In this second Stephanie Plum novel, the lingerie-buyer-turned-bounty-hunter is forced by practical and accidental reasons to work with Joe Morelli, her former lover and current pain in the neck. They are both on the trail of Kenny Mancuso: Stephanie needs the access and info Morelli (he of the Trenton Police Department's vice squad) can provide, while Morelli is counting on Stephanie's knack for accidentally bumping into her targets.

The hunt for the first-time offender turns out to be trickier than expected, and in addition to a deeper involvement with a local rat-like undertaker than Stephanie can stomach, there is the unexpected involvement of her grandmother in this case.

Janet Evanovich's development of Stephanie Plum's character centers around two elements here: first, the increasing presence of Joe Morelli in her life; and second, the particular characteristics of Trenton, New Jersey, where the novels are set--especially the Trenton neighborhood known as the burg, where Stephanie and Morelli both grew up.

The sexual tension between Morelli and Stephanie seems to drive much of the plot. Even when Stephanie's not talking about it in her first-person narrative, the reader is constantly aware of it. It's mostly a fun device, moving many parts of the plot forward while giving us insight into the Plum character. How long this could be sustained is a big question. Morelli is certainly likable enough, but his getting closer to Stephanie threatens some of the independence that makes Stephanie an appealing character to begin with.

Evanovich's continued nurturing of a strong sense of place is, after the Plum character herself, the most effective tool in the author's arsenal. Stephanie describes the neighborhood in both prideful and disdainful terms, a dichotomy that serves as metaphor for her own hangups about family, career, and self. The burg is a place where nobody in the beauty parlor is impressed by her gun because everyone's got a bigger one in her purse, where no self-respecting household is ever unprepared for unexpected dinner guests, and where it's not long before whatever shocking thing you received via FedEx is known by everyone remotely connected to you. Stephanie holds many of the values she has grown up with (Barbie as role model, for example) in utter disdain; yet she loves the nobody-messes-with-me attitude that even the most elderly women in the burg never suppress. It drives her nuts that everyone is in everybody else's business, but even while she complains about it, she depends on it to help her with her work.

There is a sexiness that permeates the series so far. I wrote in my review of the first novel that the narrative is sexy without being sexual. This second novel continues to walk that line, but it gets really close to going over it, close enough that it might turn some readers off with some of its language. As a reader who dislikes lengthy descriptions of sexual activity in the middle of a good mystery, I admit my own tolerance was taken nearly to its limit. Here's hoping this doesn't become a trend. I like my sexy bounty hunters to keep it PG-13.

As stories go, Two for the Dough is slightly more intriguing plot-wise than One for the Money, but it's really all about character in this series so far, and Stephanie Plum continues to entertain. Evanovich's mixture of humor, action, and sexiness has me enjoying just about every page.