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One for the Money (Stephanie Plum, Bk 1)
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One for the Money (Stephanie Plum, Bk 1)
Author: Janet Evanovich

Book Information
Publisher: HarperTorch
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Rating:

ISBN-13: 9780061009051 - ISBN-10: 0061009059
Publication Date: 1995
Pages: 304


Other Versions of this Book: Paperback, Audio Cassette (Abridged), Hardcover, Hardcover, Audio Cassette, Audio CD (Abridged)

Book Description:
Watch out, world. Here comes Stephanie Plum, a bounty hunter with attitude. In Stephanie's opinion, toxic waste, rabid drivers, armed schizophrenics, and August heat, humidity, and hydrocarbons are all part of the great adventure of living in Jersey.

She's a product of the "burg," a blue-collar pocket of Trenton where houses are attached and narrow, cars are American, window 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.

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Three to Get Deadly (Stephanie Plum, Bk 3)Four to Score (Stephanie Plum, Bk 4)High Five (Stephanie Plum, Bk 5)Hot Six (Stephanie Plum, Bk 6)Two for the Dough (Stephanie Plum, Bk 2)


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Top Member Book Reviews

Al C. (vavoice) wrote on 7/27/2007...

13 member(s) found this review helpful.

I know this book has been reviewed to death, but I'll give it another kick. Stephanie Plum is the consumate bounty hunter noir. Sam Spade, Travis McGee and Mike Hammer now have competition...in pantyhose.

She lost her job as a lingerie buyer for a discount chain, and, when her life began to scrape bottom, her mother suggested she visit her cousin Vinnie, the bailbondsman, for a filing job. Unfortunately, that job had just been filled. But there was always skip tracing -- tracking down clients who have jumped bail.

Not being very shy, and needing money desperately, Stephanie takes the job. And, since finances were the driving factor, she decides to start at the top -- tracking a murder suspect, who happens to be a cop, who grew up in her neighborhood, who she once ran down in her fathers Buick, on purpose.

Anyway, Stephanie gets a crash course in bounty hunting, and picks up her share of scrapes and bruises along the way. And, though she continues to find her jumper, she is having a heck of a time bringing him in.

And then there is Stephanie's grandmother...

My wife nagged me to read this book, and I finally gave in. It is well written and entertaining. Every page is filled with action, and there are lots of light moments to keep the reader afloat. I enjoyed it very much, despite the moderately high estrogen levels. Since I was told the series gets better with the second and third novels, I guess I'll have to continue. I won't tell her I'm looking forward to it :o)

Jeanette S. (pondfrogs) wrote on 8/10/2007...

6 member(s) found this review helpful.

my first evanovich and have to say I love it! I love stephanie and all the other quirky characters. it's not usually my typical book type but I will be trying more by this author. it is mystery/comedy/romance/adventure all rolled into one. can't wait to read the next plum adventure!

Kristin C. (mrscrodian) wrote on 5/31/2008...

4 member(s) found this review helpful.

I enjoyed this book, it was cute and funny. I finished it in 2 days. I'm on to "Two for the Dough"

LibraryHelper wrote on 7/23/2007...

4 member(s) found this review helpful.

Excellent series. A really fun read.

Claudia B. (Claudielou) wrote on 9/14/2007...

3 member(s) found this review helpful.

This is just the first of the belly laughs you'll have with Stephanie Plum! These books are so funny that I can't read them in public for fear of looking like an absolute idiot. If you need something to take your mind off of some really bad life situation, these books are it!
Claudielou

TJ S. (CraftyTJ) wrote on 3/26/2007...

3 member(s) found this review helpful.

Stephanie Plum is so smart, so honest, and so funny that her narrative charm could drive a documentary on termites. But this tough gal from New Jersey, an unemployed discount lingerie buyer, has a much more interesting story to tell: She has to say that her Miata has been repossessed and that she's so poor at the moment that she just drank her last bottle of beer for breakfast. She has to say that her only chance out of her present rut is her repugnant cousin Vinnie and his bail-bond business. She has to say that she blackmailed Vinnie into giving her a bail-bond recovery job worth $10,000 (for a murder suspect), even though she doesn't own a gun and has never apprehended a person in her life. And she has to say that the guy she has to get, Joe Morelli, is the same creep who charmed away her teenage virginity behind the pastry case in the Trenton bakery where she worked after school.
If that hard-luck story doesn't sound compelling enough, Stephanie's several unsuccessful attempts at pulling in Joe make a downright hilarious and suspenseful tale of murder and deceit. Along the way, several more outlandish (but unrelentingly real) characters join the story, including Benito Ramirez, a champion boxer who seems to be following Stephanie Plum wherever she goes.

Janet Evanovich shares an authentic feel for the streets of Trenton in her debut mystery (she developed her talents in a string of romance novels before creating Ms. Plum), and her tough, frank, and funny first-person narrator offers a winning mix of vulgarity and sensitivity. Evanovich is certainly among the best of the new voices to emerge in the mystery field of the 1990s.

Marilyn M. (IndulgeYourself) - Lomira, WI wrote on 7/1/2009...

2 member(s) found this review helpful.

I am sorry that I procrastinated in starting to read this series. I so thoroughly enjoyed this first book - it had me laughing out loud several times. I finished the book in record time and immediately started the next one as I was so involved with the characters and wanted to see what happened next. The main character and the writing style reminded me a lot of Kinsely Milhome in the Sue Grafton alphabet series books. It's an easy, light read, but not total fluff -- a lot of mystery and adventure to keep you turning the pages. I highly recommend!

Candy B. (candieb) wrote on 1/6/2009...

2 member(s) found this review helpful.

I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting from this book. It seems like such a popular series. I won't say that I 'loved' it. I liked it. I found Stephanie to be a little annoying at times. I know she's supposed to be this bumbling crazy lady, but I dunno... It was a really easy read, read it in two nights and it's mindless reading, which was definitely welcome after the insanity of the past week or so. It's a worth a read if you need something read at the beach or on an airplane. If you want something with teeth, skip this one for now.

Linda (Angeleyes) wrote on 7/4/2008...

2 member(s) found this review helpful.

Having grown up in the "Burg", I have to say I LOVE this series. Stephanie Plum is the quintessential "burgerbite" and, trust me when I say, the cast of characters including Grandma Mazur are true to life. I laughed out loud reading this book because Stephanie's family is exactly like I remember growing up. This series is a great read and once you start you'll be hooked.

Mary W. wrote on 11/25/2006...

2 member(s) found this review helpful.

This is the first Evanovich book I've read and now I know why so many people are fans. Humorous yet suspenseful and thrilling.


Please Rate these Book Reviews

ANDREA JEAN S. (Drea1977Florida) - Palm Bay, FL wrote on 10/23/2009...


This was a GREAT book,kept me going and intrested all the time.I am waiting now to get book 2 and see if it is just as good.so far,book one was EXCELLENT,actually I read it in less then 2 days.

Sharon C. wrote on 9/26/2009...


This was the first book that I had read from this author and it won't be the last. It keep me laughing and turning pages from start to the end. This author is definitly one of my favorite authors.

Halley E. (Hali) wrote on 9/25/2009...


A fun and funny book that I laughed my way through.

Robin K. jubead wrote on 6/8/2009...


Stephanie plum is a laid-off lingerie buyer. She is divorced. She is 30 years old. She lives in Trenton, New Jersey. Her car was repossessed and to make rent she has been selling her furniture – if she doesn't find work soon she will have to move back with her parents. She convinces her cousin Vinny to hire her as a bounty hunter in his bail bond business. She is given one week to bring in bail jumper Cop Joe Morelli. He disappeared after shooting an unarmed man. The bounty is high 10k and it helps to want vengence on the man who took her virginity behind the eclair counter at the bakery. He never called and wrote a poem about on the bathroom room.

Stephanie knows nothing about bounty hunting but stumbles upon Joe, but doesn’t know what to do with him when she finds him. So Stephanie enlists the help of one hot mysterious bounty hunter called Ranger. Ranger is amused by Stephanie and agrees to be her mentor. When Ranger asks what she did when she found Morelli she said I asked him to go with me to the police station but he refused! Ranger works in the gray side of the law but helps Stephanie purchase a gun and mace so she will be prepared next time.
So during the story she borrows Joe’s car since he is on the run and it is bombed and she is stocked by a pysco prize fighter. There are a lot of unexpected and funny turns through the book. You will chuckle if not laugh through the book. The books are keepers.

A friend borrowed the first book and promptly came back and borrowed the other 13. She is willl buy the 15th herself. The characters are solid with a lot of chemistry. I haven’t read another book where all the characters jump off the page and are all likeable. You will be entertained through the book. No thinking or pondering allowed. I would recommend this whole series.

Beware: even if you do not like donuts be prepared to crave them. I actually had to purchase tastey cakes but they sounded so good….they weren’t. Stephanie is able to eat anything she wants and not gain an ounce so she eats a lot in the books.

Renea L. (renealandreth) wrote on 12/8/2008...


I love this series! Stephanie Plum, bail bondswoman extraordinaire, always seems to find herself in situations with her men, her grandmother, her friends, etc. that lead to danger and hilarity. I can never put one of these down until I've finished reading it. This is the first of the series, and I guarantee you will be hooked after you read it.

Ginger F. (ginfam) wrote on 9/24/2008...


Great series!!

Simone T. (Simone) wrote on 8/30/2008...


This is the first of her books I've read and I really like it. I'm glad I have the next 13 ready to go.

Michelle R. (darkqueen2000) wrote on 8/20/2008...


This was a great story.You'll LOL at Stephanie.A must read,you'll want the rest of the books as soon as your done.

Judy B. (jdyinva) wrote on 6/28/2008...


And so it begins ... the first of the funniest mystery romps ever. I laughed aloud at Gramma Mazur, Lula and the whole gang. If you didn't start at the beginning, here's your chance. Terrific!

Regina L. (bikeshoes) wrote on 2/2/2008...


Great book and I'm not totally addicted to Stephanie Plum! Can't wait to read all the rest of the series.


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