What is the occupation of Janet Evanovich's character Stephanie Plum?

Janet Evanovich’s character Stephanie Plum works as a bounty hunter.

Stephanie Plum is the protagonist of Evanovich’s long-running series of comic crime novels, beginning with One for the Money. At the start of that story, she has lost her job as a lingerie buyer, had her car repossessed and is struggling to pay her bills. She turns to her cousin Vinnie, who runs Vincent Plum Bail Bonds, hoping to become a file clerk.

The filing position is already taken, but Vinnie has an opening for an apprehension agent—essentially a bounty hunter who tracks people released on bail and brings them back when they fail to appear in court. Stephanie pressures Vinnie into giving her the job, launching the central premise of the series.

Her work is frequently chaotic, and she often relies on fellow bounty hunter and mentor Ranger, as well as Lula, a colleague at the bail-bonds office. Readers sometimes remember Stephanie as a lingerie buyer because that was her previous occupation, but bounty hunter is her defining job in the novels. Her repeated car accidents and destroyed vehicles are another signature feature of the series.