Who is Stephanie Plum from Visions of Sugar Plums and what is their importance?

Stephanie Plum is a train wreck. As the main character in Janet Evanovich's "Visions of Sugar Plums", Stephanie is a masterful combination of today's modern woman, mixed with the characteristics of a traditional Jersey girl, who was raised in an Italian-Hungarian family. Professionally, Stephanie is a professional fugitive apprehension agent, otherwise known as a bounty hunter. The heroine is 30-years-old, has brown shoulder length curly hair, and considers herself to be average height and weight. Stephanie does not presume to be gorgeous, but thinks that on most days, she passes muster.