Stephanie Plum Books In Order
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The Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich tells powerful, irresistible and fun stories from one of America’s biggest novelists. Evanovich began her authoring career as Steffie Hall before she became famous with a series of novel featuring former lingerie buyer turned bounty hunter Stephanie Plum. Her novels have been on Amazon, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestseller lists. In fact most of her Stephanie Plums series have been New York Times bestsellers with eleven hitting number one on the USA Today bestseller list. Apart from the Plum novels, she has also written many other series including “Fox & O’Hare Series,” “Lizzy and Diesel Series,” “Knight and Moon Series,” ‘Barnaby and Hooker Series” and many other single standing novels. As it stands, her novels have been translated into more than 40 languages and there are more than 200 million of her works in print. The first novel of the series “One for the Money” was made into a feature film that came out in 2012.
As a second generation American, Janet Evanovich was born to a machinist and a housewife in South River New Jersey. She went to South River High School and when she proceeded to study art at Douglass College, she had the distinction of being the first in her family to go to college. After college she decided to become a housewife and only decided to start writing in her thirties. For a decade, she tried to replicate the Great American Novel and penned three manuscripts none of which would sell. But it was not until she tried her hand with romance which she loved to read that she found her mojo. However, things did not come easy for her as she was almost giving up and had even signed up for temporary employment agency when she got an offer. She was to get the Princely sum of $2000 for her romance manuscript, which at the time she thought was a lot. Evanovich has never looked back since penning dozens of novels that have all gone on to do very well. She currently lives in Florida with her husband Pete.
Stephanie Plum is a girl of Italian-Hungarian descent described as a five foot seven inch and approximately 130 pound light skinned girl with blue eyes, curly shoulder length brown hair, and fast metabolism. She is a spunky combination of Dirty Harry and Nancy Drew that Evanovich describes as heroic when necessary yet incredibly average. Over the course of the series, she develops from an erratic and uncertain woman into a more responsible and stable bounty hunter. Similar to her creator she lives in New Jersey, the setting of the Stephanie Plum series. Plum grew up in the Chambersburg neighborhood which is colloquially known as “the Burg” by locals. Just like Janet, she went to Douglass College and graduated with distinction. The neighborhood is often described as a close knit community that most people never leave. At the beginning of the novels, Stephanie just got laid off from her job in Trenton as a lingerie buyer. She has sold most of her belongings to pay her bills and even got her car repossessed. She had always been bad with money and losing her job is one of the worst things that could have happened to her. She had hoped to find a job as a file clerk at the city’s Bail Bonds Company but the only position available is bounty hunter. The good thing about the job is that it pays very well.
“One for the Money”, the first novel of the Stephanie Plum series opens to Stephanie having lost her job as a department store lingerie buyer. Plum is in dire straits and has to sell everything she owns. Since she cannot make her car payments, she also loses her car. But selling small appliances and furniture is not a long term solution since the rent is due again and she has nothing else to sell. Desperate for money, she approaches her cousin Vinny who runs a Bail Bonds business asking for a job as a filing clerk at his company. Vinny has no vacancies for a clerk and tells her that only the bounty hunter position is available though he is reluctant to give it to her. But she is determined to get the job since it pays up to $10,000 for every apprehension that she makes. She convinces Vinny to let her find a suspect that had skipped his court date since she wants that cool 10k. The man in question is Joe Morelli, a former police woman that had been disgraced. The complication is that he is the man that had taken her virginity while she was in high school and then embarrassed her by writing the details on a bathroom wall. On the line is her rent money and pride. Stephanie is going to do everything in her power including go after some of the most ruthless adversaries that would do anything including kill rather than lose. But first she has to deal with a psychotic stalker and has to turn to Morelli for help, which just rekindles the romantic feelings between them.
Stephanie makes a return in “Two for the Dough” the second novel of the series armed with her trusted .38, killer flashlights, defense sprays, stun guns and of course a killer attitude. She is on the hunt for Kenny Mancuso, the newest bail jumper formerly of Trenton burg. He is a suspiciously wealthy man that had just got out of the army and shot his friend. She dives headlong into the case and has Ranger her pal occasionally offering advice on how to traverse the dark alleys, and back streets. She also gets advice on how to navigate the funeral parlors from Grandma Mazur, who knows these places better than anyone as there is nothing she loves better than attending the neighborhood wake. Grandma will come in handy as a decoy until she decides to pack a cool pistol. But things get even more complicated when the slow handed and fast talking Joe Morelli butts into the case. It turns out that Kenny is his young cousin and he is convinced he is innocent, though he also wants to be near the woman who excites him like no one has ever done in years. Steph does not have the experience but she is resilient and is learning fast. But even with the help from family and friends, there are dangers she has to face alone when she is targeted by a loathsome adversary.
“Three to Get Deadly” is the third novel of the Stephanie Plum series that has Stephanie looking for uncle Mo. Mo is a sweet ice cream shop owner who everybody in Trenton loves. But he had been stopped by a new officer who found an unregistered gun in his car. Being the supposedly saintly person he was, he had no problem getting Vinny to pay his bond. But he has now skipped his court date and Stephanie Plum has been assigned the job of finding and apprehending him. What she thought would be an easy job soon turns into a nightmare as she soon finds that Trenton is full of the bodies of deceased drug dealers. But that is not her biggest problem as she is now under threat from vigilantes who want her to leave the goodly old ice cream seller alone. She has never been one to stop doing her job midway and she is going to apprehend him even if she has to wade knee deep in public scorn, close shaves with death, wrecked cars and dead bodies.
Book Series In Order » Authors »
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The first 15 books I purchased (and absolutely loved) were published by St. Martin’s Press. Now. I have read Book 17 – Published by Bantam – and it was falling apart as I read it. Most annoying. I am now reading Book 18 and waiting until I get to where it starts to fall apart. Did you change publishers? Who is the official publisher for your series as I have a lot more reading and I prefer that it be a fun relaxing experience as opposed to struggling to keep the book together.
I have enjoyed your books and am wondering if there is going to be a 31?
Love every word, this is my nightly habit, sitting in my bed and unwinding from the day. My husband was in the Navy on Submarines for 22 years and I was a stay-at-home mother to three children. After a long day, most of the time without much adult interaction, “Steffanie” would enter the room and entertain me long into the night and allow me to have a wonderful night, and awake rested for another wonderful day of being a mom.
Thanks so much for a safe, non-addictive sleeping aid!
Ruth M. Martin
With a cliff hanger at the end of Dirty Thirty, will there be a “ 31”
I have enjoyed this series immensely!!
LOOKING FOWARD TO ALL HER BOOKS B. REID
O read Janet Evanovich, ” Stephanie Plum,” series to laugh & relax. If anyone needs to unwind & slip away from stress of life, these are a must read. Excellent. Hope I don’t keep my neighbor awake by totally laughing out loud at night reading them. Laughter is heat medicine to heal whatever aches you. Each takes your mind off your troubles, problems pain you may have and any anxiety.