

After graduation, Stephanie married Dickie Orr, then promptly divorced him after discovering him in their new home, cheating on her with rival Joyce Barnhardt on their brand new dining room table.Īt the beginning of the first book, One for the Money, Stephanie has been laid off from her job as a lingerie buyer, she is being forced to sell off her appliances one by one in order to pay her rent, and her car is repossessed. Stephanie often finds former classmates and neighbors still living in the Burg, only a few streets away from their childhood home. The Burg is often portrayed in the series as a close-knit community, from which people rarely leave. Stephanie grew up in the Chambersburg neighborhood known to locals as "the Burg", and-like Evanovich-attended Douglass College, although Stephanie graduated "without distinction".

Like Evanovich, Stephanie originates from New Jersey, although Janet hails from South River and Stephanie was born in Trenton, New Jersey, the city where the series is set. Evanovich says, "I wouldn't go so far as to say Stephanie is an autobiographical character, but I will admit to knowing where she lives." The first book, One for the Money, was adapted as a 2012 film starring Katherine Heigl as Stephanie.Įvanovich admits that Stephanie Plum's character is inspired by her own, in both history and "similar embarrassing experiences". "But truthfully," Evanovich says, "Stephanie has stayed the same more than she's changed." Īs of 2021, Stephanie has appeared in 28 full-length novels, four holiday novellas, and a short story in a compilation of various authors' works. Įvanovich claims the inspiration for Stephanie's character came after watching Midnight Run starring Charles Grodin and Robert De Niro, adding, "If Mickey Spillane wrote Archie and Veronica, Stephanie would be Betty." As the series has progressed, Stephanie has become more stable and responsible, and a better bounty hunter. She is described by the author as "incredibly average and yet heroic if necessary". She is a spunky combination of Nancy Drew and Dirty Harry, and-although a female bounty hunter-is the opposite of Domino Harvey.

Stephanie Plum is a fictional character and the protagonist in a series of novels written by Janet Evanovich.
