Stephanie Plum

Stephanie Plum is novelist Janet Evanovich’s bounty hunter heroine.  I started reading this series a few months ago, waiting for John Grisham’s latest to come out in paperback.  I have about two dozen books sitting on my shelves that I took from my mother’s collection that I’ve wanted to read, but since starting the Plum series, they will have to wait.

John Grisham, I may have already mentioned, is my favorite writer.  But, since I’ve already titled this post, “Stephanie Plum,” I’ll write about his books later (I don’t think I have, yet, have I?)  But, I’ve read all but the latest because I buy them and don’t want to pay for the hard cover… paperbacks fit nicely in my purse, too.

The Stephanie Plum series was recommended to me by my sisters-in-law several months ago.  The two of them also got me watching “Sex and the City” so I trust their recommendations   These books are funny.  It took me a while to get used to reading a funny novel… John Grisham books are usually on the dramatic side… with the exception of “Skipping Christmas” which I didn’t like… maybe now that I’ve been reading funny novels, I should re-read that one.

This series starts out with “One for the Money” which of course introduces all the characters that will be throughout all the books.  Stephanie, the bounty hunter, gets herself into a lot of sticky situations.  Almost like Lucy Ricardo might if she were a bounty hunter… although Stephanie’s “Ethel” is a plus-sized, black ex-hooker named Lula.  Stephanie also has a love interest (or two).  The man who she’s bounty-hunting turns out to be one of them.  The other is another bounty hunter and her mentor, sort of.  She lives near her parents in Trenton, New Jersey.  Her father is not-quite Archie Bunker, her mother is not-quite Marion Cunnningham, and her grandmother (who lives with Stephanie’s parents) is nowhere near a typical eighty-year old (actually, if her age has been mentioned, I don’t remember, but I imagine she’s between 75 and 80). She also has other recurring characters: her boss (and cousin) Vinnie, Connie the receptionist, a couple of cops, neighbors, her best friend, and her archenemy.

I went to the author’s web page the other day for the first time.  You can go there and put in your suggestion for the name of her next book.  They go in order by number… One for the Money, Two for the Dough, Three to Get Deadly, Four to Score, etc.  She just published Fearless Fourteen.  If you suggest the name of her next one and she chooses it, you get a free signed copy of the book and she thanks you on the acknowledgement page.  I won’t tell you my suggestion, and I’ll probably be one of many who suggest it, but I think I have a good chance! 

I’m only on Seven Up.  I’ve been getting them out of the library.  I’ve been reading a lot more frequently… in the summer I tend to do that because there’s not so much on TV.  The library has most of them in paperback and my library card is good for all the libraries in the four surrounding counties, so I have two places to go within three miles of my house and many others not too much farther.  

As I’ve been reading, of course I try to picture the characters.  I found a web page where people posted suggestions for casting the movie (I don’t think there’s a movie in the works currently, but if there was…)  The first suggestion for Stephanie was Sandra Bullock.  She is who I imagined Stephanie to be right from the start, but in reality, if they made a movie at this point, I think the actress is a little too old for the character, unfortunately, because about ten years ago she’d be perfect.  Other suggestions I saw that I agreed would be very good were Rachel McAdams, Amanda Peet (I LOVE her!), Debra Messing, Evangeline Lilly,  and Drew Barrymore. 

These are the actors I would pick for some of the other main characters in casting this series in the movies:

Joe Morelli:  Mark Wahlberg

Grandma Mazur: Cloris Leachman

Ranger: The Rock (I thought definitely Vin Diesel, but he’s too old), or Adrian Paul (I don’t know this actor, but someone suggested him and his look is right for it, I think)

 

Lula: Sherri Shepherd (this is exactly who I picture Lula to be) Not Queen Latifa… she is way too cool to be this character, unfortunately.

 

Vinnie: Jon Lovitz or Steve Buscemi

 

Joyce: Jennifer Esposito or Alyssa Milano (but Joyce is supposed to be blonde)

 

That’s enough.  They had suggestions for the roles of Mr and Mrs Plum, Mooner, and some other characters, but these are the ones I care about being just right.  Lots of suggestions for Joe Morelli, but when I think of Amanda Peet and Mark Wahlberg, my heart races…LOL!

 

I would love to hear other suggestions.