# One for the Money

By Janet Evanovich · Stephanie Plum, book 1

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/one-for-the-money-ff2c4604/

Broke and out of work, former lingerie buyer Stephanie Plum tries catching fugitives for her cousin’s bail-bond business. A $10,000 reward looks irresistible. Unfortunately, the wanted man is Joe Morelli, a cop, a former lover and someone she has plenty of unfinished business with.

## What makes it funny?

Stephanie reaches her parents’ house seven minutes late, and her mother treats the threatened pot roast as a household emergency. Grandma Mazur interrupts the reproaches to admire Stephanie’s cycling shorts and consider getting some herself. The family’s priorities keep swerving away from Stephanie’s actual crisis.

### The comedy at work

Stephanie’s narration quietly punctures the expectations around her while admitting how badly her own plans are going. Pursuing Morelli adds a practical contest to the romantic friction: Publishers Weekly describes her stealing his car and fitting an alarm to stop him reclaiming it.

### Try this if…

Neighborhood family comedy and a novice investigator share space with sexual chemistry and a murder case. Readers who enjoy a resourceful heroine learning on the job will find both comic reversals and a real threat behind the chase.

### Good to know

This begins the Stephanie Plum series. Frank sexual references and innuendo accompany the humor; a threatening boxer’s stalking gives the case a darker edge.

## What to expect

- Genre: Mystery · Romance
- On the shelf: Romantic comedy
- Kind of humor: Banter · Dry wit · Situational comedy
- Format: Novel
- Length: 320 pages
- Audiobook: 7 hr 39 min
- Published: 1994

## A few distinguishing details

- A first bounty with a very personal history
- Family dinner runs on pot-roast time
- A stolen car protected from its original owner

## Sources & further reading

- Review: [Kirkus review](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/janet-evanovich/one-for-the-money)
- Publisher: [Unabridged audiobook publisher](https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/One-for-the-Money/Janet-Evanovich/Stephanie-Plum/9781668123294)
- Book information: [Google Books original Scribner edition](https://books.google.com/books?id=0PUOAQAAMAAJ)
- Author commentary: [Author](https://evanovich.com/one-for-the-money)
- Publisher: [Publisher and chapter excerpt](https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/One-for-the-Money/Janet-Evanovich/Stephanie-Plum/9781982108526)
- Review: [Publishers Weekly review](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780684196398)