• One for the Money

  • A Stephanie Plum Novel, Book 1
  • By: Janet Evanovich
  • Narrated by: C. J. Critt
  • Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (8,546 ratings)

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One for the Money  By  cover art

One for the Money

By: Janet Evanovich
Narrated by: C. J. Critt
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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

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What listeners say about One for the Money

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    4,817
  • 4 Stars
    2,332
  • 3 Stars
    944
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

I love reading Janet Evanovich because her....

...mysteries are light and funny. I doubt I will ever give any of her Stephanie Plum mysteries 5 stars, but I do love the series. My preferred reading is by authors like Vince Flynn, Mark Greaney, Ben Coes, Brett Battles, Lee Child, Tom Wood, Karin Slaughter, etc.; books that are really intense thrillers. But there are times I want lighter fare but still good mysteries and that's when writers like Janet Evanovich,, Rhys Bowen, and Chris Grabenstein are most enjoyable.

One for the Money was written over 20 years ago. It and the books that follow it in the series are the perfect light and fun fare. Originally CJ Critt was the wonderful narration voice of Stephanie Plum. More recently Lorelei King narrates. Both are superb.

Recommended!

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78 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Horrible narrator detracts from book

Janet Evanovich is a publishing legend, but you'd never know it from this audiobook. C.J. Critt is the worst Audible narrator I've ever heard. Her deep breaths and pauses after every sentence distract from the story, and make you wonder if she has emphysema! Too bad she narrated the first 4 books in the Stephanie Plum series - the books deserve better!

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75 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

NOT THE GREATEST.

This series was recommended to me with the warning that the first books in the series are not as good as the later ones. I had a hard time sticking with this one and the second book, but I'm on the third one now and am totally hooked! I makes me laugh out loud at times. I can't wait to get to the later books that are narrated by Lorelei King, because I really enjoy her narration of the Mercy Thompson books. So hang in there, this series definitely does get better!

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68 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Liked the story but not the narrator

I found it somewhat difficult to make my brain differentiate between all of the male characters because Critt made them all sound the same. If the author didn't specify who was talking, you couldn't tell by the narration. Critt's too-long pauses between her sentences became annoying.

Overall, I enjoyed the story but didn't love it because of the narration. I'll trudge through books 2-3 just so I can get to a different narrator in book 4.

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62 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

This will make you miss Lorelei King!

If, like me, you found Janet Evanovich by her more recent books, and then were tempted to buy this book in anticipation of the movie, don't bother! The narrator's breathing drove me crazy. It may have just been the production back in those days that couldn't edit it out, but it was way too distracting. I look forward to each book narrated by Lorelei King and will definitely skip all those narraged by C. J. Critt in the future. Even on sale, it is not worth it.

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33 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Terrible reader

The reader/performer used such inappropriate inflection and phrasing that she was really annoying to listen to. I very nearly deleted the book before I heard it all. She apparently didn't have any feel for the story she was reading. The main character was annoying also, and rather poorly drawn, in my opinion. No more Janet Evanovitch for me and I will try to avoid any books narrated by C.J. Critt.

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23 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Not Sure if This Makes Me a Proud Jersey Girl

Stephanie Plum is not a modern day heroine. She is just another Jersey girl trying to make ends meet in a tough economy. She becomes a bounty hunter after being laid off from her job as an underwear buyer at a department store. This is the perfect premise for a book you want to listen to without having to think, which is exactly what this story delivers.

Of course, as you would expect, Stephanie does become quite the success at bounty hunting. The various characters you meet are colorful, although a bit clichéd. It is no surprise that Stephanie Plum saves the day, and hooks up with the cute cop who looks like a bad guy, but is really one of the nice guys. This is a fun listen that is not a complete waste of your time, but just barely. Not a low brow as the Jersey Shore, but more on the level of The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

This audiobook would be so much better if it had better narration! I found myself having to rewind and listen again before getting the humor of certain parts. The delivery was just not there. Things that were actually very funny came across as a bad joke. This was disappointing. Still, there is nothing about Stephanie Plum books that should be taken too seriously, even bad narration. These books are mean to be fun, and not much more. While the narration was not the best, I was still able to enjoy the story for what is it. An easy read (or listen) that is mildly entertaining.

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20 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Slow. See comment section.

Would you try another book from Janet Evanovich and/or C. J. Critt?

No

Would you be willing to try another one of C. J. Critt’s performances?

no

Did One for the Money inspire you to do anything?

no

Any additional comments?

I am listening to another story now, but continue to use this to help put me asleep at night. It is interestering enough to be engaging, but not enough so to interfere with drifting off to sleep.---- That sums up the story quite well.

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19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Ho Hum

I am still unsure why the newly released unabridged versions of Evanovich's books are being read by someone who is not Lorelei King. Critt is a mediocre Stephanie Plum at best. The story is typical first in a series, a lot of background info and explanations of characters we'll see throughout the series. Overall, the book is just kind of meh.

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19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable and Funny!

Wonderfully cozy. A lighthearted, mystery, to curl up with, and pass the time. There were several places where I laughed out loud causing people to stare at me. Stephanie, seems to get herself into, ongoing, silly predicaments. This was my first Janet Evanovich book and I REALLY enjoyed it. I found the narrator to be perfect, but I didn't have any others to compare, as did some of the reviewers. I just purchased four more books and it seems to be quite a large series, so it should keep me out of trouble for a while! I will take the advice of other reviewers and read, rather than listen, to the abridged audiobooks. I've never cared for any of the abridged books that I've purchased.

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16 people found this helpful