One for the Money

A Stephanie Plum Novel, Book 1

By: Janet Evanovich

Narrated by: C. J. Critt

Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

You’ve lost your job as a department store lingerie buyer, your car’s been repossessed, and most of your furniture and small appliances have been sold off to pay last month’s rent. Now the rent is due again. And you live in New Jersey. What do you do?

If you’re Stephanie Plum, you become a bounty hunter. But not just a nickel-and-dime bounty hunter; you go after the big money. That means a cop gone bad. And not just any cop. She goes after Joe Morelli, a disgraced former vice cop who is also the man who took Stephanie’s virginity at age 16 and then wrote details on a bathroom wall. With pride and rent money on the line, Plum plunges headlong into her first case, one that pits her against ruthless adversaries - people who’d rather kill than lose.

The New York Times Book Review calls Stephanie Plum “a Jersey girl with Bette Middler’s mouth and Cher’s fashion sense.” In Stephanie Plum, Evanovich has created a resourceful and humorous character who stands apart from the pack of gritty female detectives.

Jersey girl: listen to more in the Stephanie Plum series.

©1994 Janet Evanovich (P)1995 Recorded Books, LLC

Unique story that you never expected

This is the ridiculous story of an unfortunate Jersey Shore native who finds herself in an interesting but ruthless hard place and has to be creative in the truest form of the word to keep herself alive and get back on her feet. I truly enjoyed this comical thriller, the narrator is hysterical, though her voice is a bit grating. I finished this book in two days because I couldn't push pause. The writing is clever, the descriptions are comically to true to life, and it's quick-paced.

Loved the book...HATED the narrator

Would you listen to One for the Money again? Why?

If it was re-recorded by Loreli King

What did you like best about this story?

It was funny and grabbed my attention from the get go

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The voices all sounded the same, she sounded like her mouth was filled with something, and the constant deep breaths were so distracting I turned it off and read the book!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I would have loved to but the narration was hideous

Any additional comments?

Please re-record this with Loreli King and I would purchase it all over again. This is definitely one I wish I hadn't wasted a credit on!

Started not so good but ended up really good

Would you consider the audio edition of One for the Money to be better than the print version?

Have not read print version

What other book might you compare One for the Money to and why?

No comment

Have you listened to any of C. J. Critt???s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No

Any additional comments?

I ended up really enjoying the book & was sorry that it ended even though when I started reading I thought it was very 'corny'. I recommend listeners not to judge it until they get well into the story.

Love the story, hate the reader

The reader was not good. Too many pauses. The voice for Ranger was groan worthy. I had to listen to it at 1.5. And she didn't sound Jersey AT ALL!

Fun novel with a great narrator!

Any additional comments?

I'm not certain why there are such strong feelings against C. J. Critt's narration of this and the other Stephanie Plum novels--I think she does a great job of capturing not just Stephanie but both Ranger and Morelli and, especially, Lula and Stephanie's mother and grandmother. The book is, of course, great fun to read, and Critt's narration only contributes to that experience.

A fun read

Read this years ago , enjoying now just as much. Funny, and good storyline. Very enjoyable.

Just okay

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Sure. I listen to audio books while running, and this one kept me reasonably distracted from the chore.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The story was the most interesting aspect. The male voices was the least interesting and most painful.

What three words best describe C. J. Critt’s performance?

Lively, clear, limited

Did One for the Money inspire you to do anything?

No.

Any additional comments?

Not great, but not bad. I probably won't run out to listen to another Evanovich book though.

A believable heroine.

Where does One for the Money rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

A not too serious story of good versus evil. The heroine has a far from perfect existence, stumbling into a life of adventure. A fun and entertaining story ranking it high in my current audio book listening experience.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Stephanie Plum is the adorable, believable heroine. Most listeners can relate to a being down on their luck trying to make the best of the worst circumstances. When she finally gets a break her heroic deeds are a series of humorous, almost slapstick adventures. This book kept me listening, I wanted to finish it in a minimum of sessions.

Love this book

Really well read. I would recommend it.
It was a fast one to listen to and I have already read the books, and it was even better in audio format!

Great story, horrible narration

I‘be read the first 15 or so of these books years ago. I don’t have time to read now so I use audible. The narrator is horrible, one of the worst I’ve heard. She gives unnaturally long pauses after every couple sentences and her different characters are pretty similar to each other. I got through this book but I don’t know if I can bring myself to try listening to the 2nd book.