Stephanie Plum is a fictional character and the protagonist in a series of novels written by Janet Evanovich. She is a spunky combination of Nancy Drew and Dirty Harry, and—although a female bounty hunter—is the opposite of Domino Harvey. She is described by the author as "incredibly average and yet heroic if necessary".
Evanovich 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. "But truthfully," Evanovich says, "Stephanie has stayed the same more than she's changed."
As of 2026, Stephanie has appeared in 31 full-length novels, four holiday novellas, and a short story in a compilation of various authors' works. The first book, One for the Money, was adapted as a 2012 film starring Katherine Heigl as Stephanie.
Character history Evanovich admits that Stephanie Plum's character is inspired by her own, in both history and "similar embarrassing experiences". 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."
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. Stephanie grew up in the Chambersburg neighborhood known to locals as "the Burg", and—like Evanovich—attended Douglass College, although Stephanie graduated "without distinction". The Burg is often portrayed in the series as a close-knit community, from which people rarely leave. Stephanie often finds former classmates and neighbors still living in the Burg, only a few streets away from their childhood home. 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.
At 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. This last straw prompts her to turn to her cousin Vinnie, owner of Vincent Plum Bail Bonds, for a job. She originally hopes to find a file clerk job at the Bail Bonds office but the position was taken, and the only position available is as an apprehension agent or bounty hunter. Vinnie refuses to hire her, but she manages to convince him to give her a shot by threatening to blackmail him. Stephanie's financial situation is still rather perilous, partially due to her poor financial skills, and she often finds herself seeking alternative ways to earn money in order to pay her bills.
When the series begins, Stephanie Plum is single and living with her hamster, Rex, in an apartment building with predominantly elderly neighbors. She regularly visits her parents who live several miles away in the Burg for meals, "family time," and pineapple upside-down cake. While Stephanie finds her family stressful, they often give her tips or connections which assist in her job.
Appearance Stephanie Plum briefly describes herself in the first chapter of each book, typically mentioning her Italian-Hungarian descent, fast metabolism, with light skin, naturally curly brown hair (that she keeps shoulder-length), and blue eyes, and is tall, and roughly . Katherine Heigl of Grey's Anatomy landed the role for the feature film, One for the Money, released on January 27, 2012.
Friends and colleagues
Lula Lula was introduced as a minor character working as a hooker in the first book in the series, One For the Money. In Two For the Dough, she becomes Vinnie's filing clerk and Stephanie's occasional partner. Stephanie refers to her as a plus-sized black woman who attempts to shove a size 16 body into size 10 spandex. She reappears in later books after she begins to work as a file clerk at the bail bonds office. The other file clerk quit after Vinnie attempted to sexually harass her. Lula is a quick file clerk, and this frequently allows her the time to accompany Stephanie when she is going after bonded clients who have not shown up for their court appearance (known colloquially as Failure to Appear, or FTAs). By the 11th book, Lula has worked her way up into being a full-time bounty hunter and takes over for Stephanie after she quits working as a bounty hunter. Eventually Stephanie returns to the job, and Lula goes back to being the file clerk and Stephanie's sometime partner. By the 22nd book office filing is largely digital, so a file clerk is no longer needed, though she retains the job title. She appeared in the film adaptation of One for the Money, Lula is played by Sherri Shepherd.
Connie Rosolli Connie is Vinnie's receptionist/office manager. Her ties to the Mafia are hinted at but never fully explored. She is short and curvy with a hairy upper lip. Stephanie went to school with her little sister Tina. She is occasionally described as Betty Boop with a moustache. In the One for the Money film, she is played by Ana Reeder.
Mary Lou Mary Lou Stankovic is Stephanie's best friend. Married to Lenny Stankovic with children and a dog. Stephanie occasionally pays her a visit, usually to talk about Morelli. Maiden name is Mary Lou Molnar. In the film, Mary Lou is played by Annie Parisse and Lenny by Danny Mastrogiorgio.
Vinnie Plum Vinnie is the owner of Vincent Plum's Bail Bonds, where Stephanie is employed. He is also Stephanie's cousin, and he can barely tolerate his employees. He's rumored to have had romantic relationships with farm animals and is usually locked away in his office talking with his bookie; taking a snooze or having a conversation with his "Johnson". In the film he played by Patrick Fischler.
Family Grandma Mazur Grandma Mazur is Stephanie's maternal grandmother. In Two For The Dough her real name is revealed to be Edna. She has lived in Stephanie's parents' house ever since her husband died of heart failure. In Lean Mean Thirteen Grandma Mazur uses his real name: Harry. She is a woman unwilling to grow old, ever. Stephanie relates to Grandma Mazur more than any other member of her family. Beginning in Two For the Dough, Grandma Mazur begins to tag along on cases with Stephanie, often pulling a gun out of her purse at inappropriate moments. Grandma Mazur also frequents the local funeral parlors because they are the social centers of the neighborhood. She sometimes peeks underneath the casket lid to see the dead body, causing hysteria in the parlor. Grandma Mazur is also the official owner of Big Blue, a '53 powder blue Buick that men love and women hate. The car is virtually indestructible, and Grandma Mazur got it from Stephanie's Grand Uncle Sandor. She moved in with Stephanie for a short period of time during Hot Six. She also occasionally watches pay-per-view porn, on account that "The Weather Channel doesn't have enough action".
In several interviews, Evanovich says that Grandma Mazur is "loosely based on my Aunt Lena and my Grandma Fanny," adding "She's who I want to be when I grow up."
In the film she is played by Debbie Reynolds.
Valerie Valerie, Stephanie's older sister who moved to California after getting married, is mentioned briefly in the first six books as being the perfect daughter. For the first six books, Valerie lived in California. In Seven Up, Valerie moves back in with her parents after a failed marriage, her two daughters—Angie and Mary Alice—in tow. Angie is much like Valerie was at her age, and Mary Alice has a vivid imagination more like her Aunt Stephanie. Valerie tries to become a lesbian in book seven but doesn't like it. Her husband is mentioned, but never appears in the books, as having run away with Angie's and Mary Alice's babysitter. In Hard Eight, Valerie becomes bumbling lawyer Albert Kloughn's receptionist, and the two begin a relationship. In Visions of Sugar Plums Valerie becomes pregnant with Kloughn's daughter, whom they name Lisa. In Eleven on Top, Valerie and Kloughn cancel their wedding after a stressful bout of wedding planning, but are eventually tricked into getting married in Plum Lovin' after Val gets pregnant with Kloughn's second child.
Stephanie's parents Her mother, Helen (or Ellen) and father, Frank, have the type of relationship built to last. Her father gets served first in exchange for getting to pretend he controls the house, and to keep him from stabbing Grandma Mazur with his fork. Her mother gets to cook and rule the house. Her mother thinks Stephanie should have a relationship like hers but Steph is skittish about marrying again. Her mother also wants Stephanie to get a nice, safe job and reminds her regularly, "They're hiring at the button factory!" Her father seems less concerned about Stephanie and her job. Stephanie's father also drives a cab part-time to get away from Grandma Mazur and, later in the series, Valerie and Albert Kloughn when they move into Stephanie's parents' house. In the film they are played by Debra Monk and Louis Mustillo respectively.
Bob Bob is a big Golden Retriever a policeman acquaintance conned Stephanie into dog-sitting for in Hot Six. The arrangement becomes permanent when the owner refuses to reclaim the dog, and Bob becomes a part of Stephanie's life. By Seven Up, Bob has decided to move in with Joe Morelli, and he and Stephanie now have shared ownership of him. Bob has been described as a big, orange bottomless pit. He'll eat just about anything (including various items of clothing—thongs, socks, shoes, etc.) and usually leaves big dog piles wherever he goes… which is why Stephanie likes to walk him on Joyce Barnhardt's lawn.
Rex Stephanie's roommate/hamster. Spends most of his time sleeping in his soup can or running on his wheel. Known to bite when scared or frightened.Three to Get Deadly
After 25 books, Rex is becoming notable as fiction's oldest hamster.
Romantic relationships
Joseph Morelli Joe Morelli is Stephanie's on-and-off boyfriend, a former bad boy turned vice cop. He is also known as Officer Hottie or the Italian Stallion. Her history with Morelli started with a "choo choo" incident when she was six. At the age of sixteen, Stephanie lost her virginity to Morelli in the Tasty Pastry shop behind the éclair stand, after which he never called (but left quite a few flattering messages in bathroom and stadium walls around town). Three years later she saw Morelli and ran over him with her father's Buick, breaking his leg. A few years later in One for the Money Morelli was suspected of murder and was her first FTA, and Stephanie chased him around town, much to his annoyance. Eventually, she turns him in (after locking him in a freezer truck with three bodies) and clears his name. In Three To Get Deadly, she notices that he's stopped flirting and trying to get her into bed. After she asks him why, Morelli claims that "A man would have to be a total masochist to be interested in you", but by the end, he is interested in her again. Their relationship has since evolved into a romance that runs alternately passionately hot and ice cold.