I first met Janet Evanovich and her bounty hunter, Stephanie Plum, in the library. That must have been in or around 1995. Since then there's been about a book a year and I own them all. Unusually for me most are hardback copies. Husband has bought the new release each year for my birthday or Christmas. Some of the later ones are a little disappointing - probably to be expected when it's number 25 in a series: it's hard to keep the pace going. But the basic characters never fail to make me laugh out loud - a rarity from the written word.
Stephanie Plum is a New Jersey girl who got into bounty hunting when she lost her job in a lingerie store. Her cousin, the seedy and dubious Vinnie, is the owner of the Bond enforcement business and family ties are strong in the Burg.
Stephanie is cute but also determined. She's helpless in many ways and does have to rely on being rescued by men occasionally but when the men are as gorgeous as cop Joe Morelli and bond enforcement agent - and quite possibly superhero - Ranger, who cares?
She goes into some horrendous and scary situations, having to fight her own fear to do so. But she's aided by Lula, a larger-than-life doughnut-loving hooker, who may give up the prostitution but never the tight/short clothes, which have to stretch to fit her ample body.
Stephanie frequently goes home for lunch with her parents - meat loaf is her mum's speciality - and Grandma Mazur, who loves nothing better than a viewing at the local funeral parlour.
I think I love the books because I want to be Stephanie. Not just because she's gorgeous and has two fabulous men hankering after her, but also because she dares to give things a try. And she's brave.
And I've just realised Husband failed to get me my usual last year so Twisted Twenty-six still awaits me.
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