One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

One for the Money by Janet Evanovich
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

#BecRereads2019

I have to confess that it has probably been 20 years since I first read this book, so it was fun to revisit it. I had forgotten a lot about how the series starts. However, the only bad thing is that now I want to go back through and reread the whole series, instead of stopping at just book one, which was the original plan.

I find Stephanie to be an extremely relateable character. Perhaps that means my life is a bit of a comedic disaster as well, but even so, at least I know it's not just me.

Pages: 320

The Pursuit by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

Summary: "Nicolas Fox, international con man, thief, and one of the top ten fugitives on the FBI's most-wanted list, has been kidnapped from a beachfront retreat in Hawaii. What the kidnapper doesn't know is that Nick Fox has been secretly working for the FBI. It isn't long before Nick's covert partner, Special Agent Kate O'Hare, is in hot pursuit of the crook who stole her con man."


Another fun and interesting installment! The con in this book wasn't my favorite though. I prefer the elaborate cons with more glitz and glam rather than sewers and disease. 


304 pages

Tricky Twenty-Two by Janet Evanovich

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

He is developing a plague on the college campus, kidnapping people. When the case is solved, the words to remember are:  never mistrust maternal rage.

Audio:  6 hrs. 30 min.

Print:  304 pages

Tricky Twenty Two by Janet Evanovich

Summary: "Something big is brewing in Trenton, N.J., and it could blow at any minute. Stephanie Plum might not be the world's greatest bounty hunter, but she knows when she's being played. Ken Globovic (aka Gobbles), hailed as the Supreme Exalted Zookeeper of the animal house known as Zeta fraternity, has been arrested for beating up the dean of students at Kiltman College. Gobbles has missed his court date and gone into hiding. People have seen him on campus, but no one will talk. Things just aren't adding up, and Stephanie can't shake the feeling that something funny is going on at the college--and it's not just Zeta fraternity pranks."

I loved this installment of the Stephanie Plum series! It had all the best qualities from the other books, but it could have used a little more Grandma Mazur! Lula was hilarious as usual; she is one of the best book characters of all time. Stephanie continues to be a funny, imperfect, brave and haphazard heroine. 

292 pages

The Scam by Janet Evanovich with Lee Goldberg

Summary: "Nicolas Fox is a charming con man and master thief on the run. Kate O'Hare is the FBI agent who is hot on his trail. At least that's what everyone thinks. In reality, Fox and O'Hare are secretly working together to bring down super-criminals the law can't touch. Criminals like brutal casino magnate Evan Trace."

The Scam is the 4th book in the Fox and O'Hare series, and it lived up to expectations! It almost seemed too short because it moved so quickly that it was over too fast! I love the Nick and Kate dynamic more and more. However, The Scam ends on a cliffhanger, which was quite frustrating! Can't wait to find out what happens next!


286 pages

The Job by Janet Evanovich with Lee Goldberg

Summary: "The FBI had one demand when they secretly teamed up Special Agent Kate O'Hare with charming con man Nicolas Fox -- bring down the world's most-wanted and untouchable felons. This time it's the brutal leader of a global drug-smuggling empire. The FBI doesn't know what their target looks like, where he is, or how to find him, but Nick Fox has a few tricks up his sleeve to roust this particular Knipschildt chocolate-loving drug lord. From the streets of Nashville to the back alleys of Lisbon, from the rooftops of Istanbul to the middle of the Thames, Nick and Kate chase their mark. When they find themselves pitted against a psychopathic bodyguard and a Portuguese enforcer who gets advice from a pickled head, they decide it's time to enlist some special talent -- talent like a machete-wielding Somali pirate, a self-absorbed actor, an Oscar-winning special effects artist, and Kate's father Jake, a retired Special Forces operative. Together they could help make this Fox and O'Hare's biggest win yet... if they survive." 

The Job was a fun installment in the Fox and O'Hare series! I really enjoyed it. The big con in this novel is the discovery of a sunken Spanish treasure galleon, which is always an interesting story. Nick and Kate have great chemistry as usual. Looking forward to the next one! And the next Stephanie Plum novel, Tricky Twenty-Two, comes out November 17 - mark your calendars!!!

289 pages

The Chase by Janet Evanovich with Lee Goldberg

Summary: "FBI Agent Kate O'Hare is a force of nature, and she's lived for one thing and one thing only: to put the slippery conman known as Nicolas Fox behind bars. Nick is a fed's worst nightmare: exceptionally talented in his line of work, known the world over for being able to pull off some of the most dangerous, high-profile cons. In a cruel twist of fate, Kate's bosses at the FBI force her to covertly partner up with Nick to take down big league crime. Their adventures continue in this exciting second novel in the series." 

I really enjoyed the con story of this second book in the series. The series is getting better by each book! Nick and Kate have great chemistry, which is what I really enjoy about the books. Sometimes the details of the con can get a little boring, but overall, these books are pretty entertaining. I plan to keep reading them! 

303 pages

The Heist by Janet Evanovich with Lee Goldberg

Summary: "Just when it seems that international crook Nicolas Fox has been captured for good, he pulls off his greatest con of all: he convinces the FBI to offer him a job, working side by side with Special Agent Kate O'Hare. Problem is, teaming up to stop a corrupt investment banker who's hiding on a private island in Indonesia is going to test O'Hare's patience and Fox's skill -- if the two don't kill each other first."

I read the prequel to this series in the back of one of the Stephanie Plum books, and I was intrigued. Unfortunately, The Heist does not live  up to the magic and entertainment that Stephanie Plum is. Kate O'Hare is not as fun as Stephanie, and Nick Fox is no Morelli or Ranger. However, it was good enough and I'll probably continue to read the rest of the series. 

304 pages

Top Secret Twenty-One by Janet Evanovich

Summary: "Trenton, New Jersey's favorite used car dealer, Jimmy Poletti, was caught selling a lot more than used cars out of his dealerships. Now he's out on bail and has missed his date in court--and bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is looking to bring him in. Leads are quickly turning into dead ends, and all too frequently into dead bodies. Even Joe Morelli, the city's hottest cop, is struggling to find a clue to the suspected killer's whereabouts. To top things off, Ranger--resident security expert and Stephanie's greatest temptation--has been the target of an assassination plot. He's dodged the bullet this time, but if Ranger wants to survive the next attempt on his life, he'll have to enlist Stephanie's help. Death threats, highly trained assassins, highly untrained assassins and Stark Street being overrun with a pack of feral Chihuahuas are all in a day's work for Stephanie Plum."

I am heartbroken that I've finished this series....I really hope there will be more! I miss Stephanie, Lula, Morelli and the rest of the gang so much!

341 pages

Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich

Summary: "New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum knows better than to mess with family. But when powerful mobster Salvatore "Uncle Sunny" Sunucchi goes on the lam in Trenton, it's up to Stephanie to find him. Uncle Sunny is charged with murder for running over a guy (twice), and nobody wants to turn him in--not his poker buddies, not his bimbo girlfriend, not his two right-hand men, Shorty and Moe. Even Trenton's hottest cop, Joe Morelli, has skin in the game, because "just Stephanie's luck" the godfather is his actual godfather. And while Morelli understands that the law is the law, his old-world grandmother, Bella, is doing everything she can to throw Stephanie off the trail."

I love any book that involves Morelli's crazy Italian family, especially Grandma Bella! Also, Stephanie attempts to play bingo (disaster) and Lula attempts to take care of a giraffe named Kevin! 

307 pages

Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich

Summary: "After a slow summer of chasing low-level skips for her cousin Vinnie's bail bonds agency, Stephanie Plum finally lands an assignment that could put her checkbook back in the black. Geoffrey Cubbin, facing trial for embezzling millions from Trenton's premier assisted-living facility, has mysteriously vanished from the hospital after an emergency appendectomy. Now it's on Stephanie to track down the con man. The problem is, Cubbin has disappeared without a trace, a witness, or his money-hungry wife. Rumors are stirring that he must have had help with the daring escape, or that maybe he never made it out of his room alive. Since the hospital staff's lips seem to be tighter than the security, and it is hard for Stephanie to blend in to assisted living, Stephanie's Grandma Mazur goes in undercover. But when a second felon goes missing from the same hospital, Plum is forced into working side by side with Trenton's hottest cop, Joe Morelli, in order to crack the case. Solving the case is harder than she imagined and to make sure the rent is paid she takes on a second job, protecting her mentor Ranger from a deadly special forces adversary."


Grandma Mazur is on her A-game in this book!

312 pages

Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich

Summary: "Stephanie Plum finds herself in trouble when her seatmate on her Hawaii to Newark flight winds up dead and a motley collection of thugs, as well as the FBI, search for a photo the man was reportedly carrying--a photo that only Stephanie has seen."

Stephanie gets herself into HUGE trouble in this book...both in her professional and her love life. Things between Stephanie, Morelli and Ranger have never been more complicated.

305 pages

Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich

Summary: "Where there's smoke there's fire, and no one knows this better than New Jersey bounty hunter, Stephanie Plum. The bail bonds office has burned to the ground, and bodies are turning up in the empty construction lot. To make matters worse, Stephanie is working out of a motor home she shares with a dancing bear, and Joe Morelli's old-world grandmother has declared a vendetta against her. And just when Stephanie decides it might be time to choose between the two men in her life, Morelli and Ranger, a third man from Stephanie's past moves back to Trenton..."


308 pages

Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich

Summary (taken from Janet Evanovich's website)

"BAD LUCK:
  Vinnie, of Vincent Plum Bail Bonds, has run up a gambling debt of $786,000 with mobster
Bobby Sunflower and is being held until the cash can be produced.  Nobody else will pay to get Vinnie back, leaving it up to Stephanie, office manager Connie, and file clerk Lula to raise the money if they want to save their jobs.

GOOD LUCK:
  Being in the business of tracking down people, Stephanie, Lula, and Connie have an advantage in finding Vinnie.  If they can rescue him, it will buy them some time to raise the cash.

BAD LUCK:
  Finding a safe place to hide Vinnie turns out to be harder than raising $786,000.  Vinnie’s messing up local stoner Walter “Moon Man” Dunphy’s vibe and making Stephanie question genetics.

GOOD LUCK:
  Between a bonds office yard sale that has the entire Burg turning out, a plan that makes Mooner’s Hobbit-Con look sane, and Uncle Pip’s mysterious bottle, they just might raise enough money to save Vinnie and the business from ruin.

BAD LUCK:
  Saving Vincent Plum Bail Bonds means Stephanie can keep being a bounty hunter.  In Trenton, this involves hunting down a man wanted for polygamy, a Turnpike toilet paper bandit, and a drug dealer with a pet alligator named Mr. Jingles."

309 pages

Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich

Summary: "While recovering from an ill-timed makeup mishap, Lula is a witness to celebrity chef, Stanley Chipotle, losing his head--literally. Now Lula and Stephanie are on the hunt to identify the killers before Lula is next on the chopping block. Meantime, Ranger's recruited Stephanie's help for a top secret mission. Someone on the inside at Rangeman is leaking client information, determined to bring the company down. Can Stephanie hunt down a killer, a traitor, and keep Grandma out of the sauce?"

Grandma Mazur and Lula are truly hilarious. I don't think I've ever laughed so hard!

308 pages

Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich

Summary: "Personal vendettas, hidden treasure, and a monkey named Carl will send bounty hunter Stephanie Plum on her most explosive adventure yet. Dom Rizzi robbed a bank, stashed the money, and did the time. His family couldn't be more proud. He always was the smart one. Joe Morelli, Dom Rizzi, and Dom's sister, Loretta, are cousins. Morelli is a cop, Rizzi robs banks, and Loretta is a single mother waiting tables at the firehouse. The all-American family. Less than a week after Dom's release from prison, Joe Morelli has shadowy figures breaking into his house and dying in his basement. He's getting threatening messages, Loretta is kidnapped, and Dom is missing. Morelli hires Walter "Mooner" Dunphy, stoner and "inventor" turned crime fighter, to protect his house. Morelli can't afford a lot on a cop's salary, and Mooner will work for potatoes. Stephanie and Morelli have a long-standing relationship that involves sex, affection, and driving each other nuts. She's a bond enforcement agent with more luck than talent, and she's involved in this bank-robbery-gone-bad disaster from day one. Security expert Carlos Manoso, street name Ranger, has a job for Stephanie that will involve night work. Morelli has his own ideas regarding Stephanie's evening activities."

One of my absolute favorites!

310 pages

Plum Lucky by Janet Evanovich

Summary: "Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum finds herself in over her head with a caper involving stolen money, a racehorse, a car chase, and a bad case of hives--not to mention her grandmother playing the slots in Atlantic City unknowingly using the stolen money! Meanwhile, the mysterious Diesel returns to once again turn Stephanie's world upside down."

Absolute insanity! The novellas aren't my favorite books in the series, but this is one of the best! 

Favorite part: Lula with a rocket launcher. 

166 pages

Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich

Summary: "Mistake #1: Dickie Orr. Stephanie was married to him for about fifteen minutes before she caught him cheating on her with her archnemesis, Joyce Barnhardt. Another fifteen minutes after that, Stephanie filed for divorce, hoping never to see either one of them again." "Mistake #2: Doing favors for super bounty hunter Carols Manoso (aka Ranger). Ranger needs Stephanie to meet with Dickie and find out if he's doing something shady. Turns out, he is. Turns out Dickie's also back to doing Joyce Barnhardt. And it turns out Ranger's favors always come with a price." "Mistake #3: Going completely nutso while doing the favor for Ranger, and trying to apply bodily injury to Dickie in front of the entire office. Now Dickie has disappeared and Stephanie is the natural suspect in his disappearance. Is Dickie dead? Can he be found? And can Stephanie Plum stay one step ahead in this new dangerous game?" "Joe Morelli, the hottest cop in Trenton, New Jersey, is also keeping Stephanie on her toes - and he may know more than he's saying about many things in Stephanie's life. It's a cat and mouse game for Stephanie Plum wherein the ultimate prize might be her life."

310 pages

Twelve Sharp by Janet Evanovich

Summary: "While chasing down the usual cast of miscreants and weirdos in Trenton, New Jersey, bounty hunter Stephanie Plum discovers that a crazed woman is stalking her. The woman dresses in black, carries a 9mm Glock, and has a bad attitude and a mysterious connection to dark and dangerous Carlos Manoso...street name, Ranger. The action turns deadly serious, and Stephanie goes from hunting skips to hunting a murderer. Ranger needs Stephanie for more reasons than he can say. And now the two are working together to find a killer, rescue a missing child, and stop a lunatic from raising the body count. When Stephanie Plum and Ranger get too close for comfort, vice cop Joe Morelli (her on-again, off-again boyfriend) steps in. Will the ticking clock stop at the stroke of twelve, or will a stranger in the wind find a way to stop Stephanie Plum...forever?"

310 pages

Eleven on Top by Janet Evanovich

Summary: "Hoping to discontinue her career as a bounty hunter for something safer, Stephanie Plum is inadvertently drawn into a case that is complicated by her tangled love life, her chaotic family, and her penchant for wrecking cars."

Stephanie's attempt at finding another job goes as well as you might expect: total and complete disaster.   

310 pages