One For the Money by Janet Evanovich

You've lost your job as a department store lingerie buyer, your car's been repossessed, and most of your furniture and small appliances have been sold off to pay last month's rent. Now the rent is due again. And you live in New Jersey. What do you do?

If you're Stephanie Plum, you become a bounty hunter. But not just a nickel-and-dime bounty hunter; you go after the big money. That means a cop gone bad. And not just any cop. She goes after Joe Morelli, a disgraced former vice cop who is also the man who took Stephanie's virginity at age 16 and then wrote details on a bathroom wall. With pride and rent money on the line, Plum plunges headlong into her first case, one that pits her against ruthless adversaries - people who'd rather kill than lose.

In Stephanie Plum, Evanovich has created a resourceful and humorous character who stands apart from the pack of gritty female detectives.

My Verdict: For quite some time, my reading friends have been suggesting that I read Janet Evanovich's books. I finally decided to take the plunge, but because I am just a little OCD I had to wait until the first book of the Stephanie Plum series was available. If I just lost you, let me explain. One simply must start with the first book of a series AND read them in order.

I enjoyed this book. No it is not going to set the literary world on fire and if you are looking for an on the edge of your seat psychological thriller, this is probably not it. It was a nice break from the dark psychological thrillers I often read though. This was a 24 hour read for me. It was quick and enjoyable. This book made me giggle -- from Stephanie's exploits to Grandma Mazur's brand of crazy. I would put this one in the category of "guilty pleasure". I give this book 4 stars.