Janet Evanovich is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Stephanie Plum series. For three decades, readers have followed a Trenton bounty hunter who loses cars, finds bodies and can never choose between two men. Want the reading order, the next release or the answer to “is the series over”? This page has it all, together with our reviews of her books.
Who Is Janet Evanovich? A Short Author Biography
Janet Evanovich, born Janet Schneider, grew up in South River, New Jersey. She was born in 1943 and studied art at Douglass College, part of Rutgers University. She married, became a stay-at-home mom to two children, and started to write in her thirties.
Success did not come fast. For ten years she wrote serious novels and collected rejection letters, which she later set on fire. Then she turned to romance. Her first romance novels came out in 1987 under the pen name Steffie Hall, and later ones appeared under her own name.
The turn to crime came from a movie. After watching Robert De Niro in Midnight Run, she decided her heroine would be a bounty hunter. She spent time with real bond enforcement agents, and in 1994 she published One for the Money. Today writing is a family business: her husband, her son Peter and her daughter Alex all work on the books with her.
Is the Stephanie Plum Series Finished? The Story Continues With Book 32
No, the Stephanie Plum series is not finished. The 31st book, Now or Never, came out in 2024. There is a 32nd Stephanie Plum book, too. Split Second: Thirty-Two Switcheroo is scheduled for November 10, 2026.
In the new story, someone wants Stephanie dead. She gets disturbing packages and threatening notes, and she survives more than one near miss. Meanwhile she still has to bring in her skips for Vinnie. So yes, fans will get a new Stephanie Plum book in 2026.
The Stephanie Plum Series in Order
Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is a former lingerie buyer from the Chambersburg neighborhood of Trenton. After she loses her job, she goes to work for her cousin Vinnie’s bail bonds office. She is bad at the job and great on the page. Her team includes Lula, her sharp-tongued partner, and Grandma Mazur, who never misses a funeral. Two men complicate her life: cop Joe Morelli and the mysterious Ranger. The main novels carry a number in the title, so the reading order is easy:
- One for the Money (1994)
- Two for the Dough (1996)
- Three to Get Deadly (1997)
- Four to Score (1998)
- High Five (1999)
- Hot Six (2000)
- Seven Up (2001)
- Hard Eight (2002)
- To the Nines (2003)
- Ten Big Ones (2004)
- Eleven on Top (2005)
- Twelve Sharp (2006)
- Lean Mean Thirteen (2007)
- Fearless Fourteen (2008)
- Finger Lickin’ Fifteen (2009)
- Sizzling Sixteen (2010)
- Smokin’ Seventeen (2011)
- Explosive Eighteen (2011)
- Notorious Nineteen (2012)
- Takedown Twenty (2013)
- Top Secret Twenty-One (2014)
- Tricky Twenty-Two (2015)
- Turbo Twenty-Three (2016)
- Hardcore Twenty-Four (2017)
- Look Alive Twenty-Five (2018)
- Twisted Twenty-Six (2019)
- Fortune and Glory (2020)
- Game On (2021)
- Going Rogue (2022)
- Dirty Thirty (2023)
- Now or Never (2024)
- Split Second (2026)
There are also four holiday novellas “between the numbers”, starting with Visions of Sugar Plums (2002). They introduce Diesel, who later got his own series. Our guide to the Stephanie Plum books in order shows where each novella fits.
All of Janet Evanovich’s Book Series
Stephanie Plum is her signature character and the protagonist of her main mystery series. As a writer, she has also created five more series, several of them with a co-author.
Lizzy and Diesel Series
Lizzy Tucker bakes cupcakes in Salem, Massachusetts. Diesel is a big man with supernatural powers who hunts the SALIGIA stones, one for each of the seven deadly sins. The Lizzy and Diesel series has three books: Wicked Appetite (2010), Wicked Business (2012) and Wicked Charms (2015, with Phoef Sutton).
Fox and O’Hare Series
FBI agent Kate O’Hare finally arrests con man Nicolas Fox, and then the Bureau makes him her partner. The first books, from The Heist (2013), were written with Lee Goldberg. The Big Kahuna (2019) came with Peter Evanovich, and The Bounty (2021) with Steve Hamilton.
Knight and Moon Series
Riley Moon, a young Harvard graduate, works for a bank. Emerson Knight, a strange and very rich client, pulls her into a hunt for missing gold. The Knight and Moon books are Curious Minds (2016) and Dangerous Minds (2017), both with Phoef Sutton.
Alexandra Barnaby Novels
Alexandra “Barney” Barnaby is a mechanic from Baltimore. In Metro Girl (2004) and Motor Mouth (2006), she teams up with NASCAR driver Sam Hooker. The story went on as a graphic novel, Troublemaker, which Janet wrote with her daughter Alex.
Romance Novels
Before crime, there was romance. She wrote twelve short romance novels, the first ones as Steffie Hall, including Hero at Large and Full House. Later she co-wrote two more with Dorien Kelly: Love in a Nutshell and The Husband List.
Janet Evanovich’s New Series and Recent Releases
Her newest series stars Gabriela Rose, a treasure hunter who recovers lost things for a living. The Recovery Agent (2022) started it. The second book, The King’s Ransom, was published on November 11, 2025. Her recent releases, in order, are Now or Never (2024), The King’s Ransom (2025) and Split Second (2026).
Her Most Popular Books and Where to Start
The most popular books are the early Stephanie Plum novels. One for the Money even became a film in 2012, with Katherine Heigl as Stephanie. The formula works because every book mixes crime, slapstick and romance: a skip to catch, a car to blow up and a kiss to regret. If you are new, start with book one and read in order, because the romantic triangle grows slowly. If you want something shorter and lighter, try Wicked Appetite.
Books by Janet Evanovich Reviewed on This Site
Our Finger Lickin’ Fifteen review covers the barbecue-cook-off mystery of Stephanie Plum #15. Our Wicked Appetite review looks at the first Lizzy and Diesel book.
Frequently Asked Questions About Janet Evanovich
How can I read Janet Evanovich’s books in order?
Read each series separately. For Stephanie Plum, follow the numbers in the titles, from One for the Money to Split Second. For the other series, use the order and years on this page.
Where can I find information about Janet Evanovich’s books?
Her official website, evanovich.com, has a full bibliography with every novel and every new title. Goodreads and Amazon have reader ratings. For honest opinions from cozy mystery fans, read our reviews above.
How many books has Janet Evanovich written?
She has published more than 60 novels. That includes 31 numbered Stephanie Plum books so far, the novellas, five other series and her early romance novels.
What are similar books to the Stephanie Plum series?
If you like funny crime with a messy heroine, try Sarah Strohmeyer’s Bubbles Yablonsky series or the Domestic Diva books by Krista Davis. Both bring the same humor with a lighter touch of romance.