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

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!

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.

Irritating narrator

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

I have not finished listening to the book, but it is taking a while because the narrator is annoying to me. Hearing her constantly take the deep breaths, to me is distracting. Maybe it's her style, but I think you can convey sacrasm and move the story forward without hearing the breaths after every pause. ANNOYING!

Would you be willing to try another book from Janet Evanovich? Why or why not?

I am goiong to need to see how this ends and see if it's the same narrator throughout the series. So not sure.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Her annoying heavy breathing! She doesn't do the voices of the other characters as well as other narrators I have listened to. I like Judy Kay from the Grafton series and the gal from the JD Robb Series isn't too bad either.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

It is a movie now, but I haven't seen it.

entertaining

The narrator did a wonderful job with character vocals and inflections. I was entertained and it was an "easy read"- I didn't have to struggle to keep up with the story line or keep track of characters.

One for the books

So yeah I had this one in my library for a while and I was unsure when I would get to it, I'm so glad I made time. I was laughing within the 1st 2 minutes of the book. Stephanie Plum is hilarious and real. The thing I liked about this book is that it made you feel like dang, she has it hard and I can relate to some of her struggles. There wasn't instant romance, or a easy wealthy solution. There was a problem, then another. And she dealt with what she could when she could. Great listen and love C. J. Critt voice. On to the next one.

Great story very well narrated by C.J. Critt

This was my first Stephanie Plum audiobook and Critt made me want to listen to more. Her narration was superb, changing pitch and tone of voice depending on who was speaking in the book. When she was speaking for the bad guy I KNEW he was the bad guy and it creeped me out. Great job by Critt!

Unabridged?

This is one of my favorite series and the C J Critt IS Stephanie Plum. I don't listen to abridged versions though and this one is advertised as unabridged yet there are obvious gaps in the story.

I have been an audible member for more than 4 years and this is the first time this has happened.

Need a laugh? Soooooooo funny.......

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I've read several of these and laughed my tail off, but listening is even funnier. I don't think I have ever laughed more while reading or listening to any other books. If you want to forget the woes of every day life, and have some chuckles, I strongly recommend these books. Don't get me wrong, these books are definately adult oriented and have serious content, but OMG they are funny.

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

Not sure.

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

Not that i know of. I was concerned about the reader after reading some of the reviews. I don't share the opinion of the negative comments made about her, and hope people don't avoid the books because of them. She does take kinda heavy breaths, but I had no problem discerning between the characters, and overall I think she does a wonderful job!

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

Yes.

Any additional comments?

Go for it, the books so far just keep getting funnier and funnier!

Funny, exciting & loved the narration!

What did you love best about One for the Money?

There were so many things I loved about this book. The characters were funny, interesting and believable! The chemistry between Stephanie & Morelli is great and I look forward to their developing relationship.

Who was your favorite character and why?

grandma mazer? sp. CJ Critt matched her personality and voice perfectly and I love her whit.

What does C. J. Critt bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The accents and expressions were a perfect match. This is how I would have perceived the voices, but I could not have done them myself.

Surprisingly enjoyable "simple read"

If you could sum up One for the Money in three words, what would they be?

Simple / Funny / Entertaining

What was one of the most memorable moments of One for the Money?

Stephnanie meeting the champ in the gym - quite a violent encounter and the beginning of some real action in the book.

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

This is my first book read by C.J. Critt. I am not sure why the narrator is so severely criticised. I found her performance enjoyable - simple and real - matching the style of the book.

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

Initially not - the beginning was a bit long and a bit dull. Later on the story gained speed and towards the end it was hard to stop listening.

Any additional comments?

The book made me interested in the series - I plan to continue listening to the adventures of Stephanie.