Janet Evanovich Read-a-Likes

Janet Evanovich is one of the most widely read authors in our library. The first book in her Stephanie Plum series is called “One for the Money” and has been checked out over 120 times!  So as you can imagine, her fans are usually pretty anxious for her next book to come out.  Being only one woman, she can’t write as fast as her fans read. So what are Janet fans to do between books?

First of all, what makes her books so popular?  Is it the main character Stephanie Plum and her hilarious attempts at bounty hunting? Is it the humorous situations and laugh-out-loud dialogue?  Is it her wacky sidekicks (including her gun-toting, funeral-obsessed grandmother)? Is it the light mystery that usually evolves from Stephanie’s attempting to do her job?  I personally think it is a combination of all these aspects.  So when looking for other books that will help fill the gap between Evanovich books, we need to find authors who include at least 2 of the above listed elements. 

Nancy Bartholomew writes a series featuring stripper/detective Sierra Lavotini.  The humor is not as strong a feature in her books, but the characters are great, the books read fast, and the heroine is not a pushover!  The library owns five titles by Ms. Bartholomew. The first in the series is “The Miracle Strip.”

Bubbles Yablonsky is the main character in a series written by Sarah Strohmeyer.  I like to think of Bubbles as the Pennsylvanian Stephanie Plum. Bubbles is a former hairdresser turned reporter in Lehigh, Pennsylvania.  There is a little romance, great dialogue, and perhaps a bit more mystery than in Evanovich books.  Also, there is a great slimeball of an ex-husband who is remarried to the wife he really deserves!

    Although the library owns only one book in these series, you might want to try “Hot Fudge” by Anthony Bruno and “Birthday Party” by Marne Davis Kellogg.  The Bruno book features Loretta Kovacs, who has turned from law enforcement to finding parole jumpers.  They are funny books, fast paced, but a bit more serious.  Marne Davis Kellogg writes the Lilly Bennett mysteries.  Lilly is in her fifties and is a U.S. Marshall in Wyoming.  There a few more deaths in these books, but Lilly is sassy and funny.

If you like the romantic entanglements that bedevil Stephanie Plum, you might enjoy the books by Jennifer Crusie.  She doesn’t carry characters through from book to book, but her main characters are independent and outspoken.  There is a bit more romance than in the other books mentioned, but not enough to qualify as a “romance” novel. 

Hopefully this will give fans of Janet E. something to read until book 13. If you haven’t tried any of these authors, give them a whirl.  Janet Evanovich has male and female fans, and most of the books mentioned above will appeal to anyone looking for a lighthearted, smart, funny book.  Enjoy!