Stephanie Plum, Bounty Hunter by Janet Evanovich, Harper

The books in order as of July 2006 are:

ONE FOR THE MONEY 9/1994
TWO FOR THE DOUGH 11/1995
THREE TO GET DEADLY 2/1997
»» THE LAST PEEP 1997 (In PLOT THICKENS or FIRST CASES, VOL. 3 anthology)
FOUR TO SCORE 7/1998
HIGH FIVE 7/1999
HOT SIX 6/2000
SEVEN UP 6/2001
HARD EIGHT 7/2002
VISIONS OF SUGAR PLUMS 11/2002
TO THE NINES 8/2003
TEN BIG ONES 7/2004
ELEVEN ON TOP 7/2005
TWELVE SHARP 6/2006

Janet Evanovich has created a humorous world for us in her Stephanie Plum series. The books are first person from Stephanie's point of view. I say this only because I know there are some people who do not like to read books in first person. I believe these books would be less effective and not nearly as enjoyable if there were other points of view in them, although it would be fun sometimes to be in Joe or Ranger's head from time to time.

Stephanie Plum is from Trenton, New Jersey and took on the job of bounty hunter by blackmailing her cousin, Vinny for a job when she got laid off from her lingerie buyer's job. Stephanie's not the most savvy bounty hunter but she's tenacious and lucky. Her escapades have had me in tears from laughing so hard. And that's not even counting her kooky family, including Grandma Mazur who attends funerals as if they were a social event. Stephanie goes through cars like others change underwear, sometimes they blow up, sometimes they just die, but there's always her uncle's trust powder blue '53 Buick to fall back on.

We come face to face with hunky Joe Morelli, the man who's been in Stephanie's life since she was six when they played choo-choo in his garage. The man who took her virginity when she was sixteen behind the counter at the bakery she worked at. The man who is now her on-again off-again boy friend, briefly they were even engaged (unofficially).

There's also the mysteriously sexy Cuban-American Ranger, Stephanie's mentor in the bounty hunter world. Ranger is Superman, it's as simple as that and I'm a Ranger fan when it comes to who I believe Stephanie should be with. Some have argued with me on this, and that's what opinions are for. But I believe Ranger accepts Stephanie for who she is, job, family and everything, and Stephanie needs that.

Along the way, Stephanie meets up with some zaney people who grow on you with their goofy ways. There's the plus-sized Lulu we meet in One For the Money as a whore and now works as a file clerk for Vinny. She also accompanies Stephanie on "take-downs" from time to time. Connie is the office manager at Vinny's office and someone I wish we'd get to know a little more. Each book also introduces us to other characters who we get to know through Stephanie's narratives and the things she uncovers. Sometimes the bail jumpers are comical, sometimes they're frightening. It's one of the things that makes these books great, you never know what's around the corner.

I reread very few books, I have so many books in my house that I haven't read yet that I have a hard time justifying reading books for a second time, but the Stephanie Plum books are books that I could read again and again and still laugh hysterically at some parts.

There's not a lot of depth in these books, they're not in depth psychological thrillers or anything. But these are the books that you want to sit down and read when you're looking for a fun, entertaining read with a bit of teeth and personality to it. But all of the characters are great, and Evanovich does a good job of making you feel like you're a part of the Burg.

©Susan Matthews and phantomroses.com