Hero at large

Evanovich's debut novel opens with a charming, rather chaotic romance. A handsome man accidentally ruins a potholder by dropping it into a pot of spaghetti sauce, and he soon wins over a single mother who once skated at the world-class level. His offer of a ride on an ice resurfacing machine proves hard to resist.

The story is loaded with comic mishaps: injuries, oversized turkeys, temperamental automobiles, and a memorable relative named Aunt Edna who adds to the commotion. The book is the first one Janet Evanovich ever had published, and she later became known for her long-running Stephanie Plum mystery series.