"One For the Money" - Janet Evanovich - 1994

Cover pre-dates Bridget Jones by 3 years...

 

My sister has read the whole kit and kaboodle, all 18 of them; one may be enough for me.  I figured I may as well read it if I'm going to be bored one day and watch the mediocre movie version.  I'm not a Heigl-hater, but February release = stay away!  

As for the original novel, I did enjoy it.  It was fast-paced and a quick read.  Set in 1994, it was surprisingly not too outdated, yes, Stephanie has a penchant for spandex shorts, but other than that and the scarcity of cell phones, it's pretty timeless.  I don't read too many mysteries or romantic suspense,  as our library classified this, but I found it much more chick-lit than anything else.  No, chick-lit doesn't usually have guns, but based the growth of the heroine and the amount of page time dedicated to actual romance it felt like it too me.  Which is to say there is attraction and flirting, but it's not the focus like it would be in a romance.  Which makes me question "BJD" and "See Jane Date" by Melissa Senate as the earliest chick-lit novels...