Stephanie Plum is the bounty hunter with attitude who has kept readers laughing for thirty years. She loses cars, finds bodies and can never choose between two men. The Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich now has 31 numbered novels, four holiday novellas and a 32nd book on the way. Here are all the Stephanie Plum books in order. You will also find the latest release, the “between the numbers” stories and the best place to start.
Stephanie Plum Books in Order: The Complete Book List
The correct order is simple, because every main novel carries its number in the title. Read them from one to thirty-two. The years below are the first US publication dates.
Books 1–5: One for the Money, Two for the Dough, Three to Get Deadly, Four to Score, High Five
- One for the Money (1994)
- Two for the Dough (1996)
- Three to Get Deadly (1997)
- Four to Score (1998)
- High Five (1999)
Books 6–13: Hot Six, Hard Eight, Ten Big Ones, Eleven on Top and Lean Mean Thirteen
- 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)
Books 14–24: From Fearless Fourteen to Takedown Twenty and Hardcore Twenty-Four
- 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)
Books 25–32: From Look Alive Twenty-Five to Split Second
- 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 (November 10, 2026)
From book 27 on, the number moved into the subtitle. Fortune and Glory is “Tantalizing Twenty-Seven”, and book 17 is still Smokin’ Seventeen. The order stays the same.
Between the Numbers: Visions of Sugar Plums, Plum Lovin’, Plum Lucky and Plum Spooky
Yes, there are four “between the numbers” Stephanie Plum books. They are short holiday novellas, and each one fits between two numbered novels:
- Visions of Sugar Plums (2002), a Christmas story, after Hard Eight
- Plum Lovin’ (2007), a Valentine’s Day story, after Twelve Sharp
- Plum Lucky (2008), a St. Patrick’s Day story, after Lean Mean Thirteen
- Plum Spooky (2009), a Halloween story, after Fearless Fourteen
You can skip them without losing the plot. They are lighter and stranger, because they bring in Diesel, a big man with unusual powers. Diesel later got his own book series, the Lizzy and Diesel series.
What Is the Most Recent Stephanie Plum Book?
The most recent Stephanie Plum book is the 31st one, Now or Never: Thirty-One on the Run, published in 2024. So the answer to “will there be a 31st book?” is that it is already out. In it, Stephanie once again juggles her skips, her family and the two men in her life.
Is the Stephanie Plum Series Complete? Book 32 Is Coming
No, the Stephanie Plum series is not complete. There will be a 32nd book: Split Second: Thirty-Two Switcheroo is scheduled for November 10, 2026. This time someone wants Stephanie dead. She gets threatening notes and strange packages, and she still has to bring in her skips for Vinnie. Evanovich has not said the series will end, so fans can hope for more.
How Many Books Are in the Stephanie Plum Series?
There are 31 published Stephanie Plum novels and four holiday novellas, 35 books in all. With Split Second, the numbered series will reach 32 novels. That makes it one of the longest-running comic mystery series of novels in America.
Who Is the Author of the Stephanie Plum Novels?
The author is Janet Evanovich, a #1 New York Times bestselling author from New Jersey. She grew up in South River and studied art at Douglass College. She started with romance novels, then decided to write a crime heroine after watching the film Midnight Run. One for the Money came out in 1994, and the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich has been on bestseller lists ever since. You can read more about her life and her other books on our Janet Evanovich author page.
Meet Bounty Hunter Stephanie Plum: Trenton, Joe Morelli, Lula and Grandma Mazur
Steph grew up in the Chambersburg neighborhood of Trenton, New Jersey. In the first book she loses her job as a lingerie buyer. She asks her cousin Vinnie for a file clerk job at Vincent Plum Bail Bonds. There is no opening, so she blackmails him into making her an apprehension agent instead.
Her first bail jumper is Joe Morelli, a vice cop accused of murder. He is also the boy who took her virginity when she was a teenager. That history fuels the whole series. Stephanie and Morelli fight, make up and fight again. Ranger, a mysterious fellow bounty hunter, complicates things further.
The side characters are half the fun. Lula, a former hooker, becomes the file clerk at Vinnie’s bail bonds office and Stephanie’s loud partner. Stephanie and Lula live on Cluck-in-a-Bucket fried chicken. Grandma Mazur never misses a viewing at the local funeral parlors. Joyce Barnhardt is Stephanie’s rival since school, and Mooner is a stoner who keeps turning up. At home, Rex the hamster waits, and later Bob the dog eats everything in sight.
Stephanie is no Nancy Drew. She carries stun guns and defense sprays, forgets to load her gun and gets her cars blown up. In Two for the Dough, she chases Kenny Mancuso, Morelli’s cousin, through a town full of gossip. That mix of crime, slapstick and romance is the reason the books sell.
Where to Start Reading the Stephanie Plum Books
Start with One for the Money and read in order. Each mystery works alone, but the romance with Morelli and Ranger grows slowly from book to book. If you like the first three, you will like the rest. The first novel also became a film in 2012, with Katherine Heigl as Stephanie, but the book is funnier.
Other Book Series by Janet Evanovich
If you finish the Plum novels and want more, read Janet Evanovich in her other series. The Lizzy and Diesel series starts with Wicked Appetite, a magical mystery set in Salem. The Fox and O’Hare series, written with Lee Goldberg and others, follows an FBI agent and a con man. The Knight and Moon series has two books with Phoef Sutton. Her official website and our author page list all her books.
Stephanie Plum Books Reviewed on This Site
Our Finger Lickin’ Fifteen review covers book 15, the barbecue cook-off mystery. For the Diesel side of the story, read our Wicked Appetite review.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the correct order of the Stephanie Plum books?
Follow the numbers in the titles, from One for the Money to Now or Never, then Split Second. Add the four holiday novellas where they fall, or skip them.
What are the titles of the Stephanie Plum books?
All 32 titles are in the book list above, grouped in four blocks with their years.
Where can I find a list of Janet Evanovich’s books?
Her official website, evanovich.com, has the full bibliography. Our Janet Evanovich page lists every series she has written.
What are similar books to the Stephanie Plum series?
For more funny crime with a messy heroine, try the Domestic Diva mysteries by Krista Davis.