Book Review - Two for the Dough (Stephanie Plum, No. 2)

Two for the Dough (Stephanie Plum, No. 2) By: Janet Evanovich

Editorial Reviews:
From Publishers WeeklyReturn of sassy New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum in Evanovich's followup to One for the Money. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

From Library Journal:
Evanovich's first novel, One for the Money (Macmillan, 1994), introduced Stephanie Plum, a gutsy heroine who wormed her way into a job with her bond-agent cousin Vinnie. With the aid of vice cop Joe and her Grandma Mazur, Stephanie pursues a bail jumper and knows that a vice cop wants them both. A winning adventure.Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
http://www.amazon.com/Two-Dough-Stephanie-Plum-No/dp/0312948964/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251389202&sr=1-1

My Take on the Book:

Stephanie is back and on the case … her new FTA was supposed to be easy … is anything ever easy for Ms. Plum? Her new FTA is Kenny Mancuso and he shot his friend and then skipped out on his bond. Of course, first Steph has to find Kenny. Whle searching for Kenny his friend is murdered. Then while trying to track down leads on Kenny, she joins Grandma Mazur at Stiva’s funeral home. Funeral dicector Constantine Stiva is currently in the hospital so his son Spiro is in charge. We then find out that Spiro is another of Kenny's childhood friends. Spiro surprises Stephanie when he reveals a case of his own and offers her money to help him out. He has 24 caskets that are missing and he wants Stephanie to hunt them down. Stephanie begins to wonder … Is there a connection? With Ranger to advise and Joe Morelli to shadow, will Stephanie solve this mystery and get her man before someone gets her?

Stephanie Plum is an appealing heroine. She acts tough, but in reality she's anything but … she is the girl next door and could easily be your best friend, if you grew up in the Burg. The plot is complicated enough to be engaging and the action is pretty much non-stop! Joe Morelli is still there to complicate Stephanie’s life and she has just resigned herself to that fact. Morelli has decided that he wants Stephanie and Stephanie isn’t sure she doesn’t want him … to her own chagrin! I have to tell you at this point I am on TEAM MORELLI … I mean he is sexy and All Italian … he also has a long and checkered past with Ms. Plum. In true Stephanie fashion she gets a car she actually likes only to have it stolen! Next thing you know Stephanie is behind the wheel of a blue 53 Buick and hating every minute of it! Ranger is still hard at work trying to mentor Stephanie and what does he get for it a platonic night in her company and his Beemer stolen. “Babe …”

If all of the previously mentioned situations aren’t enough … there is always Grandma Mazur to shake things up! She is a riot as she welcomed addition to this cast of characters and she adds a real “explosive” flare to book.

It's easy to see why these books are so popular - an appealing main character and fun stories. If you're looking for purely escapist fiction, this is the series for you.