Family is another theme. Stephanie Plum's family is dysfunctional but loving in its own way. Frank Plum is a crotchety man, Helen Plum is a religious zealot with an anxiety disorder, Stephanie's only sister, Valerie, is straight of out Stepford, Valerie's daughter Mary Alice thinks she's a horse, and Grandma Mazur is just plain kooky and unpredictable. Still, when the going gets tough, Stephanie can always count on the Plums for help - or at least to let her hide out from the latest criminal.