Janet Evanovich books

Stephanie Plum Books Reading Order

Stephanie Plum Series

Janet Evanovich is one of the most successful mystery authors working today, with a career that spans nearly four decades and sales exceeding 200 million books worldwide. Born Janet Schneider on April 22, 1943, in South River, New Jersey, she became the first person in her family to attend college when she enrolled at Douglass Residential College at Rutgers University to study art.

After marrying Pete Evanovich in 1964 and raising two children, she began writing in her thirties. For ten years, she attempted to write what she called “the Great American Novel,” completing three manuscripts she couldn’t sell. A friend suggested she try romance novels instead, and though skeptical at first, Evanovich read several and found she enjoyed the genre.

Her romance career began in 1987 when “Hero at Large” was published under the pseudonym Steffie Hall for $2,000—what she considered an astounding sum at the time. She continued writing category romances for Bantam Loveswept throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, developing her signature humor and skill at creating likable characters.

By the mid-1990s, Evanovich was ready for a change. As she tells it, she was going through menopause and “had more thoughts about murder than sex.” She wanted to write mysteries but felt she couldn’t compete with established authors like Sue Grafton, whose detective Kinsey Millhone was known for practical efficiency, including cutting her hair with nail scissors.

As a Jersey girl, Evanovich couldn’t imagine a heroine who didn’t care about hair and shoes. She also didn’t want to write about cops because she couldn’t picture her character in a police uniform and regulation footwear. The solution came from an unlikely source: “Midnight Run,” a 1988 action-comedy about bounty hunters starring Robert De Niro. The bounty hunter profession offered freedom, required less specialized knowledge than police work, and gave her heroine a reason to chase criminals without wearing ugly shoes.

The result was Stephanie Plum, an ordinary woman from Trenton who becomes a bounty hunter after losing her job as a lingerie buyer. “One for the Money” was published in 1994 and became an instant bestseller. Evanovich had found her voice—a perfect blend of mystery, romance, and laugh-out-loud comedy that resonated with millions of readers.

What sets Evanovich apart is her ability to make readers laugh while keeping them engaged in genuine mystery plots. Stephanie isn’t a superhero or brilliant detective; she’s an everywoman who makes mistakes, survives disasters, and keeps showing up despite the odds. The humor comes from character and situation rather than forced jokes, making it feel natural and earned.

Evanovich’s New Jersey roots permeate the series. The blue-collar neighborhoods, family dynamics, and local culture of Trenton create an authentic backdrop that gives the books their distinctive flavor. She captures the attitude, the diners, the tight-knit communities where everyone knows your business—all drawn from her own upbringing in South River.

The Stephanie Plum series has dominated bestseller lists for decades. Evanovich’s last seventeen Plum novels have all debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list, and eleven have hit number one on USA Today’s list. The books have been translated into over 40 languages, reaching readers around the world.

Beyond Stephanie Plum, Evanovich has expanded her writing with several collaborative series. The Fox and O’Hare series, co-written with Lee Goldberg, follows an FBI agent and a charming con artist. The Knight and Moon series, written with Phoef Sutton, features an eccentric billionaire and a down-to-earth waitress. She’s also written the Lizzy and Diesel series and various standalone novels.

Despite her massive success, Evanovich remains remarkably down-to-earth. At 82 years old, she continues to write, maintaining a regular publishing schedule that keeps fans eagerly awaiting each new release. She describes herself as “a normal person who got very lucky and happened to have a best-selling book series.”

Her influence on the mystery genre is significant. She proved that mysteries could be funny without sacrificing suspense, that romance could coexist with crime-solving, and that readers wanted protagonists who felt like real people rather than superhuman detectives. The commercial success of the Stephanie Plum series opened doors for other authors to blend genres in creative ways.

Evanovich’s writing process reflects her practical nature. She took improv acting classes to learn how to write better dialogue, showing her commitment to continuous improvement. She believes humor is essential because “if we can laugh at something, we can face it,” a philosophy that runs through all her work.

The 2012 film adaptation of “One for the Money,” starring Katherine Heigl as Stephanie Plum, failed to capture the magic of the books. While disappointing to fans, the movie’s lackluster performance hasn’t diminished the series’ popularity. If anything, it reinforced that Evanovich’s voice and the characters she created work best on the page.

Living in New Hampshire with her husband, Evanovich continues to mine her Jersey upbringing for material. The authenticity of her settings and characters comes from lived experience, not research. She knows these people, these neighborhoods, this culture—because they’re hers.

Her longevity in publishing is remarkable in an industry where series often peter out after a few books. Thirty-plus Stephanie Plum novels in, readers still eagerly devour each new installment. That staying power comes from Evanovich’s understanding that readers connect with characters who feel real, plots that balance mystery and humor, and stories that provide escape without insulting intelligence.

Janet Evanovich has created something rare in popular fiction: a series that’s both a commercial juggernaut and genuinely beloved by readers. Stephanie Plum and her dysfunctional extended family have become cultural touchstones, and Evanovich’s contribution to mystery fiction has earned her a permanent place in the genre’s history.