgery. Stephanie, newly employed as bounty hunter. After all you get 10% and she would get 10k for bringing Joe Morelli in. Joe is a former cop and is running from Murder One. Stephaine and Joe do go back to growing up. This was a great book! Very funny, Ms. Evanovich really has a gift for writing a story in a very refreshing way! The " who done it " I couldn't tell until it happened. The pages just kept turning as the characters were very real, and enjoyable! I can't wait to read the next one!

Rating:
Summary: Pass the Potatoes
Review: This is one of those books that make you chuckle out loud and then look around quickly to see if anyone noticed. The asides and comments were so cutting and so on point. Loved Stephanie, Grandma Mazur(!), the cocky ex(?) heartthrob and even the evil bad guy was chilling and entertaining.

If you are looking for a Patricia Cornwell or Elizabeth George, forget it. This is a light, breezy, easy read that is perfect for the beach or the pool. If you've ever been occupationally challenged (PC for "unemployed") and been reduced to selling off your belongings, this is the one for you. I was given the entire set EXCEPT number one and was told that it was essential to understand the rest of the series. Here's hoping for some great followups.

Rating:
Summary: Stephanie Plum is Quite a Character!
Review: This is the first of Janet Evanovich that I have read, and I enjoyed the book very much.

Stephanie Plum is down and out on her luck. She has no more money to pay her rent, and her poor old car is broken down. So who does she turn to when the going gets tough? Meet cousin Vinnie, bail bondsman. Stephanie figures it's nice work if you can get it-shagging bail jumpers for $10,000 a pop. So she joins up.

Her first assignment: apprehend Joe Morelli, who's a former vice cop on the run from a charge of murder one. There's another bad guy, Ramirez, a cranky ex-prize fighter dogging her and a nasty habit she has of leaping first and looking later. If Stephanie doesn't look out, the first dead body in her future could be her own.

Rating:
Summary: all the fun of jersey, none of the icky smells
Review: Down-on-her-luck and recently unemployed Trenton girl, Stephanie Plum, blackmails her skeevy cousin Vinnie into giving her a job as a bond enforcement officer (aka bounty hunter) at his bonding agency. Her first case is to find and bring in sexy vice cop Joe Morelli, who she happened to accidentally and purely by chance run down with a Buick as a revenge-seeking teenager. Her case is complicated by Morelli's excellent fugitive skills and her not-so-good fugitive apprehension skills. Stephanie's adventure runs from Stark Street, the baddest of the bad part of Trenton, to her parents' cozy home in "the burg", where her mother spends a lot of time making the sign of the cross and wishing Steph could be more like her perfect sister, Valerie, who never blows up cars or has bad hair days. This book is full of hilarious one-liners, sexual tension, Hiaasen-esque kooky characters, and one heck of a heroine. Stephanie Plum does for bounty hunting what Bridget Jones did for being a functional single woman; she may be hopelessly inept, but she always has a good story.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome! Loved it!
Review: A can't put down book! I've never laughed out loud while reading a book like this before! Stephanie Plum never gives up! I'm on to Two for the Dough next! Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best.....
Review: I did not know what to expect when I bought this book. I read it, I love it. I just did not want it to end even though I wanted to know how it all turned out. I recommend this book to everyone interested in an exciting read.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: Janet Evanovich writes one good book. It is funny and fast paced and an excellant read. be prepared, though- read one, you'll want to read them all!

Rating:
Summary: Try not to eat or drink while reading this book!
Review: Mysteries are so popular today, and there seem to be so many different styles. One author writes police drama, and another PI cases. And then there are the many "themed" mysteries including cooking themes, antique themes, Native American themes, etc. And then there is Janet Evanovich with her Stephanie Plum series, which falls into the "hysterical" theme!

In One for the Money, we are introduced to Stephanie Plum. Stephanie lives in Trenton, NJ, was just laid off from her job as a lingerie buyer, and is desperate for work. Through a series of threats and blackmail, she gets her sleazy cousin Vinnie (who owns his own bail bond company) to hire her as a recovery agent. Of course she is clueless about being a bounty agent, and is given an especially tough job right off the bat-bringing in Joe Morelli, a vice-cop accused of murder.

The plot is a scream and it will have you laughing out loud (make sure not to eat or drink while you're reading). But the characters are what make this book, and they're characters that you could only find in Trenton! Grandma Mazur will have you in stitches. Also, while some mysteries showcase cops or PI's who are always on top of their game, Stephanie bumbles through her cases, which is probably more realistic in the long run. You will also enjoy the descriptions of Trenton-the row houses, the nosy neighbors, the stores, the big-haired girls in spandex, and especially, the food.

So, if you want to read one of the funniest mysteries around, start with Evanovich's One for the Money.

Rating:
Summary: Hilarious
Review: I'm an author of serious non-fiction, but I enjoy reading light-hearted novels. This is as good as it gets. Stephanie Plum is absolutely hilarious. I started reading this series in the middle (number four) because a friend loaned it to me. After reading numbers four, five, and six, I went back to read the first one. They are all monumentally funny. It's sometimes embarrassing when I crack up and others around me can hear!