Janet Evanovich Popular Books
Janet Evanovich Biography & Facts
Janet Evanovich (née Schneider; April 22, 1943) is an American writer. She began her career writing short contemporary romance novels under the pen name Steffie Hall, but gained fame authoring a series of contemporary mysteries featuring Stephanie Plum, a former lingerie buyer from Trenton, New Jersey, who becomes a bounty hunter to make ends meet after losing her job. The novels in this series have been on The New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal and Amazon bestseller lists. Evanovich has had her last seventeen Plums debut at #1 on the NY Times Best Sellers list and eleven of them have hit #1 on USA Today Best-Selling Books list. She has over two hundred million books in print worldwide, and her books have been translated into over 40 languages. Early years Evanovich is a second-generation American born in South River, New Jersey, to a machinist and a housewife. After attending South River High School, she became the first in her family to attend college when she enrolled at Douglass College, part of Rutgers University, to study art.When Evanovich had children, she chose to become a housewife like her mother. In her thirties, she began writing novels. To learn the art of writing dialog, Evanovich took lessons in improv acting. For ten years, she attempted to write the Great American Novel, finishing three manuscripts that she was unable to sell. After someone suggested she try writing romance novels, Evanovich read several romances and discovered that she enjoyed the genre. She wrote two romances and submitted them for publishing. Still unable to find a publisher, Evanovich stopped writing and signed with a temporary employment agency. Several months after beginning work for them, she received an offer to buy her second romance manuscript for $2,000, which she considered an "astounding sum." Romance novels That novel, Hero at Large, was published in 1987 in the Second Chance Love category line under the pseudonym Steffie Hall. The following year she began writing for Bantam Loveswept under her own name. For the next five years she continued to write category romances for Loveswept. Her work within the romance novel genre helped her learn to create likable characters and attractive leading men. In this time, Evanovich also became known for the humor that filled her novels. She believes that "it's very important to take a comic approach. If we can laugh at something, we can face it."After finishing her twelfth romance, however, Evanovich realized that she was more interested in writing the action sequences in her novels than the sex scenes. Her editors were not interested in her change of heart, so Evanovich took the next eighteen months to formulate a plan for what she actually wanted to write. Stephanie Plum Series She quickly decided that she wanted to write romantic adventure novels. She wanted to include humor, romance and adventure in her work and this fit into her style of mystery novel. Unlike the style of romance novels, her books would be told in first person narrative. Her new type of writing should contain heroes and heroines, as well as "a sense of family and community." In that vein, she intended her new style of writing to be based on the TV sitcom model. Like Seinfeld, her new books would have a central character that the rest of the cast of characters revolve around.Inspired by the Robert De Niro movie Midnight Run, Evanovich decided that her heroine would be a bounty hunter. This occupation provided more freedom for Evanovich as a writer, as bounty hunters do not have a set work schedule and are not forced to wear a uniform. The profession is also "romanticised to some extent." To become acquainted with the demands of the career, Evanovich spent a great deal of time shadowing bond enforcement agents. She also researched more about the city of Trenton, where she wanted her books to be set.In 1994, her initial romantic adventure, One for the Money, was published to good reviews. This was the first of a light-hearted series of mysteries starring barely competent bounty hunter Stephanie Plum. One for the Money was named a New York Times notable book, a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 1994 and a USA Today Best Bet.Evanovich has continued to write romantic adventures starring Stephanie Plum. The sixth book in the series, Hot Six, was the first of her novels to reach number one on the New York Times Best Seller List. Her subsequent Plum novels have each debuted at number one. All About Romance has described her as the "rare breed of romance author who has left the genre and yet not alienated her many romance fans."The Plum novels have taken many attributes from Evanovich's own life. Evanovich shares many commonalities with her character Stephanie Plum. Both are from New Jersey, both devour Cheetos, both had owned a hamster, and both have shared "similar embarrassing experiences." The character Grandma Mazur is loosely based on Evanovich's "Grandma Fanny" and "Aunt Lena." Evanovich claims the spirited elderly lady is "who I want to be when I grow up."Shortly before One for the Money was released, Evanovich sold the movie rights to Columbia TriStar for $1 million. Lions Gate Entertainment released One for the Money on January 27, 2012. The film stars Katherine Heigl as Stephanie Plum, Sherri Shepherd from The View as Lula, Debbie Reynolds as Grandma Mazur, Jason O'Mara as Joe Morelli, and Daniel Sunjata as Ranger. It was directed by Julie Anne Robinson.Her latest Stephanie Plum novel, Going Rogue: Rise and Shine Twenty Nine was released November 1, 2022. Knight & Moon Series In 2016 Evanovich released the first book, Curious Minds, in her new Knight & Moon mystery series. Co-authored with Phoef Sutton, the book introduces two new characters, Emerson Knight and Riley Moon. Emerson Knight is a rich, eccentric introvert with little-to-no sense of social etiquette. He is also brilliant and handsome. Riley Moon is a recent Harvard Law and Harvard Business graduate. Her aggressive Texas spitfire attitude helped her land her dream job as a junior analyst at Blane-Grunwald where Emerson is a client. Together this unlikely duo finds themselves thrust into solving the most difficult of mysteries. Dangerous Minds, the second book in the series, was written by Evanovich and released in June 2017. Wicked Series In 2010 Evanovich published Wicked Appetite, spinning off the character Diesel from the between the numbers Plum books. The heroine of Wicked Appetite is sweet cupcake baker Lizzie Tucker, who, unlike Stephanie Plum, can cook. The "Wicked" series is set in Salem, Massachusetts. In the series, Diesel & Lizzie search for the seven stones of power, each representing a different deadly sin. Lizzie & Diesel are "Unmentionables", humans with additional powers. Their rivals for the stones are Diesel's dark cousin, Gerwulf "Wulf" Grimoire, introduced in Plum Spooky and his medieval-esque minion Hatchet. Lizzie's animal companio.... Discover the Janet Evanovich popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Janet Evanovich books.
Best Seller Janet Evanovich Books of 2023
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Notorious Nineteen
Janet Evanovich#1 bestselling author Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum novels are: “irresistible” (Houston Chronicle), “stunning” (Booklist), “outrageous” (Publishers Weekly), “brilliantly evocati...
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Dangerous Minds
Janet EvanovichNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The irrepressibly charming duo of Emerson Knight and Riley Moon returns in another gripping mystery by #1 New York Times bestselling author Janet Evanovi...
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The Recovery Agent
Janet Evanovich#1 New York Times bestselling author and “thriller master” (Mystery and Suspense Magazine) Janet Evanovich returns with the launch of a “tense, suspenseful, funny, and wise” (Lee C...
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The Heist
Janet Evanovich & Lee GoldbergNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From Janet Evanovich, #1 bestselling author of the Stephanie Plum novels, and Lee Goldberg, bestselling author and television writer for M...
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Wicked Business
Janet EvanovichJanet Evanovich, #1 New York Times megabestselling author, is back and better than ever, proving that when it comes to hunting down bad guys and hidden treasure, the real fun is i...
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Smitten
Janet EvanovichSingle mom Lizabeth Kane isn't exactly carpenter material she's never picked up a hammer in her life. But she desperately needs the construction job that builder Matt Hallahan is ...
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Back to the Bedroom
Janet EvanovichFor months he’d thought of her as the Mystery Woman, draped in a black velvet cloak, with outrageous red curls, flawless skin, and carrying a large, odd case but the night David D...
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Naughty Neighbor
Janet EvanovichDear Reader:In a previous life, before the time of Plum, I wrote twelve short romance novels. Redhot screwball comedies, each and every one of them. Nine of these stories were orig...
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The Total Package
Stephanie EvanovichThe New York Times bestselling author of Big Girl Panties is back with a funny, sweet, and sizzling novel about love, redemption, and second chances.Heartthrob star quarterback Tys...
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Three To Get Deadly
Janet EvanovichStephanie Plum, the beloved bounty hunter with attitude returns in this irresistible adventure from #1 New York Times bestselling author, Janet Evanovich!Stephanie is having a bad ...
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Explosive Eighteen
Janet EvanovichBONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg's The Heist.Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum’s life is set to blow sky high when international murder hits...
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Thanksgiving
Janet EvanovichWhen Megan Murphy discovered a floppyeared rabbit gnawing on the hem of her skirt, she meant to give its careless owner a piece of her mind, but Dr. Patrick Hunter was too attracti...
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Game On
Janet EvanovichStephanie Plum returns to hunt down a new kind of criminal operating out of Trenton in the 28th book in the wildly popular series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Janet Evan...
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Wife for Hire
Janet EvanovichHank Mallone knows he's in trouble when Maggie Toone agrees to pretend to be his wife in order to improve his rogue's reputation. Will his harebrained scheme to get a bank loan for...
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The Rocky Road to Romance
Janet Evanovich“[Evanovich] is funny and ceaselessly inventive."Los Angeles Times Book Review“Do yourself a favor and read this one.”Washington PostThe author of so many spectacularly successful ...
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Curious Minds
Janet Evanovich & Phoef SuttonNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Janet Evanovich, bestselling author of the Stephanie Plum series, teams up with Emmywinning writer Phoef Sutton for a brandnew series of mysteries f...
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The Bounty
Janet Evanovich & Steve HamiltonFBI agent Kate O’Hare and charming criminal Nick Fox race against time to uncover a buried train filled with Nazi gold in this thrilling adventure from #1 New York Times bestsellin...
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Fortune and Glory
Janet EvanovichFrom “the most popular mystery writer alive” (The New York Times), the twentyseventh thrilling entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series isn’t just the biggest case of Step...
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The Pursuit
Janet Evanovich & Lee Goldberg#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Janet Evanovich, author of the blockbuster Stephanie Plum novels, and Lee Goldberg, writer for the Monk television show, team up once again in their N...
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Just Before Sunrise
Carla NeggersCarla Neggers' sizzling novels are loved for their deliciously funny dialogue, electrifying suspense, and heartstopping romance. Here, the New York Times bestselling author present...
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Hardcore Twenty-Four
Janet EvanovichJanet Evanovich’s #1 New York Times bestselling sensation Stephanie Plum returns in her twentyforth thriller as mutilated corpses litter the streets of New Jers...
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Tricky Twenty-Two
Janet Evanovich#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Something big is brewing in Trenton, N.J., and it could blow at any minute. Stephanie Plum might not be the world’s greatest bounty hunter, but...
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Manhunt
Janet EvanovichA woman with a talent for numbers, Alexandra Scott wanted to escape the rat race and go someplace where the men outnumber the women. Trading in her Wall Street job and fancy condo ...
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Look Alive Twenty-Five
Janet EvanovichStephanie Plum faces the toughest puzzle of her career in the twentyfifth entry in Janet Evanovich's #1 New York Timesbestselling series. There's nothing like a good deli, and the ...
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Going Rogue
Janet EvanovichStephanie Plum breaks the rules, flirts with disaster, and shows who’s boss in this “fast and fun” (Publishers Weekly) thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Janet Evan...
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The Big Kahuna
Janet Evanovich & Peter EvanovichA stoner, an Instagram model, a Czech oligarch, and a missing unicorn. Nick Fox and Kate O'Hare have their work cut out for them in their weirdest, wildest adventure yet in this...
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Bargain Hunting
Rhonda PolleroA stylish new caper in the acclaimed series starring the deliciously addictive, designer bargainhunting paralegal Finley Anderson Tanner!Getting framed has never been a good look. ...
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One for the Money
Janet EvanovichWatch out, world. Here comes Stephanie Plum, a bounty hunter with attitude. In Stephanie's opinion, toxic waste, rabid drivers, armed schizophrenics, and August heat, humidity, and...
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Top Secret Twenty-One
Janet Evanovich#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Don’t miss Janet Evanovich’s short story “Pros and Cons” in the back of the book.Catch a professional assassin: top priority. Find a failuretoappear a...
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Wicked Charms
Janet Evanovich & Phoef SuttonNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Lizzy and Diesel are back in a wicked adventure from Janet Evanovich and Emmy Award–winning coauthor Phoef Sutton. Before he was murdered and ...
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Turbo Twenty-Three
Janet Evanovich#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In the heart of Trenton, N.J., a killer is out to make sure someone gets his just desserts. Larry Virgil skipped out on his latest court d...
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The Grand Finale
Janet EvanovichFrom the #1 New York Times bestselling author comes a revised, repackaged novel sure to please her many fans. She writes "high speed comic mayhem" (Detroit Free Press); she's "a bl...
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Twisted Twenty-Six
Janet EvanovichThis isn't just another case. This is family.How far will Stephanie Plum go to protect the one person who means the most to her? The stakes have never been higher in this #1 New Yo...
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The Scam
Janet Evanovich & Lee GoldbergNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERNicolas Fox is a charming con man and master thief on the run. Kate O’Hare is the FBI agent who is hot on his trail. At least that’s what everyone thinks. ...
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Hero at Large
Janet Evanovich“[Evanovich] is funny and ceaselessly inventive."Los Angeles Times Book ReviewHero at Large is a delightful mix of laughter and romancea newly revised classic from #1 New York Time...
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Two for the Dough
Janet EvanovichIt's Stephanie Plum, New Jersey's "fugitive apprehension" agent (aka bounty hunter), introduced to the world by Janet Evanovich in the awardwinning novel One for the Money. Now St...
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Takedown Twenty
Janet Evanovich#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERPowerhouse author Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum novels are “as entertaining as ever” (Entertainment Weekly), “brilliantly evocative” (The Denver Post...
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Foul Play
Janet EvanovichWhen Amy Klasse loses her TV job to a dancing chicken, handsome veterinarian Jake Elliott rescues her with an offer to be his receptionist. Jake just can't resist a damsel in distr...
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Bones Are Forever
Kathy Reichs#1 New York Times bestselling author Kathy Reichs, a producer of the Fox hit show Bones, is back with her fifteenth “pulsepounding” (Publishers Weekly) novel featuring North Americ...
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Pros and Cons
Janet Evanovich & Lee GoldbergNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERJanet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg have teamed up for a dynamic new series featuring an FBI agent who’s on the huntand a master con artist who’s enjoying the...
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The Chase
Janet Evanovich & Lee GoldbergNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERJanet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg, bestselling authors of The Heist, return in this actionpacked, exciting adventure featuring master con artist Nicolas Fox...
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The Job
Janet Evanovich & Lee GoldbergNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER He’s a charming con man and she’s a dedicated FBI agent, and they’re about to drive each other crazy . . . again! The FBI had one demand when the...