Janet Evanovich is in her 20s; 20-plus Stephanie Plum novels, that is. We thought you'd like these series when you're done with Evanovich's books and still need your fix. These mysteries are funny and feature female protagonists in the most outrageous situations.
Stephanie Plum works for her skeezy cousin Vinny as a bond enforcement agent, or bounty hunter. In the town of Trenton, New Jersey, this means she's often chasing people she knows at least slightly. Stephanie tries to do her work alone, but her Grandma Mazur and secretary Lula often tag along. Stephanie also juggles two men, Cuban-descended Ranger and police detective Joe Morelli. Wacky characters and slapstick situations along with romance mark the appeal of these mysteries.
J.R. Ripley writes a fledgling series, the Maggie Miller mysteries. Maggie is just trying to get her coffee shop business off the ground, but bodies keep piling up. Fortunately, she's not bad with mysteries, and yummy Detective Highsmith is there to help. More slapstick and a quirky protagonist are the appeal for these cozies.
If you like your mysteries with a little more grit, the Monkeewrench series by P.J. Tracy may be for you. Full of witty banter and police procedural details, this series follows a unique cast of computer game developers who solve crimes. With each character having some skeletons in their closet, there's plenty of room for character development and new adventures to be had. Set primarily in Wisconsin and Minnesota, these books are fast-paced and suspenseful.
The Blackbird Sisters series follows three former debutante sisters, but mostly Nora, who decided to become a society columnist in Philadelphia, which makes her the only one with a serious job. Nora keeps getting pulled into various schemes by both her sisters and her connected boyfriend in these engaging, upbeat mysteries peopled with offbeat characters.
Carolyn Haines writes the long-running Sarah Booth Delaney Mysteries. Unwed (is there any worse fate for a southern belle?) Sarah becomes a private investigator in a bid to hold onto her family's plantation and gets herself into all kinds of scrapes down in the delta. This series is more plot-driven than some of the others mentioned here, but they are still fast-paced and cheerful.
With a touch of darkness to them, Erica Wright's The Red Chameleon and The Granite Moth, starring Kathleen Stone, may not seem like books to read after Evanovich. However, Kathleen's friends and partners, a drag queen and the best wigmaker in NYC, help lighten the mood. Kathleen has left the police department for private work, and is a master of disguise and still after the criminals who got away, as well as a hunky Detective Ellis. Fast-paced and full of wig tips, this is a winner if you like your mysteries a little hard-boiled with the humor.
Got other fun mysteries we should know about? Tell us in the comments below.
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