Book Review: Two for the Dough
“Two for the Dough” is the second in Janet Evanovich’s series about Stephanie Plum, the bounty hunter.
Stephanie was financially desperate after losing her job as a lingerie buyer for a department store. She did not know what to do or how to earn money. She then stumbled upon an opportunity to earn commission by going after people who didn’t want to be found. With no experience or training, she went to work for her cousin Vinnie, who ran a bail bonds office.
In “Two for the Dough”, Stephanie is still not very skilled or competent at her job. She doesn’t have the experience that might be necessary and expected of someone who is capturing people who have jumped bail on her. The work can be very dangerous and she is afraid but she continues to accept files because she is motivated by poverty.
Stephanie receives a file on Kenny Mancuso, who shot her best friend. Kenny is a working class man from New Jersey who is suddenly quite rich without any obvious explanation for this. At the same time, Stephanie accepted a private contract. Her maternal grandmother plays a key role in helping her with this.
A funeral home manager hires Stephanie to find a large number of coffins that have mysteriously disappeared. Stephanie has Grandma Mazur serve as a decoy while the two go from one funeral home to another pretending they are there for wakes. They’re really trying to gather information that would hopefully help them find the coffins and maybe even Kenny.
Joe Morelli, the vice cop from Evanovich’s first Plum novel, is now clear of his murder charges and becomes Stephanie’s competition. He is distantly related to Kenny and is also eager to capture him as part of his job.
The plot takes several twists and turns as the characters not only live out the mundane aspects of their lives, but also incorporate the danger and exciting elements associated with their work.
Stephanie and her grandmother carry weapons and there is a danger that they will not use them or use them inappropriately. There is also a very real danger that they will be hurt or even killed by those who don’t want them to find out the things they are trying to hide.
Stephanie’s parents are both supportive and stressful elements in her life. Even though they do and say things that annoy her, she sometimes turns to them for the things the family provides: food, clothing, and a warm bed!
Once again, Evanovich combines humor and crime in an interesting and unpredictable way. His characters are strong and he is able to grab the reader’s attention from the first page. As I read, I noticed that my emotions were very close to the surface. Sometimes I would laugh and other times I would feel the very real fear that the circumstances of the plot demanded.
The more I read of Evanovich, the more I want. In fact, since receiving and reading the first set of three novels, I have ordered several more. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors!