“Two for the Dough” is the second in Janet Evanovich’s series about Stephanie Plum, the bounty hunter.
Stephanie was financially desperate after losing her job as a lingerie shopper for a department store. He did not know what to do or how to earn money. Then he ran into the opportunity to earn commissions by chasing down people who didn’t want to be found. Without any experience or training, he started working for his cousin Vinnie, who ran a bail bond office.
In “Two for the Dough,” Stephanie is still not very skilled or competent at her job. She does not have the experience that could be needed and expected of someone who is capturing people who have jumped their bail. The job can be very dangerous and she is afraid but she continues to accept files because she is motivated by poverty.
Stephanie receives a file from Kenny Mancuso, who shot his best friend. Kenny is a working-class man from New Jersey who is suddenly quite wealthy with no obvious explanation for this. At the same time, Stephanie accepts a private contract. Her maternal grandmother plays a key role in helping her with this.
A funeral home manager hires Stephanie to find a large number of coffins that have mysteriously disappeared. Stephanie makes Grandma Mazur serve as a decoy as the two of them go from one funeral home to another pretending they are there for visits. They are really trying to gather information that will hopefully help them find the coffins and maybe even Kenny.
Joe Morelli, the vice-cop in Evanovich’s first Plum novel, is now cleared of his murder charges and becomes Stephanie’s purview. He is a distant relative of Kenny and is also eager to capture him as part of his job.
The plot takes several twists and turns as the characters not only experience the mundane aspects of their lives, but also incorporate the danger and exciting elements associated with their work.
Stephanie and her grandmother carry guns and there is a danger that they will not use them or use them inappropriately. There is also a very real danger that they will be injured or even killed by those who do not want them to discover the things they are trying to hide.
Stephanie’s parents are supportive and stressful elements in her life. Even though they do and say things that irritate her, she sometimes turns to them for the things the family provides: food, laundry, and a warm bed!
Once again, Evanovich combines humor and crime in an interesting and unpredictable way. His characters are strong and he is able to capture the reader’s attention from the first page. As I read, I noticed that my emotions were very close to the surface. Sometimes I laughed and other times I felt the very real fear that the circumstances of the plot demanded.
The more I read about Evanovich, the more I want. In fact, since I received and read the first set of three novels, I have ordered several more. This is fast becoming one of my favorite authors!
