One for the Money (1994) by Janet Evanovich

 1,001 Novels: A Library of America

One for the Money (1994)

by Janet Evanovich

Trenton, New Jersey

New Jersey: 1/13

     To be fair, New York state has a huge number of titles going on.  Any project like the 1,001 Novels project is going to break down if you spend too long in any one place, even if that place is New York City.  13 books to cover New Jersey is going to be a more usual situation once New York is wrapped up.  I accidentally checked out the 3 hour abridged version of this Audiobook instead of the full 9 hour version.  The version I checked out was narrated by Lori Petty(!) and produced by Jann Wenner of Rolling Stone fame.   I decided not to go back and read the full version or listen to it because this is a detective novel and three hours of Lori Petty voicing the iconic character of lady bounty hunter (at least in this book) Stephanie Plum.  Plum was played by Katherine Heigl in the poorly received (2 percent on Rotten Tomatoes!) movie version, but Lori Petty, I think, does a better job of conveying her moxy-filled style.

  I wasn't previously familiar with Evanovich or Plum beyond recognizing the series from seeing it in Airport newsstands and the just-released library shelf.  Evanovich has the sort of Wikipedia page that just makes you shrug- she's like a full-on book publishing industry these days, with several series post-Plum that she has "co-authored" with various other people.  It's not an unusual practice for authors whose names are regularly at the top of bestseller lists, put the name on the cover and the book should sell, is the idea.  Like many of these authors, she doesn't seem particularly concerned with her literary legacy.  I would think all of these super rich, best-selling novelists would at least give a work of serious fiction a try. post-fame, but they rarely do. 

  Although Trenton New Jersey is nobodies idea of a good time, it was a relief to read a book set somewhere besides the outer boroughs of New York City. Those lives are so cramped, and compressed, it doesn't make for breezy books that are easy to read.