One for the Money

Evanovich, Janet. (2006). One for the Money. (1^st in Stephanie Plum series.) New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press.  

ISBN: 978-0312362089  

Pages: 338  

Genre: mystery

Annotation: Stephanie Plum needs money, so she becomes a bounty hunter.

Summary: Stephanie Plum got laid off from her job six months ago and her bank account reflects it. Desperate, she takes a job collecting court date skippers for her cousin’s bail agency. She soon learns she knows nothing about the tricks of the trade, so she turns to help from an experienced bounty hunter. She needs the knowledge fast because a $10,000 bounty is on the books and she needs that money. As she struggles to apply the tricks of the trade, among them staying alive when dealing with a psychotic boxer with women issues, she learns the man she is hunting may be innocent. Her determination to bring him in, and find the truth, puts her life in danger. She will find herself with a final exam of sorts where the only passing grade is surviving.

Evaluation: excellent read

The main character, Stephanie Plum, is believable and hilarious. Her narrative voice effectively shows the reader what is going on from her point of view. Her reactions to the situations she faces are not too scared or too brave. The other characters are human: evil, helpful, desperate and nosy. The storyline is excellent as well. The problems Stephanie runs into are plausible considering the high end case she takes. The mistakes she makes are believable ones for a novice: the reader can imagine themselves doing the same things. The reader also can be lulled into thinking they have a clear idea of who is behind everything, but then learn otherwise. Some of her run-ins with her bounty, Morelli, might seem too coincidental but they are necessary for the story to move forward. The mystery is revealed and solved at a believable speed. The details of people and location are told in an offhand way which makes the reader feel they are in New Jersey. This is an excellent read for people who want a plucky heroine and/or to learn about bounty hunting.

What else to read or watch:

Other books by Janet Evanovich. 
This book has been made into a movie. 

AE has a TV series about bounty hunting called Dog the Bounty Hunter.

A Woman Called Sage : A Novel by DiAnn Mills for a female bounty hunter.

A is for Alibi (Kinsey Millhone series) by Sue Grafton for a strong heroine.

The Spellman Files (The Spellman series) by Lisa Lutz for a strong heroine.