The Prey: Joe Morelli

Re: ‘One for the Money’ by Janet Evanovich

In ‘One for the Money’, Bounty Hunter Stephanie Plum is after Joe Morelli. He is a police officer and is wanted by the same police for shooting and killing an unarmed man.

Stephanie and Morelli have a history together. They both grew up in the same neighborhood, The Burg. He lived two blocks from her. Her mother warned her to stay away from the Morelli boys since they were trouble. Of course Stephanie didn’t do that and wound up in the Morelli garage playing train with Joe. She was the ‘tunnel’ and he was the ‘train’. Choo-Choo!

Their next encounter was ten years later when Joe came into the bakery where Stephanie worked after school. (This was high school). He stayed until the store closed and they did a few things of a sexual nature on the floor of the bakery.

She didn’t see Joe again for three years until one day she spotted him on the sidewalk outside the local meat market. She was driving her dad’s Buick, and took the opportunity to drive up on the curb, hitting Morelli in the process and breaking his leg. All this because she was mad at him for not calling her!

Their paths cross again several times in this book. The sparks definitely fly when these two are together!