One For The Money >> Book Review

One For The Money by Janet Evanovich

Stephanie Plum, Book 1

paperback pages: 320

My Rating 4 stars

Welcome to Trenton, New Jersey, home to wise guys, average Joes, and Stephanie Plum, who sports a big attitude and even a bigger money problems (since loosing her job as a lingerie buyer for a department store). Stephanie needs cash-fast-but times are tough, and soon she's forced to turn to the last resort of the truly desperate: family...

Stephanie lands a gig at her sleazy cousin Vinnies' bail bonding company. She's got not experience. But that doesn't matter. Neither does the fact that the bail jumper in question is local vice cop Joe Morelli. From the time he first looked up her dress to the time he first got into her pants, to the time Steph hit him with her father's Buick, M-o-r-e-l-l-i has spelled t-r-o-u-b-l-e. And now the hot guy is in hot water-wanted for murder...

Abject poverty is a great motivator for learning new skills, but being trained in the school of hard knocks by people like psycho prizefighter Benito Ramirez isn't. Still, if Stephanie can nab Morelli in a week, she'll make a cool ten grand. All she has to do ids become an expert bounty hunter overnight-and keep herself from getting killed before she gets her man...

My Review

I finally met Stephanie Plum. I had been hearing about these books but never really got around reading them until now. There are 16 books so far and One For The money is the first one.

We meet Stephanie Plum when she loses her job as a lingerie buyer, desperate to find a new one. She’s behind on her rent and her car has just been taken away. Not knowing where to turn, she goes to her cousin Vinnie who owns a bail-bond business.

She bacically blackmails Vinnie into giving her a bail-bond job worth $10.000 even though she doesn’t know anything about law enforcement and is afraid to use her new gun.

Even if this wasn't enough for Stephanie, now she has to put her emotions in control because the guy she’s looking for is a suspect for murder and she knows  him very well. She once ran her car over him.

I had hard time figuring out what this book is. Is it crime? Mystery? Comedy? I think they it’s all of them. The story is a page turner and Stephanie is such a fun person. The chemistry between her and Joe Morelli was fantastic. I definitely want to see more of them.

A better way of explaining this book is to give you some quotes from the book.

"I like the way you've let your hair go curly," he finally said. "Suits your personality. Lots of energy, not much control, sexy as hell," 
Joe Morelli to Stephanie Plum

"In my opinion, the only good spider is a dead spider, and women's rights aren't worth dick if they mean I can't ask a man to do my bug squashing."  Stephanie Plum

"Hello," I called, gun now in hand, barely able to hear myself over the pounding of my heart. "Who's here?" 
Morelli sauntered out of the kitchen. "Just me. Put the gun away. We need to talk." 
"Jesus! You are so fucking arrogant. Did it ever occur to you I might shoot you with this gun?" 
"No. It never occurred to me." Stephanie and Joe

"You're a lunatic. You ran me over with a goddamn Buick." Joe Morelli to Stephanie Plum

"I attributed the incidence to temporary insanity, and in my own defence, I'd like to say I haven't run over anyone since."  Stephanie

"Are you afraid of me?" 
"Uh... yes."
The smile stayed fixed in place. "You should be. You locked me in a refrigerator truck with three dead people. Sooner or later I'm going to get you for it." Joe and Stephanie

"It's not the pizza, darlin', it’s my masculine presence." 
Joe Morelli" 

These are just some of the quotes I love.

Overall I loved the book. It’s fun, light and a quick read. This is my first mystery-crime type of book. Although this genre is not my thing I loved it because of the witty characters. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys good comedy with a mix of mystery.

Frosy

Buy the book at Amazon | Book Depository  (Hardcover Format) 

and Amazon | Book Depository  (Paperback Format)