One for the Money (Stephanie Plum 01) [Paperback]

Turns out to be plenty hard. After all, most of the criminals won't come when asked politely. And she did target Joe Morelli, a cop on the run trying to prove he was framed. Still, that huge paycheck and a shared past keep her focused on Morelli. But when boxer Benito Ramirez starts dogging her trail, she begins to suspect she's in over her head. Can she survive long enough to bring Morelli in?

I've been hearing lots about these books, but hadn't had a chance to try one yet. Wish I hadn't waited so long. The writing style is engaging and the pace fast. I had a hard time putting the book down and couldn't stop thinking about it when I did. When the book ended, I started looking around for the second to see what would happen next to the main characters.

It's easy to see why this series is so popular. The fun characters and storyline make for quick, light reading. I'm looking forward to catching up on the seven books I haven't read yet and hope to enjoy visits with these characters for many years to come.

Now, Joseph Morelli, an ex-cop and a sexy hunk, is on the run from a murder charge. He and Stephanie have a long history together that goes way back to childhood. When she was six years old, and the precocious Morelli was just a few years older, he taught her to play "choo-choo" in the Morelli garage. When she was 16, she and Morelli spent their first and last date on the floor of the Tasty Pastry Bakery, after working hours. She didn't see him again for 3 years. When she finally did run into him, 36 months later, hanging on the corner of Giovichinni's Meat Market, she literally ran into him - with her father's Buick. He lived to tell the tale.

In "One For The Money" Ms. Evanovich introduces us to a cast of wonderfully outrageous characters who continue to populate her subsequent books: Ranger, a 2nd generation Cuban American, ex-Special Forces, creative genius of a bounty hunter, and fairly breathtaking to look at, especially when wearing his all black outfit with leather accessories; Ramirez, a psychopathic prize fighter who is too scary to be much fun; Grandma Mazur, Stephanie's maternal grandmother, and a pistol-packin,' roller blading clotheshorse she is! Fortunately, she is probably the majority contributor to Stephanie's gene pool; Lula, a 250 pound-plus hooker, who aspires to be a bounty hunter & is working on her resume; etc..

And of course there's the mystery...because this is a mystery. But I won't spoil that for you. Just run to your local library, bookstore...or Amazon.co.uk, of course, & get this chock-full of great reading gem of a book. Also, beware!! Janet Evanovich has 8 more Stephanie Plum books on the market to date, and you won't want to miss any of them - they're as addictive as a great belly-laugh!
JANA