Series · mystery
Stephanie Plum
The Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich has 36 books and is best read in publication order, starting with One for the Money (1994). The next book, Split Second: Thirty-Two Switcheroo, is due 10 November 2026.
- Books
- 32 novels + 4 novellas
- First published
- 1994
- Status
- ongoing
- Last checked
Start here: One for the Money (1994) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
One for the Money
Alternative text for cover: Cover of One for the Money - Book 2:
Two for the Dough
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Two for the Dough - Book 3:
Three to Get Deadly
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Three to Get Deadly - Book 4:
Four to Score
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Four to Score - Book 5:
High Five
Alternative text for cover: Cover of High Five - Book 6:
Hot Six
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Hot Six - Book 7:
Seven Up
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Seven Up - Book 8:
Hard Eight
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Hard Eight - Book 9:
Visions of Sugar Plums
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Visions of Sugar Plums - Book 10:
To the Nines
Alternative text for cover: Cover of To the Nines - Book 11:
Ten Big Ones
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Ten Big Ones - Book 12:
Eleven on Top
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Eleven on Top - Book 13:
Twelve Sharp
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Twelve Sharp - Book 14:
Plum Lovin'
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Plum Lovin' - Book 15:
Lean Mean Thirteen
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Lean Mean Thirteen - Book 16:
Plum Lucky
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Plum Lucky - Book 17:
Fearless Fourteen
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Fearless Fourteen - Book 18:
Plum Spooky
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Plum Spooky - Book 19:
Finger Lickin' Fifteen
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Finger Lickin' Fifteen - Book 20:
Sizzling Sixteen
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Sizzling Sixteen - Book 21:
Smokin' Seventeen
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Smokin' Seventeen - Book 22:
Explosive Eighteen
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Explosive Eighteen - Book 23:
Notorious Nineteen
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Notorious Nineteen - Book 24:
Takedown Twenty
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Takedown Twenty - Book 25:
Top Secret Twenty-One
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Top Secret Twenty-One - Book 26:
Tricky Twenty-Two
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Tricky Twenty-Two - Book 27:
Turbo Twenty-Three
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Turbo Twenty-Three - Book 28:
Hardcore Twenty-Four
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Hardcore Twenty-Four - Book 29:
Look Alive Twenty-Five
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Look Alive Twenty-Five - Book 30:
Twisted Twenty-Six
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Twisted Twenty-Six - Book 31:
Fortune and Glory: Tantalizing Twenty-Seven
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Fortune and Glory: Tantalizing Twenty-Seven - Book 32:
Game On: Tempting Twenty-Eight
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Game On: Tempting Twenty-Eight - Book 33:
Going Rogue: Rise and Shine Twenty-Nine
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Going Rogue: Rise and Shine Twenty-Nine - Book 34:
Dirty Thirty
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dirty Thirty - Book 35:
Now or Never: Thirty-One on the Run
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Now or Never: Thirty-One on the Run - Book 36:
Split Second: Thirty-Two Switcheroo
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Split Second: Thirty-Two Switcheroo
About the Stephanie Plum series
Stephanie Plum is a laid-off lingerie buyer from Trenton, New Jersey, who talks her way into a job as a bail bondsman's apprentice and turns out to be a chaotic, gun-averse, car-destroying natural at bounty hunting. Janet Evanovich built the series as comic crime fiction rather than a straight procedural: every book sends Stephanie after a new low-level skip (a bail jumper who's failed to show for court), and the actual mystery plot is really a frame for Jersey-flavoured slapstick, a rotating love triangle between brooding cop Joe Morelli and mercenary security expert Ranger, and a supporting cast — Stephanie's gun-toting Grandma Mazur, her foul-mouthed former-prostitute-turned-partner Lula, and her exploding cars — that has kept readers coming back for three decades.
The appeal is pure comfort-read comedy with just enough crime plot to keep the pages turning: bumbling capers, running gags, and a bounty hunter who solves cases mostly by accident and stubbornness. It's for readers who want a light, funny mystery series rather than a dark one, and who don't mind that not much changes for Stephanie book to book — the love triangle in particular has stayed famously unresolved for over 25 entries. With more than a book a year since 1994, it's one of the longest-running character mystery series still actively publishing new instalments.
How to read this series
Read in publication/numbered order, starting with One for the Money. The numbered titles (One for the Money, Two for the Dough, and so on, later spelling out the number in the subtitle once the wordplay ran out of low numbers) form the spine of the series and should be read in sequence — running jokes, the Morelli/Ranger triangle, and the supporting cast all build cumulatively.
Along the way, Evanovich published several shorter "between the numbers" holiday novellas — Visions of Sugar Plums, Plum Lovin', Plum Lucky, and Plum Spooky — which slot in at the point shown in the reading order (e.g. Visions of Sugar Plums after book 8). They're fun but skippable if you only want the numbered mysteries; nothing essential to the main plot happens in them. New entries still arrive roughly once a year, so this remains an easy series to jump into and keep up with.
Frequently asked questions
How many Stephanie Plum books are there?
There are 32 numbered novels counting the upcoming Split Second: Thirty-Two Switcheroo (10 November 2026), plus four "between the numbers" holiday novellas (Visions of Sugar Plums, Plum Lovin', Plum Lucky, and Plum Spooky).
What order should I read the Stephanie Plum books in?
Numbered/publication order, starting with One for the Money. The between-the-numbers novellas can be read at the point they fall in the sequence, or skipped entirely.
Do Stephanie end up with Morelli or Ranger?
The love triangle between cop Joe Morelli and security specialist Ranger has been a running thread since early in the series and remains deliberately unresolved across 31+ books — going in expecting a decisive answer will lead to disappointment.
Is the Stephanie Plum series finished?
No, it's ongoing. Janet Evanovich has published roughly a book a year since 1994, and book 32, Split Second: Thirty-Two Switcheroo, is scheduled for 10 November 2026.
Do I need to read the holiday novellas?
No. Visions of Sugar Plums, Plum Lovin', Plum Lucky, and Plum Spooky are fun but inessential side stories; skipping them and reading only the numbered novels loses nothing important.
Reading order last verified .