Two for the Dough - Janet Evanovich

Two for the Dough is the second novel in a series of books by Janet Evanovich. Read our reviews of One for the Money, the first novel in this series, here and here.

Summary:  Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum debuted in Janet Evanovich's award-winning One for the Money.  Now she's back, packing a whole lot of attitude -- not to mention stun guns, defense sprays, killer flashlights, and a .38 Smith & Wesson -- on the trail of Kenny Mancuso, a boy from the working-class burg of Ternton, who's just shot his best friend.  Mancuso's fresh out of the army and suspiciously wealthy.  He's also distantly related to Joe Morelli, a vice cop with ethics that lean toward the gray zone, a libido in permanent overdrive, and a habit of horning in on Stephanie's investigations. 

Aided by her tough bounty hunter pal, Ranger, and her funeral-happy Grandma Mazur, Stephanie's soon staggering knee-deep in corpses and caskets, trying to shake Morelli...and stirring up a very nasty enemy.  (Summary from book - Image from macmillan.com)



My Review:  In Two for the Dough, female bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is struggling with the finer points of her profession, but with fellow bounty hunter Ranger on standby and a vast assortment of weapons, she’s too desperate for money to admit defeat.  As soon as Stephanie’s given the task of tracking down Kenny Mancuso, Joe Morelli starts trying to wheedle his way into her investigation and her...erm...good graces. Pretty soon Stephanie's got her hands full of trouble and it isn’t long before body parts start showing up in the mail, she’s living at home, and her eye is twitching.  Clearly, bounty hunting is tougher than it looks.

Two for the Dough was one those books that doesn’t have a lot, or really any, redeeming literary quality, but it did have an eccentric cast of characters, an interesting storyline, and a little bit of everything else (mystery, humor, romance, etc).  Stephanie Plum shines as a feisty but fumbling, headstrong bounty hunter with a poorly fed pet hamster, a penchant for junk food, and horrible luck with cars.  Joe Morelli.  Well, I have no idea how Stephanie keeps from throwing herself at Joe Morelli.  If I were a different kind of woman….*sigh*…but then I apparently have a thing for cops.  Even though Stephanie and Morelli argue a lot, they have great chemistry, and I loved his increased presence in her personal life.  Oh, and Grandma Mazur is one tough, crazy lady.

I can’t say much about the plot of this book that the summary (above) doesn’t already say.  There wasn’t a whole lot that surprised me, but I still like the way that Evanovich left things and I’ll probably pick up the next book, Three to Get Deadly, especially since it’s already sitting on my shelf, staring at me.

My Rating: 3.5 Stars

For the sensitive reader:  If you made it through One for the Money then you're probably not a sensitive reader.  This book contains much of the same -- boatloads of profanity and sexual humor.  One almost-sexual situation.  Not as much sadistic violence as in her first book.

Sum it up:  If you liked One for the Money you'll probably enjoy Two for the Dough.