No. 8) (Stephanie Plum Novels) - Hard Eight (Stephanie Plum

How long is it going to take for Plum to learn? is she developmentally slow? She still can't shoot, put hand cuffs on keep a car. She is an insult to women. I purchased some of her books when Borders was going out of business, Im going to skim those (you really don' thave to read them) and then I'm through. I don't plan to pick up another one of these books until I read a review saying that the character has grown.

PLOT OR PREMISE:
Hard Eight (St. Martin's Press, 2010, ISBN/ASIN: B0017I1IZA, Plum (8)) is the eighth book in the Stephanie Plum series. In this one, she's looking for a missing mom and daughter whose grandmother could lose her house if the custody bond is violated.
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WHAT I LIKED:
The story has the typical range of secondary characters, and an addition of a hard-core female bounty hunter along the lines of Ranger. And a hysterical attempted vehicular murder of the Easter Bunny.
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WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
I don't much care for stories that involve moms/wives and children in jeopardy and being shuttled around like a tub of household effects in a move. Part of that is the ick factor, but part of it is the simplistic storyline and emotional range that is usually given to the characters -- the new "damsel in distress" plotline where someone has to come rescue them. I also didn't feel the intitial bad guys were fleshed out very well, particularly as they are easy to spot in fake masks and outfits, and the final boss felt like a comic book character.
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DISCLOSURE:
I received no compensation, not even a free copy, in exchange for this review. I am not personal friends with the author, nor do I follow her on social media.

I do love Stephanie Plum - she makes all the mistakes I seem to make with my life, except she has exploding cars - but this time, she's jumped the track. Instead of focusing on her bail bond job, she's agreed to help with a custody bond, gratis.

That not only limits her income, but somehow puts her right in the path of the "owner" of her late enemy, Benito Ramirez (I thought we were over him, since he's so...dead). Mr. Abruzzi is just like Benito, with more resources, so he creates all sorts of nasty difficulties for Stephanie, resulting in the need for Ranger's help, Morelli's reassurances (stressful, since they're on break) but little-to-no results on the custody bond issue.

She does have an ongoing and amusing bond jumper to pick up, but that's really just an enjoyable sideline as we focus on dodging, or confronting, Abruzzi and his henchmen, and solving the custody issue. I didn't enjoy this book as much as previous, but I couldn't put it down either, since Stephanie remains her lovable self through thick and thin.

Stephanie has a slightly different challenge to face in this instalment - she's been asked to track down a missing young girl on behalf of her very worried grandmother. Unfortunately the search puts her in the sights of Eddie Abruzzi, a nasty piece of work who is in business with the child's father. As the danger ratchets up a notch and Morelli continues to keep his distance after their latest fallout it's up to Ranger to come to Stephanie's aid when she needs him the most.

This series is just so much fun to read, I don't care that Stephanie is the world's worst bounty hunter who can't hold onto a pair of handcuffs for more than five minutes and who manages to get her cars blown up on a pretty much daily basis. Let's face it the worse Stephanie is the more excuses she has to call Ranger or Morelli in for help and that's never going to be a bad thing in my eyes!

These stories aren't meant to be taken too seriously but they are fantastic light entertainment. I pick up these books when I want something that is going to put a smile on my face, they never fail to make me laugh out loud and I just love Stephanie and the crazy people she surrounds herself with. Hard Eight sees her love life get even more complicated which makes for brilliant reading. Things are in the off-again position with Morelli but that just allows Ranger to finally make his move and bow chicka wow wow has that been a long time coming (but well worth the wait!). I can't wait to continue my reread of this series and I'm looking forward to finally finding out who she chooses in the long run.

There are a few things new readers need to understand about this particular series; knowledge that all long time readers have known since book one. First, each book is quite similar with the last. The author gives her readers a core set of standard reappearing characters and then always throws in some new criminals, nut jobs and innocent bystanders.

Stephanie is truly one of the worse bounty hunters in literature and about the only way she catches her prey is through sheer accident.

But while the plots are similar in each books, the author has the talent to pull it off with bizarre incidents, crimes and most importantly, characters. Ms. Evanovich has a vivid imagination and a very, very warped sense of humor but if you are on the same wave length with the author, you will find yourself laughing through each book she has ever written.

Another fact is that everyone has their favorite book in this series and everyone has their least favorite. This does not make any single book (or the entire series, for that matter) bad, nor does it make any single book good. You either like the particular book in the series you are reading or you don't. If you happen to pick one up that you are not fond of for goodness sakes don't give up. Chances are you will read the next one you pull off the shelf and be delighted with it. I know this is true in my case.

Some of the situation our heroine Stephanie gets into, along with her off and on again partner, Lulu, are simply ridiculous. This is part of the charm of these books...they are fiction and should be read as such...just fun books to read.

In this one Stephanie is looking for a missing woman and her daughter. This hunt is mixed with the usual collection of very quirky criminals which must be apprehended so Stephanie can pay her rent. Yes, our not so skilled bounty hunter is still torn between the two loves in her life, Ranger and Morelli and things get stranger, if not better.

I note that some reviewers here are unhappy with the sameness of many of these books. The best advice I can give those folks is stop reading the books! If you don't like them...well, move on. There are plenty of other authors out there to choose from

I found this one to be as hilarious as the others I have read (I don't read them in order) and am looking forward to the next.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

This refers to the audible recorded version of the book.

I have loved every one of the Stephanie Plum books I have listened to via Audible up to now (numbers 2 through 6) and found they were laugh-out-loud funny. I didn't laugh once during this one, and I found myself becoming annoyed with some of the stupid choices that Stephanie made. Shooting the security key? Really?

The humor was more along the lines of the Keystone cops -- not something I consider entertaining.

And she has been a bounty hunter for at least a couple of years now, but does not seem to have improved or up'ed her skills -- like by taking a self-defense course or anything. It seems like we should get more character development with her -- its going to get very boring if she stays the same person for book after book after book, making the same or even more inane mistakes.

Another thing that really changed the flavor of the book for me was that the person narrating the novel changed from CJ Critt to Lorelei King. With C J Critt as narrator, the smoldering tension between Stephanie and Ranger was sizzling. With Ms. King narrating, the chemistry is gone. Ditto with Stephanie's relationship with Joe Morelli. Another huge disappointment was Grandma Mazar, who was absolutely hysterical and had personality in spades when read by Ms. Critt, but she just seems like a brainless old lady in the current reading.

Finally, if Ranger is a former US Army Ranger (ie the Special Forces unit for the Army), what is he doing wearing a US Navy Seals watch? And why, in an earlier novel did he give Stephanie a US Navy Seals baseball cap? Surely the Rangers must have their own, and would consider it offensive to find one of their tribe sporting Seals paraphernalia over Ranger paraphernalia.

The 8th book in the Stephanie Plum series is another gem from writer, Janet Evanovich. Fans of the series could not wait to get their hands on this release, and new readers will be delighted at the antics of the characters in these books. In this installment, Stephanie's mother asks her to find a neighbor's missing relative, and family loyalty (and boredom) spurs Stephanie to take on the case. However, when she gets involved, a shady landlord starts warning her off the scent, and suddenly Stephanie finds out his henchman are following her. When various bad things start to happen, (i.e. her car gets blown up again, she is followed by someone in a bunny suit, snakes wind up in her apartment, and a dead body appears on her couch) Stephanie knows she is in way too deep. She enlists the help of the sexy Ranger to help her out of this jam, and also finds herself with help from both Grandma Mazur and Lula. All of the favorite characters from previous installments return, and their antics will have you laughing aloud.
I cannot believe that there are people who actually have not read this series! Stephanie Plum is a hilarious character, and her slapstick comedy has made me laugh aloud at some strange times. If I read these books in front of other people, they invariably ask me what is so funny, and I can never quite relate the story as well as Ms. Evanovich can! There are few mystery books that can make me laugh as much as this series and yet keep me interested in the mystery, but this series does it all. Who else but Stephanie Plum can have every car she has ever owned wrecked in some way (they usually blow up), and be chased by a person in a bunny suit? If you have never read any of the books in the series, join the millions of others that have and get reading today!
The first book in the series is "One for the Money". Enjoy!
A Cozy Lover

The 8th book in the Stephanie Plum series is another gem from writer, Janet Evanovich. Fans of the series could not wait to get their hands on this release, and new readers will be delighted at the antics of the characters in these books. In this installment, Stephanie's mother asks her to find a neighbor's missing relative, and family loyalty (and boredom) spurs Stephanie to take on the case. However, when she gets involved, a shady landlord starts warning her off the scent, and suddenly Stephanie finds out his henchman are following her. When various bad things start to happen, (i.e. her car gets blown up again, she is followed by someone in a bunny suit, snakes wind up in her apartment, and a dead body appears on her couch) Stephanie knows she is in way too deep. She enlists the help of the sexy Ranger to help her out of this jam, and also finds herself with help from both Grandma Mazur and Lula. All of the favorite characters from previous installments return, and their antics will have you laughing aloud.
I cannot believe that there are people who actually have not read this series! Stephanie Plum is a hilarious character, and her slapstick comedy has made me laugh aloud at some strange times. If I read these books in front of other people, they invariably ask me what is so funny, and I can never quite relate the story as well as Ms. Evanovich can! There are few mystery books that can make me laugh as much as this series and yet keep me interested in the mystery, but this series does it all. Who else but Stephanie Plum can have every car she has ever owned wrecked in some way (they usually blow up), and be chased by a person in a bunny suit? If you have never read any of the books in the series, join the millions of others that have and get reading today!
The first book in the series is "One for the Money". Enjoy!
A Cozy Lover

The 8th book in the Stephanie Plum series is another gem from writer, Janet Evanovich. Fans of the series could not wait to get their hands on this release, and new readers will be delighted at the antics of the characters in these books. In this installment, Stephanie's mother asks her to find a neighbor's missing relative, and family loyalty (and boredom) spurs Stephanie to take on the case. However, when she gets involved, a shady landlord starts warning her off the scent, and suddenly Stephanie finds out his henchman are following her. When various bad things start to happen, (i.e. her car gets blown up again, she is followed by someone in a bunny suit, snakes wind up in her apartment, and a dead body appears on her couch) Stephanie knows she is in way too deep. She enlists the help of the sexy Ranger to help her out of this jam, and also finds herself with help from both Grandma Mazur and Lula. All of the favorite characters from previous installments return, and their antics will have you laughing aloud.
I cannot believe that there are people who actually have not read this series! Stephanie Plum is a hilarious character, and her slapstick comedy has made me laugh aloud at some strange times. If I read these books in front of other people, they invariably ask me what is so funny, and I can never quite relate the story as well as Ms. Evanovich can! There are few mystery books that can make me laugh as much as this series and yet keep me interested in the mystery, but this series does it all. Who else but Stephanie Plum can have every car she has ever owned wrecked in some way (they usually blow up), and be chased by a person in a bunny suit? If you have never read any of the books in the series, join the millions of others that have and get reading today!
The first book in the series is "One for the Money". Enjoy!
A Cozy Lover

The 8th book in the Stephanie Plum series is another gem from writer, Janet Evanovich. Fans of the series could not wait to get their hands on this release, and new readers will be delighted at the antics of the characters in these books. In this installment, Stephanie's mother asks her to find a neighbor's missing relative, and family loyalty (and boredom) spurs Stephanie to take on the case. However, when she gets involved, a shady landlord starts warning her off the scent, and suddenly Stephanie finds out his henchman are following her. When various bad things start to happen, (i.e. her car gets blown up again, she is followed by someone in a bunny suit, snakes wind up in her apartment, and a dead body appears on her couch) Stephanie knows she is in way too deep. She enlists the help of the sexy Ranger to help her out of this jam, and also finds herself with help from both Grandma Mazur and Lula. All of the favorite characters from previous installments return, and their antics will have you laughing aloud.
I cannot believe that there are people who actually have not read this series! Stephanie Plum is a hilarious character, and her slapstick comedy has made me laugh aloud at some strange times. If I read these books in front of other people, they invariably ask me what is so funny, and I can never quite relate the story as well as Ms. Evanovich can! There are few mystery books that can make me laugh as much as this series and yet keep me interested in the mystery, but this series does it all. Who else but Stephanie Plum can have every car she has ever owned wrecked in some way (they usually blow up), and be chased by a person in a bunny suit? If you have never read any of the books in the series, join the millions of others that have and get reading today!
The first book in the series is "One for the Money". Enjoy!
A Cozy Lover

If you were left holding your breath or picking your jaw off the floor at the conclusion of Seven Up, then you are in for a real treat in Hard Eight. Fugitive Apprehension Agent (aka Bounty Hunter) Stephanie Plum is back trying to make the streets of Trenton, New Jersey a little safer. Her parents neighbor Mabel Markvitz approaches Stephanie to try to enlist her help to find her daughter Evelyn and her granddaughter Annie. Mabel fears this has something to do with Evelyn's ex-husband Steven Soder. Unfortunately for Stephanie, she soon learns that Steven's business partner Eddie Abruzzi wants something for Evelyn too. Abruzzi declares war on Stephanie, leaving his goons to make her life miserable and dangerous. Stepanie, LuLu and Evelyn's attorney Albert Kloughn are on the hunt for Evelyn, Annie, and the FTA Andy Bender. After losing several pairs of handcuffs, a few cars not to mention a rabid rabbit on the loose Stephanie is forced to enlist the aid of Ranger, Bounty Hunter extraordinaire. Ranger is more than willing to help and collect on his debt, which leaves Stephanie panting and nervous. Not to mention Joe Morelli, her on again off again boyfriend/ fiancé etc. around every corner. Once again Janet Evanovich uses well-executed storylines and witty character narratives to pull the reader on an exciting roller coaster. Full of laughs, twists and a night alone with Ranger, Hard Eight delivers everything the reader wants and then some.
Valerie Jones
[email protected]

When her parents' next-door neighbor asks Stephanie Plum to look for her missing granddaughter, Stephanie figures that it can't be too serious. Evelyn was probably just running from an abusive ex-husband. A quick look, though, turns up Eddie Abruzzi, a mob leader with a distinctly insane side to him. Stephanie knows that she should lay low, but laying low is not in her character. And in-your-face is exactly what Eddie needs to push him over the edge.
Stephanie tries to get on with her life--hanging around with ex-Ho Lulu, failing to bring in bond jumpers, and trying to reconcile her attraction to the two men in her life (Ranger and Joe) with her perpetual datelessness. Still, Abruzzi won't let her go and starts to escalate the violence against her.
Author Janet Evanovich has delivered another side-splitting, car destroying, and semi-sexy novel in HARD EIGHT. All the familiar characters are back, along with Stephanie's endearing combination of incompetence and stick-to-it-ness. Fans of the series will be intrigued and maybe even surprised to see the latest in the ongoing love triangle.
For me, the Stephanie Plum series continues to be enjoyable--I'm certainly looking forward to the next volume. Evanovich is doing her best to deal with a fundamental problem in the series--that Stephanie's incompetence is a little less convincing in the eighth novel in the series than it was in the first. That she is able to pull it off is a credit to her abilities as a writer. That it becomes a little more strained with each book is unfortunate but, perhaps, inescapable.
Stephanie Plum is a treat and HARD EIGHT is a fine addition to the series.

In Stephanie Plum's eighth adventure, she is doing a favor for her parents' next-door neighbor. The neighbor's daughter, Evelyn is missing as well as Annie, her grandchild. If they do not show up within the next few days the neighbor will lose her house which she put into collateral in a child custody bond. Evelyn's former husband will be glad to collect and he has not made it a secret. Stephanie will try to do what she can since she is a bounty hunter and not a detective.
What have we learned from the other seven novels? Stephanie has bad luck with cars, she is always way over her head, and there is a skip tracer who always manages to make Stephanie look like a fool. This novel is no different. There is little emphasis put in Evelyn's story in order to make room for Stephanie's misadventures. The ending of this novel seemed to be rushed and the story does not have a clear resolution as to why Evelyn disappeared. The story that Evelyn gives Plum sounds a bit bogus and unconvincing.
Anyone who has read Ms. Evanovich's previous novels will read this book no matter what anyone else says. It is just that it is about time for Stephanie to grow as a character and be able to do something that is important and meaningful to her besides Tasty Kakes and sex. There is much more that the author can explore with this character and hopefully it will happen in the future. It is time for Stephanie to be involved in a case with very high stakes whether they are personal or emotional. She is always bumbling until she gets the job right. Why not let her do something that she can be proud of? Maybe it is just wishful thinking.

Is eight enough? Or is that "Are eight enough"?
I will admit that I have read all eight of Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels. And I will admit that they make me laugh. I bought Hard Eight for a vacation read, and read it aloud to my wife as she drove us from South Carolina back to Virginia. It was her first taste of Plum, and there were times she laughed so hard she nearly drove us off Interstate 95.
In this episode,"bounty hunter" Plum undertakes a freebie on behalf of a neighbor whose granddaughter, Evelyn has gone missing, taking her own daughter Annie with her. Because there is a child custody bond payable to Evelyn's ex, if Annie doesn't return, the search is somewhat up Plum's alley. Not only does Evelyn's ex want to find her, so does her landlord, Abruzzi, a truly evil man who likes to play war games. Plum's investigation finds her the object of evil games and even murder attempts by an oversized rabbit, a bear, Bill Clinton and even Richard Nixon. With the usual help of Ranger, Morelli, Grandma Mazur, Lula and (surprisingly) her mother, Plum is able to.... well read the book and find out.
Evanovich has a good schtick going, but one would think that Stephanie would eventually learn such basic elements of capturing FTA's as taking the keys out of the ignition to her car, loading her pistol and keeping track of her handcuffs.
Hard Eight is amusing fluff, as are its prececessor novels, but the theme is growing tiresome for this reader.

I'd really give this three and a half stars, because I did enjoy this book. The darker edge was different and interesting, although I was a bit disappointed in the lack of Morelli in this one. Ranger is tasty, but he doesn't really have the depth that Morelli does, and Stephanie is a bit too confused between the two for my taste. Sure, Ranger's sexy... but I thought she loved Morelli? And Morelli's no slouch on sexiness, either.
What really made me give this novel the lower rating was the ending. I won't tell you what it is, but it's not the usual Plum pluck that got Stephanie out of her trouble. It was a bit too "deus ex machina" for me, like Janet just needed to end the book for a publishing date, so she stopped the story and rescued Stephanie from her troubles. I preferred Stephanie using her own luck and resourcefulness to get herself out of scrapes, instead of the damsel in distress routine. She's certainly needed rescue before, but managed to save herself, instead of waiting for the men to save her!
All in all, I very much liked this bookm but it could have been better. It made me go back and reread One for the Money, still my ultimate favorite in this series. It was the first book that actually made me laugh out loud while reading, and I'll continue to read this series, no matter what, because of that. Kudos Janet, but just make sure that Stephanie doesn't become wishy-washy!

I don't watch television since Boston Legal ended. That's when I started reading fiction. I'm pretty easy to please, but I prefer authors that have a good working knowledge of language and grammar. Janet Evanovich has a nice, even flow going with the Stephanie Plum series. There are quirky characters, funny moments, and just enough romance to keep me interested. It is a series that doesn't take itself too seriously... a nice diversion from the hard reality that is life. Stephanie is up to her usual, which is as nice and comfortable as an old sofa. I like it.

I've read eight of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series books and have loved each and every one of them.  But this latest book for me, HARD EIGHT was the funniest.  I had to stop putting anything edible in my mouth while I had Janet Evanovich's book in my hand because reading suddenly became  a choking hazard for me.

 I usually grab one of her books after I've read a depressing or serious one because her books always make me laugh.  I wouldn't recommend reading her books though, one right after another, because they'll appear too similar.  Use them instead to lift you whenever you need a laugh.  Will I buy every one of her books?  You betcha, laughter is a wonderful medicine for the soul.  Thank you Janet!

I received Hard Eight, the unabridged audiobook version, as a present and approached it with a small amount of wariness because the last Janet Evanovich book I read on audio (that would be Seven Up) was ruined by the terrible over the top, cartoon-like rendering of the characters by narrator Tonya Elby. Hard Eight is read by a woman named Lorelei who takes an extremely different approach to Stephanie. Her approach, unfortunately, also does not work for me. Am I too picky, or what?
Stephanie's voice as read in this version is way too cultured, way too slow and it doesn't sound at all like the Stephanie Plum we all know and love. Here she sounds more like an out of place blue blooded socialite than a plucky Trenton, New Jersey girl. Stephanie's words are too often over-enunciated and the Jersey accent is lost altogether. And Ranger?! Ugh, he almost sounds like Fez from "That 70's Show". Is there no happy medium here folks? I must say, though, that the other characters do come to life and the reader did a great job differentiating the characters from each other (unlike the actress who voiced Seven Up). When a child speaks she sounds like a child. When a criminal speaks he sounds like a criminal. Not necessarily a criminal from New Jersey but I guess you just can't have it all.
Now about the story:
This time around Stephanie is on the search for a missing woman named Evelyn Soder and her young daughter Annie. Evelyn's grandmother Mabel is a neighbor of the Plum family (this is how Stephanie gets wrapped up in the case). Evelyn's ex-husband plans to cash in a "child custody bond" funded by Mabel. Mabel fears she'll lose her home if Evelyn isn't found and she fears for her great-granddaughter because Evelyn isn't exactly a "stable" personality.
So, Stephanie, our fearless, bumbling bounty hunter and her friend Lula start sniffing around and before long they have a run in with Evelyn's landlord, an evil man named Eddie Abruzzi. Abruzzi, who gives even street toughened Lula the creeps, is a nasty criminal who adds a much needed dark edge to this predictably frothy series.
Rounding out the cast of characters are the usual members that inhabit Stephanie's wild life. Grandma Mazer is her normally wacky self, Stephanie's not-quite-so-perfect-anymore sister Valerie is still trying to find herself and newcomer Albert Kloughn (pronounced Clown, of course) joins the cast. He's a goofy lawyer who badly wants to be Stephanie's assistant and begins to follow her around like a lost puppy dog. Accident prone yet immensely lovable, Kloughn provides a few of the (far too few) comical moments in the story. The usual run-ins with Ranger and Joe are here but I have to admit this love triangle stuff is getting awfully stale. Stephanie's still torn between the two sexy men and flip-flops between them. I wish they'd just hash it out and put an end to this tired "who will she pick?" drama. Enough already!
This story was my least favorite of the Plum books. It's not bad by any means and still entertains with its fast pace and moments of wit and I enjoyed the dark edge but the laugh out moments are too few and far between and everything has become too predictable. Stephanie is stuck in a rut and hasn't grown a bit since Book One. She keeps repeating the same mistakes that were funny, oh say three books ago? She forgets her gun, she bumbles her FTA's, she has intense sexual tension with Ranger and Joe, her cars are blown up at an alarming rate, and she eats horrifically bad food but still manages to squeeze into her jeans. It's all too familiar at this point but, yeah, I'll still buy the next book because even mediocre Stephanie Plum is better than no Stephanie Plum.
~ Laurie Shallah

Like others, I grabbed the book as soon as it was out, and then read it during a plane trip. Yes, there were times I laughed out loud (and got strange looks); and it was entertaining and I'd recommend it. The ending, however, seemed somewhat contrived; and you find yourself asking why it couldn't have happened some 30 or more pages earlier. Some of the scenes also seemed copied verbatim from an earlier book. I wouldn't hesitate to get the next one; but this one was not as good as ealier books.

Such fun to begin a new Stephanie Plum book, especially when I discover that it's not like #7, which was a mere rewrite of its two preceding volumes. The pace is brisk, the humor is terrific (even though the handcuff gag needed to be cut by two times; humor and threes may be a cliche, but it's a true cliche), and though there was yet another person introduced who wanted to be a bounty hunter, there was only one, and most of the others have moved on (thankfully) to other vocations. The over-the-top characters were kept on firm reins, and I'll be forever grateful for that. Love the characters, but I don't love them running pell-mell over everything!
The plots kept me absolutely engrossed until almost the end. Then all three plots ended badly. The romance plot that has been building for eight books -- EIGHT BOOKS -- poof! gone in a couple of paragraphs!!! We readers deserved at the very least a page more, Janet. Argh, and not in a funny way. The subplot of the guy with the handcuffs: what? This is how it ends? Without tying into the main plot, without his wife killing him, without Stephanie triumphant? And the main plot: WHAT???? This is how it ends? No. Absolutely unacceptable.
Stephanie has been in this dangerous business for what, three years her time? And now she's in a book that has multiple plots that she isn't able to solve any of? The magic of Ms. Plum is that she's a bumbler, yes, but she'll bumble her way to solving things and bringing the bad guys to justice. In this book she has to rely constantly on men to replenish her equipment supplies and to bring the crooks to justice.
This is not what I buy a Stephanie Plum book for. Janet, you MUST make Stephanie more adept at her job in at least some small way, or she starts to teeter to the Too Stupid To Live borderline. You MUST have her solve her own problems, even if she bungles her way to do so.
I look forward to seeing her a non-Loser in her next book!

Stephanie Plum is a bond enforcement agent. In this recent installment of the long running series, her life is the same mess it always is. Her love live is still complicated and confusing as she is torn between Ranger and Morelli. But Morelli wants marriage and for her to settle down and quit the business and she isn't about to do that so that relationship is on the backburner. Ranger has yet to collect on his debt from the last book (Seven Up) and while she does want him to collect she is afraid of what the experience has in store for her when he does.
Professionally, she is still working for her cousin Vinnie and apprehending failure to appears so that he does not have to pay off on the bonds. But, the bond business has added a new wrinkle-child custody bonds. She hasn't heard of them before and as the book opens, finds out about their existence from Mabel, the grandmother that owns the other half of the duplex where Stephanie's parents live. Mabel put up her house to guarantee the bond of her daughter, Evelyn. Evelyn and her ex husband, Steven Soder, have a daughter named Annie. Now Annie and Evelyn have disappeared and the shady Steven wants the money guaranteed by the bond so that he can ostensibly look for his daughter.
True Blue Bonds Bail Agency is going after the house and Mabel is beside herself with grief and worry about her family as well as the prospects of losing her house. While Stephanie wants to stay out of it, Grandma Mazur is insisting that she help. Stephanie agrees and with the deadline fast approaching to find her or lose the house, she begins the search.
She begins looking and while she does not find them, she soon discovers that somehow the psychotic Eddie Abruzzi is involved. While the connection isn't clear, the wreckage left in his wake is and he has declared her part of the enemy as he wages war to find Evelyn and her daughter Anne. At the same time she is working this case for free, she is supposed to deal with the problem of the violent drunk Andy Bender again as well as several other cases. But those pale in comparison as the psychotic Eddie Abruzzi steps up the pressure on her as she experiences his personal obsession.
Number eight in the series sheds no new light on Stephanie or her character. She is still fumbling around, making the same mistakes that she made in book one with outrageous consequences. On one hand it is comfortable reading because there are no new surprises and the characters for the most part all act the same. There is nothing new here and certainly nothing to rattle the comfort level of the reader by suddenly killing off a favorite character or something as so many authors are want to do.
On the other hand, much of this has been done before and one expects most folks to learn something from their past. For example, when one knows a psycho is stalking, it is best to have bullets in the gun beforehand no matter how much one does not like guns. Does she? Of course not. With psychos and henchmen constantly after her as well as blowing up her latest car (she has always had a hard time with cars) she walks around without her gun.
If this was a person in real life, it would drive one nuts. Chronically stupid is not an endearing quality and it would be nice if Stephanie would be a little less neurotic and a little smarter after all this time.

To put this review into perspective, along with my 3 star rating, I must state that I am a die-hard Janet Evanovich fan. However, after reading all of her Stephanie Plum series, one through eight, it is time for Ms. Evanovich to make some changes if she is to avoid the typical pitfalls of series books - the formulaic novel...and overkill. It is to her credit that she has kept readers eagerly coming back for more of Stephanie Plum, my all time favorite heroine. And while I do understand that series writers need to provide, (& to provide, & provide), the same background information so new readers will understand what is going on - the repetition is driving me crazy. We read the same jokes over and over again in each new book. They became tired 3 books ago. I don't mind rereading the facts. I do mind same old, same old. Enough! Just give us the basics about Steph's family, Grandma Mazur, Joe Morelli, (yes, he played choo-choo with her when they were kids), Ranger, Lula, Cousin Vinnie, (and yes, we have read at least 8 times about the animals), etc. Brevity in the face of tedium works. I am sure that the creative wit that conjured up the Plums, et. al., will be able to come up with new material in the future. If new readers would like to know more background, assuming they begin the series with book #9, they can read another book from 1 through 8. It's their fault if they begin with # nine, anyway.
The plot in "Hard Eight" is not as complex, or as interesting, as others. This simplistic storyline, along with the repetitious jokes, made this my least favorite of the eight books. I won't go into the details, others reviewers have already summarized the plot very well. I do not agree with those who say this is a darker story because of "the soupcon of child jeopardy" involved. There is no danger to a child here. The villains are especially tame and flat compared to Benito Ramirez, a real doozie, and other creeps from other bounty hunts!
I was glad that Ranger and Stephanie finally got together. We were left hanging in "Seven-Up," with what seemed like sexus interruptus. I hate being left in the air about something as important as whether my fictional favorite has sex the with the "dark, mellow, mystery man" of her fantasies.
I really hope the next novel is more original and complex. Stephanie Plum is quite capable of multi-tasking. I also hope that Janet Evanovich loses much of the old material and comes up with something new and exciting.

Stephanie Plum the woman who can make me laugher harder then anything. Well Stephanie is back and this time she is helping out a friend try to find someone. Well not exactully a friend. Her parents next door neighbor Mabel's daughter Evelyn and her daughter Annie have left and Mabel is worried about them. Mainly because she has a bond company that is going to take her house unless Evelyn and Annie show up soon. So she ask's Stephanie to help her find the two.
As Stephanie gets involved in this case she has a few FTA's to bring in. The lunitic who drinks to much and of course the little old lady who stole the Corvette. While trying to capture Andy Bender the drunk she has a harder time then she expected in getting him to come with her. She manages to lose more pairs of handcuffs and cause more trouble then she expected.
While looking for Evelyn and Annie, Stephanie comes across a scary man named Eddie Abuzzi who scares the living daylights out of Stephanie and her friends. When things start appearing in Stephanie life she knows that she is in too deep, but that doesn't stop her from trying to find Evelyn. Not even another bounty hunter Jeanne Ellen can stop her.
All the time this is happen Stephanie manages to meet up with Evelyn's weird lawyer Albert Kloughn who is just trying to help Stephanie find Evelyn even if he is a klutz. But as time goes on Stephanie has bigger problems... There is a killer rabbit chasing her and trying to get away from this case.
Stephanie, Lula, Ranger, Moralli and the whole gang are back for another set of adventures. This series just keeps getting better and making me laugh harder and harder with each book.

The 8th book in the Stephanie Plum series is another gem from writer, Janet Evanovich. Fans of the series could not wait to get their hands on this release, and new readers will be delighted at the antics of the characters in these books. In this installment, Stephanie's mother asks her to find a neighbor's missing relative, and family loyalty (and boredom) spurs Stephanie to take on the case. However, when she gets involved, a shady landlord starts warning her off the scent, and suddenly Stephanie finds out his henchman are following her. When various bad things start to happen, (i.e. her car gets blown up again, she is followed by someone in a bunny suit, snakes wind up in her apartment, and a dead body appears on her couch) Stephanie knows she is in way too deep. She enlists the help of the sexy Ranger to help her out of this jam, and also finds herself with help from both Grandma Mazur and Lula. All of the favorite characters from previous installments return, and their antics will have you laughing aloud.
I cannot believe that there are people who actually have not read this series! Stephanie Plum is a hilarious character, and her slapstick comedy has made me laugh aloud at some strange times. If I read these books in front of other people, they invariably ask me what is so funny, and I can never quite relate the story as well as Ms. Evanovich can! There are few mystery books that can make me laugh as much as this series and yet keep me interested in the mystery, but this series does it all. Who else but Stephanie Plum can have every car she has ever owned wrecked in some way (they usually blow up), and be chased by a person in a bunny suit? If you have never read any of the books in the series, join the millions of others that have and get reading today!
The first book in the series is "One for the Money". Enjoy!
A Cozy Lover

I first read Janet Evanovich's Hard Eight in hardback, and then recently listened to the unabridged audio version on tape. This book made a long and tedious car trip much more enjoyable.

At the beginning of Hard Eight, Stephanie Plum's world is pretty normal for her. She shares an apartment with her hamster, mooches meals off her folks, hasn't had a date in months, is still torn between Ranger and Morelli, and keeps a gun in her cookie jar (with no bullets). Things quickly change when a neighbor asks for some help. The neighbor put her house up for a child custody bond, and is in danger of losing her house when her daughter and granddaughter disappear. Stephanie agrees to "look into it," but when Plum is around, you can be sure it won't be done with discreteness. In fact, she uses the stumble-bumble method of investigation.

Stephanie soon finds herself in a mystery that is more complicated than a simple missing persons case. She also finds herself up against a number of bad guys including a psychopathic war-gamer and four men in costumes (a bunny, a bear, Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon). As the case unfolds, it is difficult to estimate whether Plum loses more handcuffs, cell phones, vehicles or FTA's (failures to appear). Dead bodies also turn up all over Trenton including one on her living room couch. Evanovich's observations about Trenton and New Jersey are a scream and the plot will have you laughing out loud.

My one complaint about the audio version is that the reader, Lorelei King, has perfect diction. People from New Jersey (and especially Trenton) don't have perfect diction. It hurts my ears to hear Trenton pronounced with two "t's" (it should be pronounced Tren-un) and Mazur butchered in every book recorded so far. Mazur has a long "a" with the accent on the first syllable. There have been numerous readers for the Evanovich series, and each one has pronounced it differently and each one was wrong. Just once, it would be nice for a reader to consult with the author for correct pronunciations.

But despite this, Hard Eight is a fun book. Some books have been stronger than others, and this is one of the better ones. Let's hope Evanovich still has some tricks up her sleeve.

Stephanie Plum is at it again, in this eighth book by author Janet Evanovich. Hard Eight, continues the adventures of the wanna-be-intrepid bounty hunter Plum tries to find seven-year-old Annie Solder and her mother, Evelyn, who have disappeared. Evelyn's estranged husband, Steven is the shady owner of a dive bar, and he, too, is looking for his ex-wife and daughter, but they aren't the only ones.

Plum takes on the case as a favor to her mother's neighbor, a woman she grew up living next door to, but whom she has few ties. Finding a missing child is hardly work for a Fugitive Apprehension Agent, but Stephanie feels obligated, as she learns that a child custody bond was signed by Annie's grandmother, and if the child and her mother are not recovered, she could lose her house.

As she digs deeper into the case she discovers that, as always, somebody is angry at Stephanie Plum and wants her to disappear-for good. This book's villain is nastier than most, as he will stop at nothing to get what he wants from Evelyn and Annie. The only problem is, Plum has no idea what that might be, despite the fact he is convinced she knows.

With her life on the line, Plum searches for the elusive Evelyn, and is forced to join up with the mysterious and sexy Ranger, who scares her to death because she is so attracted to him. She also needs the help of her on-again, off-again fiancé Trenton cop Joe Morelli. Tagging along with Stephanie is the irrepressible Lula, a former prostitute turned file clerk who fancies herself a bounty hunter, and a new sidekick, Evelyn's lawyer/Laundromat manager, who resembles the Pillsbury Doughboy.

Evanovich has done it again, creating incredibly real characters, including the two sexy men who are vying for Stephanie's attention. You don't know which one to root for, which says volumes for Evanovich's writing ability. As usual, the humor is sharp and funny, in particular a scene where the hapless Plum is attacked by a gaggle of geese who want her Crackerjacks.

Whether bemoaning her bad hair days, or losing her fourth set of handcuffs in a week, Plum manages to keep plugging along and keep the reader veering between horror and humor.

I highly recommend Hard Eight, and encourage anyone who has not read the Stephanie Plum novels before to go back and start at the beginning. It's worth it!

I don't watch television since Boston Legal ended. That's when I started reading fiction. I'm pretty easy to please, but I prefer authors that have a good working knowledge of language and grammar. Janet Evanovich has a nice, even flow going with the Stephanie Plum series. There are quirky characters, funny moments, and just enough romance to keep me interested. It is a series that doesn't take itself too seriously... a nice diversion from the hard reality that is life. Stephanie is up to her usual, which is as nice and comfortable as an old sofa. I like it.

I've read eight of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series books and have loved each and every one of them.  But this latest book for me, HARD EIGHT was the funniest.  I had to stop putting anything edible in my mouth while I had Janet Evanovich's book in my hand because reading suddenly became  a choking hazard for me.

 I usually grab one of her books after I've read a depressing or serious one because her books always make me laugh.  I wouldn't recommend reading her books though, one right after another, because they'll appear too similar.  Use them instead to lift you whenever you need a laugh.  Will I buy every one of her books?  You betcha, laughter is a wonderful medicine for the soul.  Thank you Janet!

I received Hard Eight, the unabridged audiobook version, as a present and approached it with a small amount of wariness because the last Janet Evanovich book I read on audio (that would be Seven Up) was ruined by the terrible over the top, cartoon-like rendering of the characters by narrator Tonya Elby. Hard Eight is read by a woman named Lorelei who takes an extremely different approach to Stephanie. Her approach, unfortunately, also does not work for me. Am I too picky, or what?
Stephanie's voice as read in this version is way too cultured, way too slow and it doesn't sound at all like the Stephanie Plum we all know and love. Here she sounds more like an out of place blue blooded socialite than a plucky Trenton, New Jersey girl. Stephanie's words are too often over-enunciated and the Jersey accent is lost altogether. And Ranger?! Ugh, he almost sounds like Fez from "That 70's Show". Is there no happy medium here folks? I must say, though, that the other characters do come to life and the reader did a great job differentiating the characters from each other (unlike the actress who voiced Seven Up). When a child speaks she sounds like a child. When a criminal speaks he sounds like a criminal. Not necessarily a criminal from New Jersey but I guess you just can't have it all.
Now about the story:
This time around Stephanie is on the search for a missing woman named Evelyn Soder and her young daughter Annie. Evelyn's grandmother Mabel is a neighbor of the Plum family (this is how Stephanie gets wrapped up in the case). Evelyn's ex-husband plans to cash in a "child custody bond" funded by Mabel. Mabel fears she'll lose her home if Evelyn isn't found and she fears for her great-granddaughter because Evelyn isn't exactly a "stable" personality.
So, Stephanie, our fearless, bumbling bounty hunter and her friend Lula start sniffing around and before long they have a run in with Evelyn's landlord, an evil man named Eddie Abruzzi. Abruzzi, who gives even street toughened Lula the creeps, is a nasty criminal who adds a much needed dark edge to this predictably frothy series.
Rounding out the cast of characters are the usual members that inhabit Stephanie's wild life. Grandma Mazer is her normally wacky self, Stephanie's not-quite-so-perfect-anymore sister Valerie is still trying to find herself and newcomer Albert Kloughn (pronounced Clown, of course) joins the cast. He's a goofy lawyer who badly wants to be Stephanie's assistant and begins to follow her around like a lost puppy dog. Accident prone yet immensely lovable, Kloughn provides a few of the (far too few) comical moments in the story. The usual run-ins with Ranger and Joe are here but I have to admit this love triangle stuff is getting awfully stale. Stephanie's still torn between the two sexy men and flip-flops between them. I wish they'd just hash it out and put an end to this tired "who will she pick?" drama. Enough already!
This story was my least favorite of the Plum books. It's not bad by any means and still entertains with its fast pace and moments of wit and I enjoyed the dark edge but the laugh out moments are too few and far between and everything has become too predictable. Stephanie is stuck in a rut and hasn't grown a bit since Book One. She keeps repeating the same mistakes that were funny, oh say three books ago? She forgets her gun, she bumbles her FTA's, she has intense sexual tension with Ranger and Joe, her cars are blown up at an alarming rate, and she eats horrifically bad food but still manages to squeeze into her jeans. It's all too familiar at this point but, yeah, I'll still buy the next book because even mediocre Stephanie Plum is better than no Stephanie Plum.
~ Laurie Shallah

Such fun to begin a new Stephanie Plum book, especially when I discover that it's not like #7, which was a mere rewrite of its two preceding volumes. The pace is brisk, the humor is terrific (even though the handcuff gag needed to be cut by two times; humor and threes may be a cliche, but it's a true cliche), and though there was yet another person introduced who wanted to be a bounty hunter, there was only one, and most of the others have moved on (thankfully) to other vocations. The over-the-top characters were kept on firm reins, and I'll be forever grateful for that. Love the characters, but I don't love them running pell-mell over everything!
The plots kept me absolutely engrossed until almost the end. Then all three plots ended badly. The romance plot that has been building for eight books -- EIGHT BOOKS -- poof! gone in a couple of paragraphs!!! We readers deserved at the very least a page more, Janet. Argh, and not in a funny way. The subplot of the guy with the handcuffs: what? This is how it ends? Without tying into the main plot, without his wife killing him, without Stephanie triumphant? And the main plot: WHAT???? This is how it ends? No. Absolutely unacceptable.
Stephanie has been in this dangerous business for what, three years her time? And now she's in a book that has multiple plots that she isn't able to solve any of? The magic of Ms. Plum is that she's a bumbler, yes, but she'll bumble her way to solving things and bringing the bad guys to justice. In this book she has to rely constantly on men to replenish her equipment supplies and to bring the crooks to justice.
This is not what I buy a Stephanie Plum book for. Janet, you MUST make Stephanie more adept at her job in at least some small way, or she starts to teeter to the Too Stupid To Live borderline. You MUST have her solve her own problems, even if she bungles her way to do so.
I look forward to seeing her a non-Loser in her next book!

Stephanie Plum is a bond enforcement agent. In this recent installment of the long running series, her life is the same mess it always is. Her love live is still complicated and confusing as she is torn between Ranger and Morelli. But Morelli wants marriage and for her to settle down and quit the business and she isn't about to do that so that relationship is on the backburner. Ranger has yet to collect on his debt from the last book (Seven Up) and while she does want him to collect she is afraid of what the experience has in store for her when he does.
Professionally, she is still working for her cousin Vinnie and apprehending failure to appears so that he does not have to pay off on the bonds. But, the bond business has added a new wrinkle-child custody bonds. She hasn't heard of them before and as the book opens, finds out about their existence from Mabel, the grandmother that owns the other half of the duplex where Stephanie's parents live. Mabel put up her house to guarantee the bond of her daughter, Evelyn. Evelyn and her ex husband, Steven Soder, have a daughter named Annie. Now Annie and Evelyn have disappeared and the shady Steven wants the money guaranteed by the bond so that he can ostensibly look for his daughter.
True Blue Bonds Bail Agency is going after the house and Mabel is beside herself with grief and worry about her family as well as the prospects of losing her house. While Stephanie wants to stay out of it, Grandma Mazur is insisting that she help. Stephanie agrees and with the deadline fast approaching to find her or lose the house, she begins the search.
She begins looking and while she does not find them, she soon discovers that somehow the psychotic Eddie Abruzzi is involved. While the connection isn't clear, the wreckage left in his wake is and he has declared her part of the enemy as he wages war to find Evelyn and her daughter Anne. At the same time she is working this case for free, she is supposed to deal with the problem of the violent drunk Andy Bender again as well as several other cases. But those pale in comparison as the psychotic Eddie Abruzzi steps up the pressure on her as she experiences his personal obsession.
Number eight in the series sheds no new light on Stephanie or her character. She is still fumbling around, making the same mistakes that she made in book one with outrageous consequences. On one hand it is comfortable reading because there are no new surprises and the characters for the most part all act the same. There is nothing new here and certainly nothing to rattle the comfort level of the reader by suddenly killing off a favorite character or something as so many authors are want to do.
On the other hand, much of this has been done before and one expects most folks to learn something from their past. For example, when one knows a psycho is stalking, it is best to have bullets in the gun beforehand no matter how much one does not like guns. Does she? Of course not. With psychos and henchmen constantly after her as well as blowing up her latest car (she has always had a hard time with cars) she walks around without her gun.
If this was a person in real life, it would drive one nuts. Chronically stupid is not an endearing quality and it would be nice if Stephanie would be a little less neurotic and a little smarter after all this time.

To put this review into perspective, along with my 3 star rating, I must state that I am a die-hard Janet Evanovich fan. However, after reading all of her Stephanie Plum series, one through eight, it is time for Ms. Evanovich to make some changes if she is to avoid the typical pitfalls of series books - the formulaic novel...and overkill. It is to her credit that she has kept readers eagerly coming back for more of Stephanie Plum, my all time favorite heroine. And while I do understand that series writers need to provide, (& to provide, & provide), the same background information so new readers will understand what is going on - the repetition is driving me crazy. We read the same jokes over and over again in each new book. They became tired 3 books ago. I don't mind rereading the facts. I do mind same old, same old. Enough! Just give us the basics about Steph's family, Grandma Mazur, Joe Morelli, (yes, he played choo-choo with her when they were kids), Ranger, Lula, Cousin Vinnie, (and yes, we have read at least 8 times about the animals), etc. Brevity in the face of tedium works. I am sure that the creative wit that conjured up the Plums, et. al., will be able to come up with new material in the future. If new readers would like to know more background, assuming they begin the series with book #9, they can read another book from 1 through 8. It's their fault if they begin with # nine, anyway.
The plot in "Hard Eight" is not as complex, or as interesting, as others. This simplistic storyline, along with the repetitious jokes, made this my least favorite of the eight books. I won't go into the details, others reviewers have already summarized the plot very well. I do not agree with those who say this is a darker story because of "the soupcon of child jeopardy" involved. There is no danger to a child here. The villains are especially tame and flat compared to Benito Ramirez, a real doozie, and other creeps from other bounty hunts!
I was glad that Ranger and Stephanie finally got together. We were left hanging in "Seven-Up," with what seemed like sexus interruptus. I hate being left in the air about something as important as whether my fictional favorite has sex the with the "dark, mellow, mystery man" of her fantasies.
I really hope the next novel is more original and complex. Stephanie Plum is quite capable of multi-tasking. I also hope that Janet Evanovich loses much of the old material and comes up with something new and exciting.

Stephanie Plum the woman who can make me laugher harder then anything. Well Stephanie is back and this time she is helping out a friend try to find someone. Well not exactully a friend. Her parents next door neighbor Mabel's daughter Evelyn and her daughter Annie have left and Mabel is worried about them. Mainly because she has a bond company that is going to take her house unless Evelyn and Annie show up soon. So she ask's Stephanie to help her find the two.
As Stephanie gets involved in this case she has a few FTA's to bring in. The lunitic who drinks to much and of course the little old lady who stole the Corvette. While trying to capture Andy Bender the drunk she has a harder time then she expected in getting him to come with her. She manages to lose more pairs of handcuffs and cause more trouble then she expected.
While looking for Evelyn and Annie, Stephanie comes across a scary man named Eddie Abuzzi who scares the living daylights out of Stephanie and her friends. When things start appearing in Stephanie life she knows that she is in too deep, but that doesn't stop her from trying to find Evelyn. Not even another bounty hunter Jeanne Ellen can stop her.
All the time this is happen Stephanie manages to meet up with Evelyn's weird lawyer Albert Kloughn who is just trying to help Stephanie find Evelyn even if he is a klutz. But as time goes on Stephanie has bigger problems... There is a killer rabbit chasing her and trying to get away from this case.
Stephanie, Lula, Ranger, Moralli and the whole gang are back for another set of adventures. This series just keeps getting better and making me laugh harder and harder with each book.

The 8th book in the Stephanie Plum series is another gem from writer, Janet Evanovich. Fans of the series could not wait to get their hands on this release, and new readers will be delighted at the antics of the characters in these books. In this installment, Stephanie's mother asks her to find a neighbor's missing relative, and family loyalty (and boredom) spurs Stephanie to take on the case. However, when she gets involved, a shady landlord starts warning her off the scent, and suddenly Stephanie finds out his henchman are following her. When various bad things start to happen, (i.e. her car gets blown up again, she is followed by someone in a bunny suit, snakes wind up in her apartment, and a dead body appears on her couch) Stephanie knows she is in way too deep. She enlists the help of the sexy Ranger to help her out of this jam, and also finds herself with help from both Grandma Mazur and Lula. All of the favorite characters from previous installments return, and their antics will have you laughing aloud.
I cannot believe that there are people who actually have not read this series! Stephanie Plum is a hilarious character, and her slapstick comedy has made me laugh aloud at some strange times. If I read these books in front of other people, they invariably ask me what is so funny, and I can never quite relate the story as well as Ms. Evanovich can! There are few mystery books that can make me laugh as much as this series and yet keep me interested in the mystery, but this series does it all. Who else but Stephanie Plum can have every car she has ever owned wrecked in some way (they usually blow up), and be chased by a person in a bunny suit? If you have never read any of the books in the series, join the millions of others that have and get reading today!
The first book in the series is "One for the Money". Enjoy!
A Cozy Lover

I first read Janet Evanovich's Hard Eight in hardback, and then recently listened to the unabridged audio version on tape. This book made a long and tedious car trip much more enjoyable.

At the beginning of Hard Eight, Stephanie Plum's world is pretty normal for her. She shares an apartment with her hamster, mooches meals off her folks, hasn't had a date in months, is still torn between Ranger and Morelli, and keeps a gun in her cookie jar (with no bullets). Things quickly change when a neighbor asks for some help. The neighbor put her house up for a child custody bond, and is in danger of losing her house when her daughter and granddaughter disappear. Stephanie agrees to "look into it," but when Plum is around, you can be sure it won't be done with discreteness. In fact, she uses the stumble-bumble method of investigation.

Stephanie soon finds herself in a mystery that is more complicated than a simple missing persons case. She also finds herself up against a number of bad guys including a psychopathic war-gamer and four men in costumes (a bunny, a bear, Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon). As the case unfolds, it is difficult to estimate whether Plum loses more handcuffs, cell phones, vehicles or FTA's (failures to appear). Dead bodies also turn up all over Trenton including one on her living room couch. Evanovich's observations about Trenton and New Jersey are a scream and the plot will have you laughing out loud.

My one complaint about the audio version is that the reader, Lorelei King, has perfect diction. People from New Jersey (and especially Trenton) don't have perfect diction. It hurts my ears to hear Trenton pronounced with two "t's" (it should be pronounced Tren-un) and Mazur butchered in every book recorded so far. Mazur has a long "a" with the accent on the first syllable. There have been numerous readers for the Evanovich series, and each one has pronounced it differently and each one was wrong. Just once, it would be nice for a reader to consult with the author for correct pronunciations.

But despite this, Hard Eight is a fun book. Some books have been stronger than others, and this is one of the better ones. Let's hope Evanovich still has some tricks up her sleeve.

Stephanie Plum is at it again, in this eighth book by author Janet Evanovich. Hard Eight, continues the adventures of the wanna-be-intrepid bounty hunter Plum tries to find seven-year-old Annie Solder and her mother, Evelyn, who have disappeared. Evelyn's estranged husband, Steven is the shady owner of a dive bar, and he, too, is looking for his ex-wife and daughter, but they aren't the only ones.

Plum takes on the case as a favor to her mother's neighbor, a woman she grew up living next door to, but whom she has few ties. Finding a missing child is hardly work for a Fugitive Apprehension Agent, but Stephanie feels obligated, as she learns that a child custody bond was signed by Annie's grandmother, and if the child and her mother are not recovered, she could lose her house.

As she digs deeper into the case she discovers that, as always, somebody is angry at Stephanie Plum and wants her to disappear-for good. This book's villain is nastier than most, as he will stop at nothing to get what he wants from Evelyn and Annie. The only problem is, Plum has no idea what that might be, despite the fact he is convinced she knows.

With her life on the line, Plum searches for the elusive Evelyn, and is forced to join up with the mysterious and sexy Ranger, who scares her to death because she is so attracted to him. She also needs the help of her on-again, off-again fiancé Trenton cop Joe Morelli. Tagging along with Stephanie is the irrepressible Lula, a former prostitute turned file clerk who fancies herself a bounty hunter, and a new sidekick, Evelyn's lawyer/Laundromat manager, who resembles the Pillsbury Doughboy.

Evanovich has done it again, creating incredibly real characters, including the two sexy men who are vying for Stephanie's attention. You don't know which one to root for, which says volumes for Evanovich's writing ability. As usual, the humor is sharp and funny, in particular a scene where the hapless Plum is attacked by a gaggle of geese who want her Crackerjacks.

Whether bemoaning her bad hair days, or losing her fourth set of handcuffs in a week, Plum manages to keep plugging along and keep the reader veering between horror and humor.

I highly recommend Hard Eight, and encourage anyone who has not read the Stephanie Plum novels before to go back and start at the beginning. It's worth it!

The last book I read by Evanovich, "7 UP" left me a little disappointed. BUT, she came back in "Hard Eight!" The reason I read this series is for pure enjoyment. If you are looking for suspense or a thriller you won't find it here...what you will find is a contiuation of Steph's cars being stolen or blown up, dead bodies, people breaking into her apartment, Lula's and Grandma Mazur's zany humor as well as the on going sexual tension Steph has with Morelli and Ranger. My favorite is the interaction between Steph and Morelli. I can't get enough of those two!
In every book you will find new crazy chartacters. In this book it is Albert Kloughn (clown), the rabbit, bear and men running around with Clinton and Nixon mask. Valerie, Stephanie's sister showed up in "7 Up" and is continuing in "Hard Eight ... I'm thinking we will see her develop more in upcoming story lines.
I won't recap the story again because other reviewers have done a wonderul job. What I will say is ... if you want a quick enjoyable read ... this is the book for you. If need a "pick up" in your day ... "pick up" Evanovich and you won't go wrong.

Evelyn Soder and her daughter Annie are missing. Mabel Markowitz, the neighbor of Stephanie Plum's parents, is Evelyn's grandmother, and she's desperate to find out what happened to her family. As a favor to her parents and Mabel, taking only a slice (or twelve) of coffee cake as payment, Stephanie agrees to do some investigating into Evelyn's whereabouts. But she's not the only one looking for the missing mother and daughter. Evelyn's ex-husband, Steven, has hired Jeanne Ellen Burrows--a.k.a. "the female Ranger"--to track down his wife and daughter, and scary Eddie Abruzzi, who owns both the property where Evelyn lives and Steven's bar, is also on the trail.

Then Stephanie finds herself being tailed by a man in a rabbit suit (probably she never should have told Abruzzi she liked bunnies); her car is blown up (again); and her apartment is infested with creepy crawlies (including snakes, tarantulas, and a dead guy on her couch). Deciding she's taken on more than she can handle, she calls in the reinforcements: Ranger, who used to be Special Forces but now does many things (driving Stephanie wild with desire included), and her on-again, off-again boyfriend Joe Morelli. And don't worry, the rest of the crew is in on the action, too, including ex-ho Lula, who's just bought herself a bright yellow mini-skirt and dyed her hair to match it. There's even a new "Kloughn" in town (NOT c-l-o-w-n), a correspondence-course lawyer who's set on wooing Steph's sister, Valerie. And we readers definitely learn one thing in HARD EIGHT: Don't mess with Mama Plum's little girl!

Other reviewers here are right: Stephanie's character takes a major hit in HARD EIGHT. It's not like Stephanie to have to rely on a man to keep her safe, but that's all she does this time out (although I'd probably call on Ranger or Morelli myself--but not necessarily for protection). Although the novel is characteristically funny, this time much of the humor is at Stephanie's expense; it sometimes feels like we're laughing at her rather than with her: "Oh, she lost another pair of handcuffs" or "Ha ha, she's being attacked by geese because she was dumb enough to throw a Cracker Jack at one." I want gutsy, slightly-ditzy-but-not-dumb Stephanie back!

But I still can't give HARD EIGHT less than four stars. It was roaringly funny, just as we "Plummers" have come to expect (one scene, in particular, involving a bagel shop, Grandma Mazur, Bill Clinton, and a bunny performing an extremely lewd act made me laugh so hard I nearly cried). And for all you Ranger fans out there, we (and Stephanie) get to know him a LOT better in HARD EIGHT (hint: the title of this novel may be more appropriate than you think).

Evanovich has no competition when it comes to balancing outrageous characters and outlandish situations with cold, gritty suspense; there's no one else in crime fiction who writes like she can. I always try to read the Stephanie Plum books after I've just finished reading someting pretty heavy, which makes the characters and the humor even sweeter to return to. It's so wonderful to come back to the Burg. I never know what I'm going to find--but it's always even funnier than I expect.

Goodness gracious, just when you think you've hit the peak of mad-landia, Evanovich throws another hilarious curve ball at us and has us LOL'ing. As usual, these books have some seriously cray-cray characters that hit our funny bone and quickly melt away the stresses of our days. A definite not-to-be-taken-series that will make your day!

Funny as usual, this book continues with more of the same crazy situations.
This time, bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has a big problem on her hands: Seven-year-old Annie Soder and her mom Evelyn have disappeared. Evelyn's estranged husband, Steven, a shady owner of a seedy bar, is not at all happy. During divorce proceedings, he and Evelyn signed a child custody bond,and Steven is demanding the money guaranteed by the bond to find Annie. The money was secured by a mortgage on Evelyn's grandmother's house, and the True Blue Bonds Bail Agency wants possession of the house.
Evelyn's grandma lives next door to Stephanie Plum's parents, and Steph's grandmother Mazur, and her mom are not about to see their neighbor lose her house because of the abduction.
And then of course, Stephanie's plate is always full of miscreants who missed their court dates, including old nemesis and violent drunk Andy Bender and an elusive old lady accused of grand theft auto, she can't disappoint the eccentric Grandma Mazur! So she follows the trail left by Evelyn and Annie and finds a lot more than she bargained for.

Normally, every book in the series is about equal. This is the first book that really stands out.

Plum is of course as good in this one as normal. It is nice to see Ranger having a bigger part in this book that earlier ones. He doesn't just show up to save the day, but works with Stephanie quite a bit. The addition of Kloughn to the regular cast of characters is welcomed. He definitely falls on the hapless side of her friends.

The bad guys are more entertaining in this book that previous as well. The guy in the rabbit suit is, well, interesting. He seems as dangerous as any of the people who have tried to kill her in the past, but more interesting.

The story is about what we've come to expect from the series. Through a series of luck breaks and coincidences, Plum stumbles her way through to success. Hapless but effective.

This book is as funny as any of its' predecessors, and a little more interesting. For fans of the series, I would definitely recommend it.

I know writing this review will yield a lot of negative responses but I can't let my feelings go unheard. I have previously read and enjoyed the Stephanie Plum mysteries (1 through 7) and in my opinion (which I never dreamed I'd say), "it's time for Stephanie to get a new job".
I waited an entire year to find out what would happen with Stephanie and Ranger/Stephanie and Morelli and what did I get -- disappointed.
You would figure after 8 outings Stephanie would at least have become more competent in her line of business but the character remains clueless.
Why does every novel have to explain how Stephanie met each person, i.e. Morelli, Ranger, Lula, etc.? Those entries take up a good 20 pages explaining what we already know.
Why keep rehashing events from the previous novel, i.e. the funeral home getting burned down, someone getting murdered on the fire escape. The moments were funny the first time around but it becomes a little stale repeating it over and over again.
Nothing new really happens in Hard Eight, it's the same old thing: Ranger/Morelli comes to the rescue, Stephanie loses another car, dead bodies end up in her apartment, Stephanie can't find the bullets to her gun, etc.
Hard Eight adds up to thing: It's time to MOVE ON Janet, this series has run out of steam.

I love Janet Evanovich's writing. I was thrilled beyond words when I read, "One For The Money" and still a happy camper with "Two For The Dough". But after reading High Five, I suppose I should have stopped there, because I jumped to Hard Eight. This means I still haven't read 3,4, 6 and 7. It may be a while before I got back and read these novels, although I own 3 & 4. Maybe I'm thinking the characters and the storyline is beginning to get too repetitious for me. She's still having her on-again/off-again fling with Morelli; she's still chasing the FTAs and depending on Ranger to bail her out of trouble. And just how many cars is she going to destroy and he will keep replacing? The only thing different in this book is Stephanie paying her debt to Ranger for his help with her body and that wasn't some of Janet's greatest writing either. I would have thought she would take more time with this scene and she didn't. The ending of the book was just cut off like she was tired of writing about it and ended it there. I think Janet's humor and wit are the greatest and I do enjoy her writing. But this book didn't do it for me like some of her others and in all fairness, I'm not sure if it's her or me. I'll read more of her work later on, but after Hard Eight (and I couldn't connect the title with anything in this book either), I'm due for something different.

We thoroughly enjoyed Janet Evanovich's first six Stephanie Plum series about a bounty hunter who has trouble getting out of her own way. With a crazy supporting cast family, especially Grandma Mazur; and two male romantic interests -- Ranger, a fellow mysterious bounty hunter; and Morelli, a cop who deflowered Plum in high school, and who seems to be the best bet for her long term -- the humor and enjoyment seemed to come as a natural byproduct of the stories and the author's writing style. However, book #7 seemed so forced out it was a huge disappointment to almost all but the die-hard fans. Thankfully, Hard Eight is more of a return to the earlier work. Our only quibble is that now the ineptitude of Plum, and her tendency to burn up cars and find dead bodies all over the place, is getting a bit stale. It may be the set has little remaining life expectancy as is.
But this one continues to entertain with a light story about Plum's inability to capture one of her assignments; about a lawyer named Kloughn, the [brunt] of innumerable "clown" jokes, who follows Plum around like a puppy; and Steph's inability to resolve her own conflicts about the two men in her life and what to do about them. She finally "gets lucky" about halfway through the book, at which point we were almost relieved for her. But the book ends on some of the same querulous notes about her and Morelli as we've heard before.
A plot about a missing neighbor and her daughter was a slight shift from earlier books, but pretty much continued to pose as the excuse for the Plum goings-on throughout. In sum, Hard Eight represents a pretty typical entry in the Evanovich Plum series, but for those that have read all eight, the title may have some subtle ulterior meanings. Before we get "Nine Ball" (or whatever), perhaps somebody can figure out how to give Plum's life a facelift, as she does not seem to be growing older on us gracefully.

"Hard Eight" by Janet Evanovich is the latest instalment in the fantastic Stephanie Plum series, and it is well worth the hardcover price! Evanovich leads Stephanie, our favourite bumbling bounty hunter, on a dark and dangerous adventure that had me utterly captivated the whole way through. "Hard Eight" is certainly one of the darkest books in this series, but not to worry, the laugh-out-loud humour that we have come to expect from a Stephanie Plum novel is there too!
In this eighth instalment of the series, Stephanie gets a request that is really not in her field of work. It seems that Evelyn Soder and her young daughter Annie have gone on the run, leaving behind a hostile and very angry ex-husband who's about to invoke the child-custody bond on Annie and cause Evelyn's grandmother (Stephanie's parents' next-door-neighbour) Mabel Markowitz, to lose her home. So as a favour to Mabel, Stephanie agrees to look into things and try to find Evelyn and Annie.
But it soon becomes evident that this is a really nasty situation, nastier than anything that Stephanie has been up against before. Eddie Abruzzi, a very shady and scary local businessman and Evelyn's landlord, threatens Stephanie to give up her search for Evelyn immediately when she has a run-in with him while checking out Evelyn's home. But why would Abruzzi care if Stephanie finds Evelyn? Abruzzi's reaction has Stephanie very suspicious, and when she refuses to drop this case, Abruzzi declares war on her. Hunh??
It seems to Stephanie that Abruzzi is more than a little nutty, but when someone leaves a bag of snakes on her doorknob, tarantulas in her car, and a dead body is left on her couch she realizes she is in serious trouble. So, it is time to get some help, and the best person for the job is her mentor Ranger, who Stephanie already owes too many favours. At the end of "Seven Up" readers were left wondering what would happen between Stephanie and Ranger, and in "Hard Eight" things between these two really heat up. But Joe Morelli, Stephanie's ex-fiancé, isn't entirely out of the picture, and he ends up getting involved in this case too.
But Ranger and Morelli aren't the only ones trying to help Steph. Evelyn's correspondence school lawyer, the annoying yet lovable Albert Kloughn, has latched himself onto Stephanie and just won't go away. We get to know Stephanie's sister Valerie much better in this book, and Grandma Mazur is hilarious as usual with her utterly inappropriate comments and her unique attitude towards life in general. Lula, the 200+lb ex-hooker is along for the ride too, and she always manages to make me laugh. It is always a pleasure to read a Stephanie Plum novel, and spend time with Evanovich's hysterically funny, eccentric, and perhaps most important, likable characters. No one wants to read about people they don't like, and Evanovich has created a wonderful cast of characters who readers can root for and relate to as they follow them through their adventures.
"Hard Eight" is a great read, and I loved every minute of it. As Stephanie gets more and more caught up in the terrifying games Abruzzi is playing with her, while still following the trail that leads to Evelyn and Annie, the suspense builds very effectively. The climax of this book had me quite literally on the edge of my seat, and I was so absorbed in it I wouldn't have put the book down for love nor money! But Evanovich expertly balances the darkness in this book with plenty of light moments, and the result is one highly compelling and all-around fabulous read. "Hard Eight" is a book that you really don't want to miss, and I highly recommend it!

So, there I was, 45 mintues on the Elliptical machine at the gym, laughing so hard I almost fell off the machine! Not only did I laugh, but I couldn't put the book down. When my usual 45 minutes were up I actually locked my legs into a stretch position so I could finish the next chapter.
Okay, so this is the first Stephanie Plum story I have read and I had no idea what I was in store for me as I read. I picked it up after reading "Monkeewrench" by P.J. Traci. P.J.T.'s excellent novel was put into the same class as Evanovich - so of course I had to read one of her novel.
If you are looking for a great read - light, thrilling, funny, and a real page turner - this IS a one to lose yourself in! The characters are well developed, endearing, and down right hysterical. I finished this book in a week (closer to a total of about six hours when you deduct time for work, sleeping, eating, showering, and all other daily activities during which one cannot read). No need to have read the first seven in order to "get it" with this one. Ms. Evanovich does an excellent job bringing the reader up to speed with the characters. While there are some inside jokes that will leave you craving more information, you do not need the first ones to get the gist.
I finished this book last night (06/23/03) and am aldready going through withdrawl until I can get my hands on the first 7 books. Get this book and enjoy it! You won't regret it!

Stephanie Plum, Trenton, NJ's most incompetent bounty hunter, returns in "Hard Eight," Janet Evanovich's latest volume chronicling her (mis)adventures. Thankfully, it's much better than "Hot Six" and "Seven Up"--there's no annoying Joyce Barnhart, only one incident of Bob barfing, and Ranger and Stephanie finally do it after three books' worth of buildup. As other reviewers have mentioned, there is a darker edge to the story--Stephanie searches for a mother and child fleeing on a custody bond, only to stumble up against a psychopath with a war games fetish who's intent on finding the pair himself. Several scenes are downright chilling, not a usual thing in an Evanovich novel. Most of the book, though, is typical breezy Stephanie, which makes the scary scenes that much more so. Evanovich also seems to have recovered her knack for humor--this is the first time I've laughed aloud reading a Plum book in a while.
However, I do have a couple of bones to pick with Evanovich. First, the exploding cars thing is getting VERY old. It's interesting that Evanovich doesn't mention that New Jersey has the highest auto-insurance rates in the nation, because if Stephanie were real she'd have to pay about ten grand a year in car insurance (THREE of her cars are blown up in "Hard Eight"). Second, the shtick with the easy capture turning impossible is getting to be very annoying as well. With her last two books, it seems like Evanovich is trying to take Stephanie into a little bit more serious territory, but still trying to make concessions to the fluff fans who just want to read about Stephanie and Morelli and Ranger and Grandma Mazur making dirty remarks. "Hard Eight" put me very much in mind of Harlan Coben's early novels, which also have that weird mix of laugh-out-loud humor and incredibly dark scenes. In the end, though, it's reawakened my interest in the Stephanie Plum series--but, Janet, let up on a poor Jersey girl and let her keep ONE car, okay?

Just when you thought Stephanie Plum's life couldn't get any crazier, she's now being chased by men in bear and bunny costumes, along with men masked as Clinton and Nixon. They're employed by a seriously crazy man named Abruzzi, who believes that Stephanie has waged war against him and is withholding information about Evelyn, a woman who has disappeared with her children and who has something Abruzzi wants. Along with the usual car blow-ups and break-ins to Stephanie's apartment 'sending her a message from Abruzzi', Hard Eight further explores the growing sexual tension between bounty hunter extraordinaire, Ranger and Stephanie. I really enjoyed this book from the series and the fact that there was some very unexpected twists and turns along the way.

I enjoyed this book, although I would suggest, if you're planning on buying it, to wait until the paperback comes out. It's not much different from the usual Stephanie Plum book - Stephanie has love life problems and quirky relatives, is an inept bounty hunter, and knows many quirky Burg natives. Oh yeah, and there's the usual car damage. I haven't read any Stephanie Plum books in a while, which is probably why I'm not as tired of all of that as some of the other reviewers of this book seem to be. I agree that Stephanie's ineptness is getting a bit tiring. You'd think after seven books she would've learned something. It's amazing that Ranger and Morelli are as interested in her as they are. All I can think is that they must love her for her entertainment value. The best reason to read this book is for the update on Stephanie's relationship status with Ranger and Morelli, both characters I enjoy. I gave this book a three instead of a four because of the incredibly sudden and convinient way the author wraps up some of Stephanie's problems. Stephanie doesn't hardly need to solve her own problems, because nature and other people will do it for her. I hope that in the next book she runs up against something or someone that only she can deal with.

Probably all of the folks reading this review have read the other seven Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich and are looking for word on whether the eighth ('Hard Eight') is worth the bother. The answer: yes. But it could have been better, and I recommend the author injecting something new and exciting in the next installment.
'Hard Eight' is the usual pastiche of bounty hunter babe Stephanie Plum working herself out of ridiculous situations. In 'Hard Eight' the author presents a rather straightforward and fun story involving a missing mother/daughter and the baddies who are chasing them. And of course we are delighted with the nutty behaviour of the criminals, Stephanie's friends and her co-workers. And yes, in 'Hard Eight' Stephanie finally consumates her friendship with Ranger. While this should have been a hilarious episode the author oddly doesn't milk it for all the laughs it's really worth.
Bottom line: sort of a "been there, done that" Stephanie Plum novel. Not a classic but well worth the bother.

First, let me say I expected to LOVE this book.
I accidentally stumbled upon Seven Up a few weeks ago in the grocery store, while looking for something to read to while away a summer afternoon. It was so awesome I read the whole thing in less than a day and went out and bought all seven other books in the series. Loved all of them but Hard Eight. It was decent, but didn't hold a candle to the other books. The attorney wasn't as funny or personable as Grandma and Lulu and, frankly, I hope he does marry Valerie and they move to Alaska and out of the series. Also, like many of the other women readers of Evanovich's series, I'd been waiting for Steph and Ranger to get together. I don't need graphic sexual details, but the sex scene should at least be more than the basic "yeah, they did it at her apartment." I mean, the least he could have done was take her to the bat cave with a blindfold, or Rio, or ANYWHERE but Stephanie's apartment. Grandma Mazur did better with Eddie DeChooch and he couldn't get it up!
Knowing what I know, I don't regret buying the book, but it makes me less inclined to plunk down enough of my hard earned cash to buy Nine in hardback form. I'm hoping things will get a little more exciting in the Burg in the upcoming books of this series.

It's difficult for there to be too many surprises in the 8th book in a series, and I can't say there were many here. But what I was suprised about, frankly, was that I personally didn't find that to be tiresome or dull. Sure, at this point, one pretty much expects that our heroine, Stephanie, will be torn between two men, get some cars blown up, make some incredibly silly decisions, have Lula and her granny tag along, and be subjected to lots of head shakings. I don't quite know how she did it, but I think that Janet Evanovich manages to keep this series fresh because she creates such interesting, dynamic, silly, and fun characters - people that, despite the crazy happenings in the novels, actually seem pretty real. Even those on the periphery of the story have distinct personalities, and it is this, I think, more than the particular mystery in the book that makes it interesting - and the mystery here, while different than some others, is rather tame, despite the appearance of a new uber-villian.
If anyone is going into this book expecting revolutionary character growth, that reader will probably be disappointed. Similarly, if this is the first Stephanie Plum novel someone reads, a lot will probably be lost without the history presented in the previous seven. But if you enjoyed the other books - and aren't yet tired of Stephanie's antics, the Morelli-Ranger-Stephanie triangle, and the bizarre and pretty unbelievable events in the Burg, this is the book for you. I'm not sure a writer with less skill and humor could maintain my interest this long, but I think Janet Evanovich is doing fine, and I'll certainly be ready for book nine when it comes along.

just like EVERY SINGLE ONE OF STEPH'S CARS!!!! i don't know how it is possible for one human being to go through so many vehicles. i don't think it is possible. but this is fiction, so anything goes, right? and with that in mind, evanovich's eighth installment of the goofy & crass stephanie series completely, and i mean COMPLETELY TOTALLY ABSOLUTELY, satisfies, like mind altering sex will (think RANGER and yourself - oh my god!). the story line is bizarre (of course - what else could you expect?) and the (coincidental) twists many. as usual, evanovich introduces new characters that are so individual and alive and real that we completely love them or hate them. the k-l-o-u-g-h-n is totally squeezably adorable. and grandma mazur is still up to all her young tricks - she won't leave you without a hoot of laughter. and ranger & morelli are so totally intense you have to stop reading to catch your breath. or actually, RANGER is so intense I had to stop reading, catch my breath & fan myself for ten minutes. all in all, this book was totally titillating, envigorating and opens up a little bit more the world of stephanie plum. what the [heck] is going to happen in book NINE???? this reader CANNOT WAIT!

The wacky, maniacal world of New Jersey's favorite bounty hunter, Stephanie Plum, is back and crazier than ever. Janet Evanovich has outdone herself again with the eighth book in this excellent series.
Evelyn Soder and her daughter have taken off, leaving an already in debt ex-husband, Steven, who wishes to collect on a child custody bond that will evict Evelyn's grandmother out of her home. Making matters worse, the grandmother, Mabel Markowitz, happens to be her parents next door neighbor. The stakes are high and the handcuffs are a plenty (literally) in this fast-paced adventure.
All of the regular characters are back, including the hilarious, scene-stealing Grandma Mazur, who is chock full of one-liners. Her views on cybersex are laugh out loud funny, and that alone should be worthy of the price of this book. The most interesting love triangle in the history of novels is also back in full force, with Stephanie still lingering between the hunk of a cop, Joe Morelli, and her secretive partner in crime, Ranger. Stephanie's sister Valerie also has a more prominent role in this book, not to mention the introduction of a sweet, yet pathetic new character, who a real "clown" of a lawyer.
HARD EIGHT is still loaded with Evanovich's humor and intrigue, yet there is a slightly darker undertone to the writing, which makes for different, yet enjoyable read. This novel has enough mystery, romance, and humor to satisfy all of the regular Stephanie Plum readers, while also capturing a whole new breed of reader.
Overall, this was a rip-roaring, page-turning novel that was a pleasure to read. HARD EIGHT will not dissappoint.

This book is a FAST READ. It would have been faster, except for the protracted fits of uncontrollable laughter at the situations our girl Stephanie gets herself into.
This time out, poor Mable Markowitz, next-door neighbor of Stephanie's parents, has a granddaughter and great-granddaughter who are missing. She turns to Stephanie for help in locating them. Stephanie is up to her ears in bond jumpers, who are more successful in escaping from Stephanie than they are at crime. But when Mable begins to cry, that's when Stephanie breaks down and agrees to try and locate them. In the process, she encounters a psychotic businessman, a bomber bunny and a carload of tarantulas. And that's not the half of it.
Stephanie's gloriously loony family are all on hand to add their two cents worth. Ranger is turning up the heat, while helping to keep Stephanie supplied with cars, cellular phones and advice. And Joe Morelli pops up at the scenes of most of Stephanie's personal disasters to lend moral support and sardonic remarks in equal measure.
This book kept me chuckling, giggling and groaning deep into the night. Evanovich just keeps getting better at telling Stephanie's story. I hope she never stops.

8th in the series. Trenton, New Jersey's Stephanie Plum, bond enforcement officer, a.k.a. bounty hunter, has her hands full with a charity case. Evelyn Soder and her daughter Annie are on the run. Her ex-husband is threatening to collect on a child custody bond that will force repossession on Evelyn's grandmother's house. As always, nobody's telling the whole truth. There's always more to Stephanie's cases than meets the eye. Eddie Abruzzi, Evelyn's landlord, has threatened Stephanie to stay away from Evelyn and her house. What's it to him?
On the side, Stephanie's also looking to bring in Laura Minello-auto theft, and Andy Bender-domestic violence. As always, Lula, ex-lady-of-the-evening, rides shotgun with Steph, along with Albert Kloughn, Evelyn's divorce lawyer. Kloughn is like a pain-in-the-butt little sibling, always latching onto you. But he may have the hots for Steph's sister.
Trenton cop, Joe Morelli, is still trying to decide if he wants to continue as Stephanie's love-interest. While he's deciding, he's always there for her, to help out or just grin. And then there's Ranger, the best bounty hunter ever. Ranger's the Wizard "because he's magic. He mysteriously passes through locked doors. He seems to read minds. He's able to refuse dessert. And he can give me a hot flash with the touch of a fingertip."
A new character is also introduced. Jeanne Ellen Burrows, the female equivalent of Ranger, sporting a black, leather Donna Karan catwoman outfit. I'd like to see her again in future books. What else? Snakes, tarantulas and a 6-foot killer bunny. Yes. A 6-foot killer bunny.
Like other reviewers, I agree that Hard Eight was a bit more light-hearted than the first seven books, but only through the first two-thirds. I couldn't put it down for the last 100 or so pages, constantly laughing out loud and dropping my lower jaw. There's much more emotion and reflection on Stephanie's part. The reader really gets into her head with sympathy and understanding. Don't misunderstand. It's funny. I was also shocked by so many actions by so many characters, like Steph's Mom, her sister Valerie, Ranger and Grandma Mazur, as always. Steph's Dad gave us a few sentences longer than 2 words. Shocking. Bring on number 9!

I've recently discovered this series and have read books 1-8 in a matter of days. First off, the series itself is EXCELLENT. Fresh and inventive, and outrageously funny. However, Hard Eight was a bit of a disappointment.
Mrs. Evanovich, some things for you to consider:
Enough with the cars blowing up. We get it. Let's not go overboard and beat a dead horse.
Characters need to grow. Grandma needs a steady boyfriend. Lula needs to start working full time as a bond enforcer ON HER OWN, not just as Steph's wacky sidekick. Morelli needs to find a new girlfriend, if only to realize it's Steph that he truly loves. Steph needs space to become independent. Ranger needs more than a 2 paragraph resolution on the sex issue. We need to see the BatCave. Put a blindfold on Steph to get here there if you have to, but we need to know more about Ranger!
And as for our heroine. First, she needs to practice with the gun more. For someone who is very smart, she occasionally acts very stupidly when she forgets to bring or won't use her gun. Plus, she needs to take some damn self defense courses. It wouldn't hurt to see Steph kicking some butt once in a while.

I like this series. I even like this book, but the author is starting to strain a bit. I've read most of the jokes in earlier books, and I found myself skipping ahead, just to get to something new. So ok, her relationship with Ranger is finally getting somewhere, but as Ranger himself says, there's not much future in a relationship with Ranger. I suspect we're just marking time here. And what's with Stephanie and Morelli? Stephanie says that she just can't be what Morelli wants...oh, really? At one point Grandma Mazur says that Stephanie (and her young niece who thinks she's a horse) are "like her," meaning they have imagination, they don't fit in with mundane humanity. Now let's see...Stephanie is a bounty hunter, but she makes no effort to become a really good bounty hunter. She was in the bottom 2% of her college class and has no academic ambitions. She's not trying to become a businesswoman or learn a trade or open a restaurant. I have a pretty good idea of what Stephanie isn't, but no idea at all of what she wants out of her life. I suspect that in the end, when the series has been milked for all it has left, that she'll want Morelli, and that seems just fine to me.

I think this is when the series really began to decline. I read and loved and laughed out loud at the previous seven adventures of Ms. Plum. However, suddenly things became tiringly repetitive, but worst of all, Stephanie betrayed Morelli by finally giving in to temptation with Ranger. I know, they were broken up at the time, and Ranger certainly sounds cool, but I still think it was a betrayal. It's obvious that Steph is meant to be with Morelli. In the beginning of the series I applauded Stephanie's resilience, humor, and independence.

By the time you get to the eighth book I felt like Stephanie's mother. Why won't Stephanie settle down with Morelli? Fact is, she is continually putting her hamster, her grandmother, and all who love her in constant danger with her blundering bounty-hunter mishaps, and while that's cute at first, you start wondering why she needs to torture those who care about her after awhile. The series gave me great fun but I think Janet should wrap it up real soon with a happy ending-Morelli, marriage, (Lula as a bridesmaid, that would be something), and then start a new series.

Clearly the lady has talent and an amazing sense of humor, but I think this character's outstaying her welcome.

I've read all of the previous books in this series and found it to be not as fresh. There were still some good spots of humor. But for the most part, instead of being the imperfectly lovable and hysterically funny character, Stephanie Plum, Bounty Hunter, comes across as unbelievably dumb. Does Stephanie have to make so many decisions where she ends in the same situations that are all too predictable or even worse, reliving the same events (with only slight variations) from previous books in the series? Part of the charm and incredible humor of Stephanie is the unpredictable wackiness of her character. The main story is original but all the events occuring as the plot advances feel very much like a retread, leaving the story flat and less humorous. First time readers of Stephanie Plum may still find Hard Eight enjoyable, despite the character problems. This is not Janet Evanovich's best effort - don't judge the series on this one. Instead, try one of her earlier ones - any of her first seven are well worth reading!

As always, devouring the latest Stephanie Plum novel took far too little time, and left me wishing I'd savoured the book instead. Not possible. I was on it faster than Vinnie on the aleged duck, and I don't regret it a bit.

Fans will not be upset with the typical crazy-life Stephanie events. Her sister Valerie is still about, and losing her perfect sainthood. Grandma Mazur is alive and kicking and still ready with the perfect ill-timed comment. Lula buys boots and dyes her hair. Cars explode. Bob vomits. Crazed rabbits, bears, and ex-presidents are chasing down Steph... and just you wait until you get to the geese incident.

Then there's the romantic confusion. Morelli, Ranger, and Stephanie hit the peak of their sexual tension in this book, and tip over in a way that knocked me reeling. I wasn't expecting who ended up sleeping with who, and what it meant. How's that for a vague way to avoid plot spoiling? It was definitely worth the ride, though.

Aside from the zany and the romantic, however, there's a darker tone that we've not seen since the very first book. Echoes of the psychotic boxer return in another character, and the whole issue of battered wives fleeing their husband with children they've snatched away in the middle of the night is not your usual Plum story. That said, it fit. As the stakes rose - and grew more serious than the usual Steph life-catastrophes of the previous books - so did the emotional reactions of the characters involved. And the ending will blow you away: I refuse to give it away, but I was left with a real bit of gutwrench. This one doesn't leave you dangling with a romantic "Oh gosh!" It leaves you stunned with a "Yow... harsh!"

The story does wind up a bit quickly after dancing and drawing itself out - the pace is a bit breakneck at the end as things suddenly all reach the denouement, the book's only real failing. But otherwise, prepare to laugh out loud throughout, and be a little surprised at the content in this one. "Hard Eight" is hard indeed.

'Nathan

There's trouble in "the burg" and it's living right next door to the elder Plums. It seems neighbor, Mabel Markowitz, is about to lose her side of the duplex. Her grandaughter, Evelyn, needed to take out a child custody bond, per the terms of her divorce, and Mabel used her house as collateral. Now Evelyn has disappeared with daughter, Annie, her ex, a Trenton low-life beholden to the mob, is making a lot of unpleasant noise, and the bondsman has given Mabel three weeks to produce Annie or forfeit her home. Mabel needs help and figures that Stephanie, inept bounty hunter from hell, is just the person for the job. She finds people. She brings them in. She can handle this missing person case. Poor Steph's plate is already full, chasing down Trenton's not-so-finest who've missed their court dates and are on their way to jail. In no time, she finds she's in way over her head when dangerous gangsters, who want her off this case and out of the way, start sending threatening messages in the form of bombs, snakes, and spiders. But never fear, once tenacious Stephanie Plum takes on a job, she's like a dog with a bone, and she's not letting common sense, anyone or anything get in her way, until she brings in her woman..... Janet Evanovich is back with another manic romp through Trenton, and as hilarious and entertaining as this series is, Hard Eight doesn't hit the mark. This is a weak addition, with a flat story line that goes nowhere. The whole gang is back, along with a couple of newcomers, and they're as quirky and wacky as ever. The laughs are back too, but for the most part have all been done before, and the same old jokes are beginning to become tiresome. How many cars can Stephanie lose, blow up, or wreck? Why bother even locking her apartment door when any and everybody seems to be able to break in? Can't she ever just simply put the cuffs on a "client" and bring him in without wrestling and rolling around on the ground, usually in mud, garbage, or dinner? And how many funeral parlor incidents can Grandma Mazur have before she's banned from Stiva's? But the saddest development in Hard Eight is the lack of sexual tension in the eternal Ranger-Morelli-Plum triangle. The sparks aren't flying this time out, and there seems to be no fire left in that furnace. This is a book that really doesn't stand alone, and if you're new to the series, you'll be lost if you begin here with number eight. So go back to the start of it all, with One For The Money, and read them all. For old and loyal fans, Hard Eight still has some flashes of fun that you don't want to miss, and let's face it, even a weak Stephanie Plum novel is better than no Stephanie Plum at all.

I've been reading some of the other reviews of this book and was pretty put off- seems to me there is a rumour going round that this new Stephanie Plum is 'dark' or something. I almost didn't pick it up as a result - lucky I did. It is just as bright and funny as ever and Stephanie is as sassy as always.
I can't understand where the 'dark' bit came in. Doesn't anyone remember Ramirez (twice?) that was an awful lot darker than this - not to mention Hannibal, Mitchel and Habib and co from Hot Six. Then there was Kenny Mancuso in Two for the Dough and of course the serial killer and friends in Three to Get Deadly. I'm not saying that this book is any more or less violent than the others - but Stephanie deals with it in the same inimitable Jersey Girl style - all big hair and loads of mascara.
In her latest adventure she has lost of a few of the characters I really enjoyed - Big Blue takes a bit of a break - only a couple of knocks to the fender despite Steph losing at least one vehicle (and her insurance) along the way. The question is why does anyone insure her anymore anyway. Then Joyce Barnhard is a no-show as is Terry Grizzoli. But then Morelli doesn't feature as strongly in this one either. Even Stiva's is only mentioned in passing (What are you doing to us Janet!)
On the plus side Ranger makes a pretty good fist of his increased profile in here. I know he is a man of few words and I don't generally support his side of things but I really did get to like him quite a bit in this book - he becomes more than just a man of mystery. Stephanies sister Valerie is also a big show in this book and proves to be quite a good foil for Steph as well as playing a critical role. Funnily enough it is Steph's mother who saves the day.
OK - so enough for die hard fans - the plot - (which has probably been picked apart in enough reviews already - but here for posterity) Stephanie is asked by her mother and grandmother to look into the disappearance of their neighbours grand-daughter (Evelyn Soder ) and great-grand-daughter (Annie). This is no take-down for bail bonds - this is private and personal. She is warned off by the ex husband and also one of Evanovich's less than likeable gangster figures Eddie Abruzzi. He was, apparently, the boss of that psycopath boxer (from One and Three) Ramirez and they share the same sense of fun over sadism. Stephanie has to try to figure out what the heck made Annie and Evelyn flee if she is going to find them - and at the same time it seems they may need protection.
Meantime Stephanie is trying to make some money from picking up bail-jumpers and as usual not having much luck. Just count the number of cuffs she loses in this one. Also there are the requisite number of exploding cars and people making themselves at home in her apartment.
I don't think the ending was sudden - it really did twist around into a satisfying tale to try to untangle - its just it was a bit unsatisfying when it got there. As was the resolution of her relationship with Ranger in here. It was just not quite right (well for me). Also I got the sense that there was supposed to be more but it was cut out. For instance the stripper in Seven Up turns up again here opening a book shop next to Vinnie - but that is as far as it goes - shouldn't there have been more?
Also the social life which generally plays so much of a part in Stephanies life just didn't come about. Where were the weddings? - the viewings at Stiva's? Maybe Evanovich feels like they have been overdone. I just loved them.
Finally, I don't know about the rest of you but I am definitely starting a movement for 'Bring Back Big Blue" - Stephanie had a Ducati last time and snuck around in cute black cars mostly this time - but Big Blue is her spiritual home - its time Valerie got her own car and gave Blue back to Stephanie.

i hate to give this only 3 stars, but it was a big disappointment. It seems that some series get better as the author delves deeper into personalities and plots, and some become shallower and more formulaic. Hard Eight shows Evanovich starting down the latter path. First of all, the book is very short and has big print -- to me always a clue that the author is taking it easy, riding on success. I disagree with those who say it is "dark" or that the child element is at all explored. The children seem incidental, and no one is really threatening them. This doesn't seem very different to me. Stephanie isn't growing and her character, and that of the other recurring characters, are not becoming more defined. But who is Stephanie, really? At this stage she should be more than sex and junk food. If she doesn't get any better at her job, why is she doing it? She is in danger of remaining a caricature rather than becoming a real person.

It takes a lot to escape a formula that has worked well for seven previous books, but Janet Evanovich has done it by deepening her plot and giving us a real story for a change. Never fear, though: Stephanieholics are still offered their fair share of the gun in the cookie jar, Grandma Mazur, the Plum Parents (better than ever), Rex the Hamster, Bob the Dog (complete with the barfing we have come to know and love with Bob), the irrepresible Lula the ex-ho, and of course the sexy combatants for Stephanie's hand (or whatever else they can touch): Ranger and Morelli.
Stephanie's sister Valerie, complete with her daughter-who-thinks-she's-a-horse, has come into her own in this book, revealing a Burg-worthy personality that is on its way to being as funny as Steph's. And we have a wonderful new character, Albert Kloughn (pronounced "Clown," but don't tell Albert I said so), a lawyer without any cases, and the body of the Pillsbury Doughboy.
With all this, however, there is a story here. And it displays more reality than Stephanie has had to face in many a book. She is asked to find a missing woman and child, known to all in the tight-knit Burg, who are on the run from an abusive husband/father and a sadomasochistic, extremely dangerous, and not at all funny head of a gangster "family." Evelyn, the missing woman, and her 7-year-old daughter Annie, are in real danger, and as hilarious as Stephanie can be, this part is not played for laughs.
The result is a perfect blend of laugh-aloud (and I did, many times) vintage Stephanie, and a new, welcome turn in the series that has probably saved its life. As a loyal reader, I'm thrilled with this serendipitous turn of events, especially since I can still count on at least one blown-up car no matter how serious the plot.
Oh...one other thing before I head off with Steph to grab some donuts...things with Ranger AND Morelli...heheheheh. I can say no more. Read the book!!!

If you are hooked on the Stephanie Plum novels, you've probably already read Hard Eight. If you are considering buying it as a foray into the world of Evanovich's brassy Jersey girl bounty hunter, do yourself a favor and start earlier in the series.
While Stephanie's mad cap exploits made me laugh, I found some of the situations to be over-the-top ridiculous. I agree with the reviewer who wonders how, and why, Stephanie has not only not improved her bounty hunting skills, but has gotten worse! I love Stephanie, but she does seem to be getting dumber (maybe it's the Jersey water or too many hairspray fumes!). Not that she should ever become too apt at apprehending FTA's, but a little improvement would be nice. She has often said that she doesn't make the same mistake twice, but that no longer seems to be the case. The sudden coldness between Stephanie and Morelli was also off-putting, as well as the near obsession with Ranger.
Of course, I will read number 9 when it comes out, but I might not be so quick to buy it on the day it is released.

This installment of the Stephanie Plum series seemed to fly by very quickly, but it was a good story with classic Evanovich humor liberally sprinkled throughout. Thankfully, Evanovich leaves good cameo characters (such as Grandma Mazur, Stephanie's mom, et cetera) in cameo capacity, and doesn't try to make them integral parts of the story - they work *so* much better when they're just dropping in here and there, adding a few quirks, and then the story moves on.
This story involves a possible child endangerment/kidnapping issue, as well as assorted other usual FTA cases. Naturally, Stephanie's luck with cars runs out, one FTA keeps making off with her handcuffs, and various uninvited people end up in her apartment. She works more, um, "closely" with Ranger in this story (and even meets his female counterpart,) while still trying to figure out what's going on between Morelli and herself. This time around, Stephanie actually does manage to brandish and shoot her gun, though admittedly in one instance, she shoots the remote for her new security system out of sheer frustration.
This story was very enjoyable, and provided many laugh-out-loud moments throughout; Janet Evanovich continues to deliver quality stories without letting her formula get tired and dull.

Hard Eight is the eighth in the series of novels staring Stephanie Plum, a gun-toting semi-inept bounty hunter, from New Jersey.
In this installation, Stephanie is asked by an old family friend to locate her daughter and missing grandchild, who have skipped town and are now involved in violation of their bond agreement. To make matters worse she has an encounter with a psychotic mob boss and a bumbling attorney who has latched onto her like glue. Toss in her angelic sister Valerie, her best friend Lula and a crazed killer in a bunny suit, and you got another week in the life of Stephanie Plum.
I really enjoyed this latest installation of Stephanie Plum. Especially the 'hitman' in the bunny suit. The addition of the character of "Klowne" was really great, although, the character was very under-utilized in the second half of this book.
On the negative side, I DO think that the Steph-Ranger-Morelli romantic triangle is getting old. Especially since Steph herself prefers Morelli. I think a new love interest would recharge Steph's character and put more tension in Steph's life. I would also LOVE to see a return of Sally Sweet, the transvestite singer from a previous books.
Overall, another great addition to the Stephanie Plum legacy! Pass the coffee cake!

I couldn't wait for "Hard Eight" by Janet Evanovich. This, her latest novel is her best, but then I've said that about each one. After starting in the middle of her then seven book series, I quickly read through all the rest, Starting with "One for the Money." No matter how I tried, I could not delay gratification.
But, back to "Hard Eight," latest in the Stephanie Plum series. Stephanie is Jersey girl who has taken a job with her cousin Vinnie as a bond enforcement agent AKA, bounty hunter. She tracks down and apprehends people who have failed to meet their court dates. This way, cousin Vinnie won't lose the bond money that he has put up for them and, he gratefully pays Stephanie 15% of the total bond amount for her work.
Evanovich not only takes you behind the scenes of the Bail Bond Business, she takes you to Trenton, New Jersey....where Pizza is still called Tomato Pie, where death cooties linger long after the body is removed, and where people follow Jersey rules. For example, if you're sitting in front of the TV, you aren't expected to talk. "Even if asked a direct question, the viewer has the discretion of feigning hearing loss".
She also takes you into the lives Stephanie's family and friends. While I'm not a hyphenated American, I do have a rich ethnicity and I feel sorry for anyone who has not experienced real life people like the ones who live in the Burg. This Hungarian Goulash/Mulligan stew section where the lines of ethnicity have become dulled over years of people intermarrying because they never move more than 5 miles from where they were born!
Evanovich's insight into these culturally diversified players can only come from first hand experience. Stephanie observes: "I'm not great with big displays of emotion. My mother and I expressed affection through veiled compliments about gravy."
And, Mothers in the Burg have never heard that you shouldn't compare your children to each other. Stephanie's mom says things like, "Why can't you have a normal job like your sister?" Stephanie thinks to herself, "Yeah, and last year she decided to be a lesbian and now she's dating a loser lawyer who looks like the Pilsbury Dough Boy."
Neighbors in the Burg never let you leave without serving you coffee cake, often homemade. Her parents' neighbor, Mabel Markowitz, "lives in a museum." She goes on, "Mabel married in 1943 and still has her first table lamp, her first pot, her first chrome-and-Formica kitchen table. Her living room was newly wallpapered in 1957. The upholstered pieces sag slightly in the middle, imprinted with asses that have since moved on...either to God or Hamilton Township."
Mabel is the one who involves Stephanie in this latest adventure. Her granddaughter, Evelyn and her child, Alice, have disappeared and Mabel is worried that something has happened to them since Evelyn and her husband were recently involved in an ugly divorce.
So, kind-hearted Stephanie is off to find the missing family members, which she thinks, shouldn't be too hard because everyone knows everyone in the Burg and how far could a woman with no money get with a kid in tow?
But, if you know Stephanie, nothing is ever simple. In her quest, she becomes the victim of a sadistic stalker who is somehow involved with the missing woman's ex-husband. And, since she's doing this missing person's job for free, she still needs to go after Vinnie's bad guys to put Tasteykakes on the table. Seldom are Stephanie's pick-ups a slam-dunk.
Same with her love life, it `s on hold most of the time. She really likes Joe Morelli, her longtime friend and sometime boyfriend. He's a cop now but "they met as kids when he started looking up her skirt and never gotten out of the habit." He would even marry her, if she'd get a normal job.
Then there's the dark, mysterious Ranger, a gorgeous hunk who is always around to help Stephanie move her cases forward and to set her heart to fluttering. She calls him Batman because he has a way of appearing out of nowhere.
Through all of this, the loose ends are tied up, the bad guys get theirs, and we're left waiting for #9.
If you get the idea that I love this book, you're right. In the language of the Burg, "Hard Eight" by Janet Evanovich gets a Freakin' A.

What can I say? Steph's at it again....this one is a winner. Stephanie's been asked by a neighbor to find a missing mother and daughter. But Stephanie has no idea what she's letting herself in for. In addition to an especially nasty ex-husband, there are a number of other people searching for Evelyn and her daughter; most notably a killer rabbit and bear, and Evelyn's Napoleonesque landlord, who's into war games--and who has apparently declared war on Stephanie.
And in true Plum fashion, there are several car fires, dead bodies are everywhere, and the heat is turned up--to HIGH--between Steph and Ranger. In addition, there is unresolved business between Steph and Joe Morelli. Throw in sister Val who is no longer the "perfect" sister, a small-time lawyer who's last name is Kloughn (like clown) and you've got a cast of characters guaranteed to keep you laughing out loud.

A good book is supposed to be memorable. That is exactly the opposite of what the past two books in the Stephanie Plum series have been. I read each one as it is released, and I loved the first four. Five was a bit a downturn, but 6 brought the standard back up. I don't even remember much of 7, and, I had to read the synopsis to remember anything about 8.
Read any of the first four books (esp 1-3) and then read any from the last four and notice the style change. It feels to me like Evanovich has stopped really trying to make it interesting, like she would rather pump one out ever June (well, now its shortened to 1 every 6 months with the Xmas book out in November) than have a well-written mystery novel on her hands.
I thought this title, in particular, was simplistic, predictable, and not mysterious. Gags were thrown in just for laughs, but they were hackneyed and overdone.
C'mon, Janet, if you take a bit longer to do another re-write or two, we won't hold it against you. I mean, look at Sue Grafton: it takes her atleast a year and a half between books and it shows. When her series got formulaic, she changed it up (and it took her a bit longer to write the next couple, but man is the series great).

I have to admit, I was wondering how well Janet Evanovich was going to be able to continue her hysterically funny Stephanie Plum mystery series. (Every time I read a Stephanie Plum novel, I laugh myself silly.) After all, many writers have lost their originality by their eighth book in a series, cranking them out like an assembly line.
My fears were completely unfounded. Evanovich is as funny as ever, and bounty hunter Stephanie's just as inept - and as likable - as ever. (Her unfortunate run-in at the park with a flock of geese is one of my new favorite scenes.) In Hard Eight, the tone gets a little darker than her previous books, but the wild action and the humor seem to have been ratcheted up a notch to compensate. My only gripe is with the character of Morelli. He seems to want a typical Jersey housewife, so why is he always making a play for Steph? (As frustrating as this is, though, it's also realistic, from what I've seen.) I fervently hope that Stephanie takes up fellow bounty hunter Ranger on his offer to make her forget Morelli in book nine.
All I can say is, I'm avidly looking forward to the next book. A year seems too long to wait...

In HARD EIGHT Stephanie Plum is working on a case involving a missing child, Annie Soder. The youngster is apparently in the company of her mother Evelyn.
The mother recently obtained a messy divorce from Steven Soder.
Stephanie works for her cousin Vincent Plum in the bond enforcement business. In this instance the child custody bond is written by a rival firm, True Blue Bonds, which is owned by Lee Sebring. Stephanie is asked by Annie's grandmother as a personal favor to find the missing persons.
In the beginning of the search Stephanie is helped by an ex-prostitute known as Lulu and Albert Kloughn, a lawyer who also doubles as a laundromat manager. The real serious assistance comes later from police officer Joe Maxwell and a fellow named Ranger with special forces experience.
The story is filled with action and a lot of original humor. Stephanie lives in a constant state of crisis and her survival depends to a great extent on the timely intervention of Morrelli and Ranger.

Mother Evelyn and daughter Annie have disappeared, and Evelyn's grandmother isn't thrilled and is desperate to make sure they are safe. That's where bounty hunter Stephanie Plum comes in-it's up to her to find them. Evelyn's ex isn't thrilled either, and has also hired a clever bounty hunter to find her-Jean Ellen Burrows.

Jean Ellen isn't looking anymore, but Abruzzi still is. And now Stephanie is being chased by a man in a rabbit suit, along with a crew of other masked men. She's getting harassed with death threats if she continues the search, not to mention the rabbit has blown up her car-twice!

---

This one was nearly a perfect 5 stars for me, but the ending came too soon. It was also a bit too lusty for my taste, but yet, I still laughed. It's an improvement over the last one, but I hope "To The Nines" will be more promising.

I'm a huge fan of the Stephanie Plum books and wait eagerly for each new one. I have to say that this one was disappointing. Still a page-turner, but disappointing.
Hard Eight is not as laugh out loud funny as previous outings. Evanovich moved away from some of the old reliable elements in this book -- the massive destruction of cars, visits to the funeral home, Grandma Mazur -- but what she gives us instead is simply not as funny.
The plot -- never a really strong point in these books -- seems particularly thrown together here. And, it seems that Evanovich loses interest in it just as we have and the book just stops. Tantalizing possibilities are not pursued.
The characters feel sketched in this book, as if Evanovich is counting on what we know from previous books and is counting on us to fill in the outlines.
The whole thing just seems flat.
This is a great series. Start at the beginning and enjoy the ride.
I'm looking forward to the 9th book.

I wanted a somewhat light book to read, and this book seemed to fit the bill. It started out great. It was witty, fun and it sort of had enough of a hook to keep me reading. But then it just lost all steam about halfway through.

The book seemed incredibly formulaic. Characters were added by design to add comic relief. Subplots that served no purpose other than to break up the monotony of the main plot line.

**Spoiler**
Stephanie Plum has to be the dumbest most pathetic main character I have read. In this story she absolutely did nothing intelligent. The entire plot happened on her. This was like she sat back in a recliner and the story unfolded around her. This is basically the plot:

Stephanie gets attacked with snakes, call a Ranger to get help.
Stephanie gets attacked by a giant rabbit, call Ranger to get help
Stephanie shoots a cardboard cutout, call the other guy for help.
Stephanie gets locked out of house, call Ranger.
Ranger removes security, something bad happens, call Ranger again to reinstall security.

Stephanie gets <fill in here>, call <fill in> for help. Repeat 20 times till you get 300 pages.

This goes on till the last pages where the we are told the whole purpose of the book. She's a bond agent that couldn't even capture her man.

Stephanie didn't do anything insightful or intelligent, she didn't solve the mystery, some other detective did. She didn't capture her bond holder, he died of flu. This is definitely a weak heroine and not someone people can look up to.

I've read another Evanovich book and this is by far the worst. It started out great however.

Stephanie plum female bond grabber needs a new job,a new life and awnsers to many questions. This book sets the stage for the rest of the Plumb series and was somewhat more serious and intense than the future books.

I have to say, this series is getting stale. Unless Janet Evanovich can invent some new twists to throw in her next books, we might as well just reread the first four books over and over. Nothing new has happened since then, except in each book I wait the entire time for Stephanie to get together with one or the other of her two hot hunks, and keep getting mad when she doesn't manage.
I am wondering if Janet doesn't have a formula on her wall somewhere telling her exactly how to write her books: A car must blow up on page ninety, a bail jumper must foil Stephanie on page one twenty, and so on.
On the plus side, Stephanie Plum is fun, unflappable, good hearted, and every once in a while she even has a serious moment, when she actually can connect with the reader on a deaper level and make you think about things.

More of the same, but I think this one was a walk in the park for Evanovich. She adds a few plot devices that lack inspiration and toys with them long enough to fill the book... take Bender in already. The lost handcuffs got tired. The Rabbit. And I'm glad Albert Kloughn's, Joe Pesci character got distracted from bounty hunting midway through the book. Lula's character is good, but there only needs to be one.

I'm ready for Stephanie Plum to get some skills. I want Stephanie to get the upper hand on Abruzzi and to be a part of bringing him down. I like that when she gets scared she walks right up to her fear and tells him to back off, but why not put some bullets in the gun and keep it handy instead of half loaded at the bottom of an overstuffed handbag. This ending was a disappointment.

This series is fun enough to continue following, but I'm glad to be almost caught up so I can cut down to one book a year. Maybe that will help keep it fun. 2.5 stars

I really enjoyed "Hard Eight". Like all of the Stephanie Plum novels, this one is a mish-mash of comedy, adventure, mystery, and sexual tension. Stephanie is famous in her family's blue-collar neighborhood as a bounty hunter. Mable, the old lady in the adjoining house, has lost her most of her family one by one and lives on Social Security and government surplus food handouts. So how can Stephanie refuse to help her find her missing granddaughter Evelyn? Evelyn's inept but kind hearted divorce lawyer, Albert Kloughn, who operates out of a laundomat, decides to become Stephanie's assistant bounty hunter. Soon Stephanie, Albert, and Lula are looking for Evelyn with help from the sexy and mysterious bounty hunter Ranger. Stephanie is being menaced by the very creepy Eddie Abruzzi, Evelyn's landlord who is also the money behind the bar owned by Evelyn's abusive ex-husband. Morelli and Stephanie are on the outs, which gives Ranger a chance to finally put the moves on Stephanie. Yeah!

In this, the eighth Stephanie Plum novel, we get exactly what we have come to know and love about the other seven books in the series. Stephanie wisecracks her way through one scrape after another, aided and abetted by Morelli, Ranger, Lula, and of course Grandma Mazur.
Stephanie is called on to help her parents' neighbor, Mabel, for reasons involving a child custody bond. But there's dirty work afoot, and soon Stephanie is, as usual, up to her neck in everything from spiders to "bunnies." There's even a guest appearance by by Bob, the large and perpetually nauseated dog.
I can honestly say this is NOT the worst book I've read recently.
Now that I've damned with faint praise, let me be specific about a few things...
1) The Morelli/Ranger will-they-or-won't-they routine is a tad stale.
2) At least once per book, Stephanie is assigned to pick up someone who is predestined to get away several times before she hauls him/her in to face the music. It's a little old.
3) The ending is breathtakingly abrupt. The McGuffin in the story, which I will not reveal here, is something of a letdown.
4) I love her wisecracking, but I'd love to see, JUST ONCE, a really dark entry in the series. Nothing too bad, but it's too much like Moonlighting at times.
Of course, Moonlighting was a delight, and so (for the most part) is this book. It's the literary equivalent of comfort food, earning four stars easily. I didn't go with five stars because there is no new ground broken here.
If you've read any of the other books in this series and found them worthwhile, you'll no doubt enjoy this one. For all its faults, it's a welcome return visit from an old friend, Stephanie Plum. Long may she roam the streets of the Burg, in search of elusive FTAs.

First off, I have to say, I've read the whole series, and love these books! Stephanie and her gaggle of friends and relatives are truly original characters. And the world that Janet creates is one that I want to visit time and again. Having said that, I think this book is the weakest of the series. Stephanie never really solves anything. She just sort of runs around where people tell her to go and in the end, someone else deals with everything for her. I also have to agree with the reviewer who found the sex scene with Ranger anti-climatic. It's time for Stephanie to grow a little as a character! Let her polish up her skills a little. Let her marry Morelli! There's lots of drama and comedy to be had, but the character needs to develop. This one felt like a re-tread.

I guess this novel deserves a 4.5 instead of 5, but I love the series too much. I think the thing is, with this series, if a person doesn't laugh enough for any of the later books (say, 7 or 8), they will give a lower rating. I know it's hard for Janet Evanovich to keep up with the hilarity level of each of her Stephanie Plum novels, so, even if I didn't laugh after every two pages of this novel, I gave this novel a five.
I think I speak for a few people when I say that the tendency for repeating all the facts about Morelli and Steph's past, Vinnie/Lula/Connie and their own weird characteristics, and Grandma Mazur's reason for living with Steph's parents are getting annoying. I'm willing to ignore those little bits because I understand that readers may be reading the series for the first time, and they need the explanations to understand what's up.
I can see how some may think this novel is a teensy bit darker than the others. I guess it got a little serious with Eddie Abruzzi and his stalker antics. However, the added seriousness of this particular novel doesn't diminish the fact that this novel is still great.
'Hard Eight' is fast-paced, and things move along a little faster than it usually does in the other Plum novels. How it ended was a little abrupt, but, while others may disagree, what Ranger did made me like him even more (Yeah--weird, I know).
My only complaint is just that things are getting a little repetative. We know what'll eventually happen to Steph's cars; we know about Grandma's viewings at the funeral; we're not as surprised anymore with Lula's actions. I don't mind this as much as other readers might, because I still haven't gotten sick of any of the novels yet. Sure, I may like some books more than others, but it doesn't mean I'll stop reading the series.
Anyways, I heard 'To the Nines' is a little different than what we're used to, so I'm looking forward to reading about another one of Stephanie's adventures.

Up front, I'm a big fan of Ms. Evanovich, especially the Stephanie Plum series. However, this has got to be one of my favorite (second only to the 4th book Four to Score (Stephanie Plum). There are scenes which are truly "laugh out loud" funny. Although, there are a few moments of been there done that (Grandma Mazur... she's always "a pip"). Evanovich brings in some new characters and situations - I was laughing so hard it brought tears to my eyes.

Her writing is excellent and consistent in all her books. She has her moments stretching almost to the "contrived" area, but who cares? This and all her books are great reads.

I've thoroughly enjoyed the Plum series up until "Hard Eight." I had been hoping that Stephanie would improve professionally and personally and instead found that she slid backwards on both. I only finished it because friends and positive reviews of #9 convinced me that things get better then.

But #8 fell to the bottom of the pile. I found myself more annoyed than amused by Stephanie. The build up between her and Ranger for books 1 - 7 has been well done and, in a word, HOT. But even her hooking up with Ranger was profoundly disappointing - a one night thing? Really? I wasn't expecting them to spend the next day picking out china patterns but...? And the insta-sex with Joe following a harrowing, white-knuckled experience that could have resulted in Stephanie's death is ridiculous. Again. Maybe I'd have to actually BE a female bounty hunter to understand Stephanie's point of view on this because I'm baffled by it otherwise.

The cars blowing up. Enough already. We get it. She has bad luck with cars. But does she truly have to be so stupid to not realize that herself AND leave the keys, purse, cell phone, etc. in the car while a crazy rabbit is after her? AND has blown up previous cars? It's become a punchline rather than a funny little quirk.

The handcuffs, lack of bullets, total ineptitude when apprehending an FTA stuff... Good heavens, this is the 8th book in the series, not the first or fifth. At some point, logic dictates that she would either (A) smarten up or (B) quit the job. Since she's obviously not going to quit (and I'm still not sure why she doesn't - she'd actually be a decent PI instead), a loyal reader would have some faith that Ms. Evanovich would let nature take its course and have Stephanie learn some lessons and not repeat the same mistakes AGAIN and AGAIN and AGAIN.

But no.

Our girl Steph is even MORE inept and short sighted than before.

Other things that I felt weighed the book down:
I'm not sure why she doesn't move to another apartment, even in the same building, that does NOT have the issues with the fire escape, though her living on the ground floor would probably result in her being finished off immediately. Surely there are other apartments in Trenton that would give her the alleged "security" and companionship that comes with apartment living...

Why doesn't she clue Joe or Ranger in earlier when clearly she's being stalked by a psychopathic killer? The creep can't be arrested but clearly, by the 8th book, we've all come to learn that the law can be murky at times when Stephanie, Joe and Ranger are involved. And #8 blatantly emphasizes this as well (her mom's hit & run, Abruzzi's "suicide").

Is it her pride? Maybe I'm supposed to be impressed with her pride and independence - but I'm not. She comes off more as foolish and delusional about her abilities and almost juvenile in her defiance to ask for help from anyone other than Lula. And it's not like she EVER has any self-confidence, as she is always more shocked than confident that she'll escape the Predicament of the Day.

I've read some reviews on "To The Nines" (so far, so good) and will give it a shot, but if this were the last book in the series, I'd have considered it a mercy to bury it for good.

Okay now... this is such a sad moment.
I own all 8 Stephanie Plum books and have to say this may be the last one I have purchased.The only thing that may change my mind is that I am a romantic and would like to know what happens between Joe and Stephanie.
But other then that.. BORING.
I don't buy a hardcover book to read in the first 30 pages about the lead character only. Stephanie's unabilities to live life, over and over and over and over again.
A big let down also was how she handled the Stephanie and Ranger part. Come on, she constantly tells us what a hunk he is and so on and then she turns him into this cardboard man? His line is " I have feelings for you".. ja, no kidding.The man kills someone for Steph and always watches out for her, there is more then chemistry and feelings and that is what he gets? Even if it is not her intention for them to be together. This was lame.
I understand she doesn't want to write those cliche scenes anymore, but she doesn't have to. Ranger deserves better. That wasn't handled well at all. Joe was the only one in this book that came across better and stronger. I am wearing tired of characters like the atterney Klowne and even Lulu up to a degree, who just seem to waltz all over the story and Stephanie.
Can you believe I was actually tempted to skip pages? It has come to the point that you can be blindfolded and predict what is written on the pages.
She should have stopped at #5 or maybe #6, when she was ahead of the game. She is not advancing the characters at all and it is starting to become boring. I have great respect for her work and know how hard it is to write in the first persons point of view.
It will sell and satisfy her, but I do think she would also appreciate an honest opinion that tells her it is time.The story was okay. Didn't grib me, but again, I do give her credit for trying something new. That Steph was doing something ,not for the money, but because people that she knew may be in danger.
And come on.. the whole thing for a medal that could have belonged to Napoleon at one point? She couldn't come up with something better then that?
Of course I love when Steph and Morrelli are together. That was the good part of the whole book.
I hope she will really take her time and think what she will do for and with the next one. This is not working for me anymore.
Anyone that wants to read this story, should start with One for the money. That is a good book and example of what she is capable off and we can expect of her...
Time to make a decision. Either come to an end or let them advance a bit.
Thanks.

I read the first 5 series and loved it, 6 and 7 was ok but was getting a little tiring. Now that I've read 8, I am just going through the motion of finishing out the series (I have a thing about finishing series).

In the first 5 books, Stephanie's bumbling and misadvantures seemed cute and believable. But by the 8th book you'd think she would tell her cop boyfriend about people threatening her, notify the proper people for help at the appropriate time, and for christ sake don't go into the house the mob boss tell her not to go into! I honestly don't blame Morelli for not wanting to marry her, and I don't see what her appeal is to both men like Ranger and Morelli. This almost reinforces the stereotype that men, even smart men like Morelli and Ranger, likes ditzy bimbos.

I have never seen anyone so stupid and so lacking of survival skills. You'd think after all the death threats and close calls she's had in the first 7 books, Stephanie would carry her gun and not leave it at the cookie jar. If she hates guns so much, quit being a bounty hunter. I find myself screaming in the book "move you dummy", this has gotten irritating and annoying to read.

And the love triangle between her and Morelli and Ranger is just unbelievable. Why would they men want her? She's a mess and she lacks any real charm that I can see. She hides secrets from them and I find the way she lusts after one guy soon after the other leaves the room to be dispicable. If she loves Morelli so bad she should quit all the kissing and petting (oh and having sex) with Ranger. When Morelli doesn't give her the time of the day because they broke up she goes all pouty and make it sound like it's Morelli's fault. Hello! If Morelli found out she had sex with Ranger she'd never see him again.

I very much enjoy the series and have re-read ever book at least twice. Its smart, funny and a slice of American culture most of us never get to see (Newark). Unfortunatly, in attempting to grow and evolve the main character "Stephanie", Ms. Evanovich seems to have droped what made the character so apealing. We went from a great character who could get herself in an out of trouble faster then you can wink into a more helpless character that has everyone else (including her mother) constantly having to save her. All in all the book was a disappointment. The last couple of books in the series I pre-ordered just to make sure I could read it as soon as it came out. Next time I think I'll just wait until it's available at the local library.

HARD EIGHT by Janet Evanovich

March 13, 2005

Rating 4/5 stars

Here is another fun romp of a story featuring bounty hunter Stephanie Plum. In Janet Evanovich's HARD EIGHT, Stephanie is still toying with the idea of having sex with Ranger (that awesome hunk of a bounty hunter that all women drool over) but she's also wondering what is up with Morelli, her "true love". He hasn't called in a while, and she thinks she misses him. She's also helping out a neighbor of her parents', Mabel, whose daughter is missing and is asked to find her as a favor. This leads Stephanie into all sorts of trouble, and as usual her vehicles catch on fire (I think we count 3 in this novel, maybe 4). She's being chased down by the Easter Bunny, and masked men dressed up as Bill Clinton and Nixon. Only Stephanie can survive it all! As usual, I'm' recommending this one. It is always fun to return to one of Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books!

Number 6 and seven held such promise for Steph and Ranger's first time togther, but when we finally did get to it it was HALF- a paragraph.

I mean serously, with all the hinting and the danger that Ranger present you would think he would be a..."I'm taking you as my woman pose", but instead we got"i'll roll over and let you run back to the cop". So not happy with this right now. I think if she wasn't going to flesh the characters out or even make the scene between Steph and Ranger worth it, she should have left it to our imaginations.

Apart from that the story was o.k. the characters weren't as fleshed out as they used to be, but i still had some laughs, not as much but enough to say i'll keep the book.

In Hard Eight, Stephanie Plum returns as a fugitive apprehension agent, aka a bounty hunter. This time she is dragged into a child custody bond case by her parents' neighbor. A child and her mother are missing and if they don't return the neighbor (grandmother of the missing child) will lose her home! Things go crazy from the start, whacky Jersey mobsters, bags of snakes, attacking fowl, exploding cars and a love life that brings with it it's own questions! Introduce an eager puppy of a lawyer and Stephanie's "perfect" sister still looking for herself and Janet Evanovich has written another winning novel. The humor, the disasters and the unique investigating technique of Stephanie Plum all add up to "HARD EIGHT".

As a long time Janet Evanovich/Stephanie Plum avid fan/reader I was eagerly awaiting this eighth book in the series. I literally started reading and didn't stop until I was finished with the whole book. What I find enthralling about J. Evanovich's writing is that after 8 books I still want more and found this particular book to be even more entertaining than the last few in the series (and the last few books were GOOD!) All our favorite characters are here from Lula, Ranger, Morelli and Bob the dog to Grandma Mazur. There's further development in this book that enhanced several of the characters (remember, I never spoil a plot) along with a few new colorful characters in Ms. Evanovich's creative literary style.

This story starts when sassy Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is asked by a neighbor to find her missing granddaughter, Evelyn, and her small daughter. Missing persons is not strictly Stephanie's forte, but she figures what the heck, she'll give it a go. And the usual Evanovich tour de force of mayhem, shadowy miscreants, binge-eating, attacking critters, and dead cars takes off from there. The action is great, the plot is strong, and the laughs are divine. Oh, and the romance! The love triangle with Stephanie, Morelli, and Ranger becomes even more tangled. Without giving anything away, let me just say that those of you with Ranger fantasies, get ready to kick 'em up a notch.
Anyone who hasn't yet discovered the pleasure of the Stephanie Plum series, I highly recommend that you get thee to the bookseller and buy them all. They are absolutely delightful.

Let me first state for the record, I have not actually "read" any of the books in this series. However, my wife does...and she then describes them to me in lurid detail, complete with sound effects and wildy waving arms. I have to admit, the books sound interesting and I would very much like to read them eventually. But, I now know them so well from the vivid descriptions by my wife, I am waiting to forget everything I have been told about them to truly enjoy them. But, from the rave reviews my wife gives them and my own opinion after hearing all about them, I have to give Hard Eight 5 stars.

(My wife would have written a review but I doubt she can do the review justice without the aforementioned wildly raving arms and sound effects.) (POW!)

I can not begin to tell you how pleased I am at this last book. The 2 before this was beginning to get me on the trend of waiting for it to come out in Paperback. But Alas.... I enjoyed this one. Yeah she still writes in those quirky-borderline-stupid secondary characters that I have felt for the past two books were beginning to annoy me. But the story actually makes up for it this case she is working on does get a bit hairy at times and of course the whole Joe vs. Ranger thing is still a primary storyline. You will not be dissapointed.. or at least I wasn't.
Stephanie is Stephanie and Lulu is Lulu the only character growth I saw in this one was................ "REX" and "BOB" LOL so don't pick it up expecting to see some major growth from anyone else.
Happy Reading

I just e-mailed this letter to Janet Evanovich:
Janet:
Where was your editor? At least five times you used "lay" when the correct grammar is "lie." And this was not in dialogue. Page 199: "He was laying on the ground." More than once you slipped from the past tense into the present. Page 229: "My mother looked like she knew better, but she didn't say anything. By the end of the night we'll have a fresh batch of cookies, and she'll have done all the ironing." Other errors: Page 257: Stephanie's niece is incorrectly identified as "Annie." Also, page 303: Stephanie suddenly has a speakerphone in her kitchen. Since when? Who has speaker phones at home? And if she did, wouldn't I know it after eight books?
Those are my editorial comments. About the story: 200 pages of nonsense and not a single laugh. Reading the first few books, I literally fell off the couch laughing. Lula never said "damn skippy." There was no "hide the salami," and nothing equal to replace those two.
I still like Morelli, but Ranger is a stiff (no pun intended). The plot was wrapped up in three horrific pages. I don't want to see Stephanie and her sister tortured. Think of a better way out of the corner you are painted into.
Try harder next time. You are making big bucks and getting lots of media attention. You owe it to your readers to produce a top notch product.

This is another great entry in an outstanding series, and it had me laughing to the point of tears more than once. Scenes of Stephanie and Lula at the racetrack and Stephanie venting her frustration at a nonfunctioning security lock are worth the price of admission. My one quarrel is with the audio book. Lorelei King does a superb job with a large cast of characters, especially Lula and Grandma Mazur. But she gives Stephanie *no* accent whatsoever -- a tremendous letdown after the great "Burg" accent Tanya Eby provided in her narration of 7-Up. Other than that, the audio is very enjoyable. Just tell your neighbors not to worry if they see you laughing hysterically during your morning walk. :-)

I have read every one of the Stephanie Plum books. I totally enjoy the humorous situations and the wonderful characters woven into the mysteries surrounding Stephanie as she goes about the task of "hunting for bounty". But this one for me, was so funny, I hated to finish it. I make it a point to read several chapters every night before bed,but I found myself cutting back each night because I didn't want the laughs to end in this latest escapade. Janet Evanovich has the "knack" of creating a hilarious visual scene like no author I have ever read. What a pleasure to be able to enjoy a mystery with some fun & fantasy tossed in! I think this is her "best" yet, and I hope that there are many more numbers to come!

I have listened to the majority of the Stephanie Plum series on audio, narrated by talented voice actress C.J. Critt. Ms. Critt does a fantastic job with the voice characterizations, but even she could not make this a truly good story. I found this book a little "darker" and less humorous than the previous seven in the series. Stephanie began to get on my nerves in places. I enjoyed getting to know Ranger better and he has an even bigger share of this book than Joe Morelli. This is not a bad book and I will keep reading the series; however, this story is not as clever as some of the other Evanovich books.

I can't say anything negative about this book. I laugh out loud every time Klough spells his name - "it's K-L-O-U-G-H-N". Ha-ha. Contrary to some of the reviewers, I think Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books just keep getting better. Since Five I have been laughing harder every time. Sure, some of the story lines are somewhat repeated (e.g. Stephanie being hunted down by mad man - again) but characters like Kloughn and Bender (?), and Jeanne add something new. And who can get tired of the antics with Lulu, Saint Valerie, and, of course, Ranger and Morelli.

Most of the time I have to read is at 11 o'clock at night or on a long drive in the car, so I enjoy something light. This is it. If you haven't read a Stephanie Plum novel, this would be a great one to start with. If you've read others and are dying to hear what in the world she'll get into next, this book won't disappoint.

This is another great Stephanie Plum mystery novel. This time Stephanie tries to help a neighbor, but she is constantly being under fire from gangsters wearing masks and big rabbit and bear costumes. There are more new hysterical characters who help Stephanie piece together the mystery and her "perfect" sister does help her out.

I really enjoyed this book. Unlike the previous ones, it was not a-laugh-a-minute which I adore about the previous books.
I especially loved the whole Kloughn and Valerie situation. Him in the dryer is the best mental picture.
The dialogue is still snappy although I miss the banter between Morelli and Stephanie.
I wish that she gave more screen time to Ranger. YEESH!! This man does not just rate less than two pages of real action, although the buildup of tension was great. The tension between the Steph and Ranger was funny, but I hoped for more. Sigh.
I loved the killer Rabbit!!!! Especially, the way that Steph's mom dispatched the rabbit.
I disagree with the first reviewed who said that the jokes are tired. THEY AREN'T!!!! I WANT MORE CARS GOING BOOM!!!!
And the Bender situation was cute.
The snakes and spiders and bears oh my made this a wonderful book, and I can't hardly wait for book nine.

Because that's what the narrator sounds like, I can imagine a champagne glass, designer dress and pearls on Loreli King, but not on Stephanie Plum. of course, I'm talking about the audio book. I was lucky enough to discover the Stephanie Plum series on audio book #4, followed by 5 and 6, all narrated by Debbie Mazar. I remembered her immediately from some lawyer TV series a while back so even the picture fit. I enjoyed them immensely on long drives where the laughing kept me awake. They were those rare books where the voice matched the character. Debbie Mazar is ultimate Stephanie Plum, carrying it off with gum chewing, wise-cracking perfect Jersey style. The story itself is still good as the previous one, but do yourself a favor, buy the book, not the audio tape! Janet, get Debbie back, no matter what you have to offer!!!

This is not the strongest entry in the series, but it's enjoyable. I do wish Stephanie would get her act a bit more together (spoiler: Why is she smart enough to chain the handcuffs to the car so she doesn't lose another pair, but then is dumb enough to leave her keys in the ignition?) Klutzy Stephanie is fine; bubble-headed Stephanie is wearing thin.

The best thing about this book is that Stephanie and Ranger finally get naked together! I am a Ranger girl all the way. Joe Morelli leaves me cold. Thus, my biggest complaint is that there wasn't enough naked time with Ranger and he was a bit brutal afterwards. Yes, Ranger is the bad boy of the series, but it's been obvious since book 1 that he has a soft spot for Stephanie. He loves her, and we've all figured out that Ranger doesn't love easily or lightly. So why the emotional ice? And on behalf of all the Ranger girls out there, why only one short scene?!? We've dutifully slogged through numerous Morelli encounters. Give us a bit more cake here.

I'm a big fan of this wacky mystery series featuring Jersey bounty hunter babe Stephanie Plum and her bizarre family and super sexy love interests. Evanovich's humor and moment by moment inventiveness don't fail in this eighth book in the series, which I highly recommend for a fun summer read. Stacking it up to the rest, it's not my favorite, as there are some odd loose ends here - a rival bounty hunter babe in a leather catsuit, for example, who is never explored or paid off. However it's worth the read just to see Stephanie and the mysterious Ranger finally get it on. It's not five stars for literary merit, or even the best of her series,but even Evanovich at her less-than-best is way, way better than most. Guaranteed fun!

Stephanie Plum is pretty inept as a bounty hunter, but she is persistent and sometimes she gets lucky. She is branching out in this episode to help a friend in trouble. Others have said this is a darker story than Evanovich's previous novels. I can't agree. I burst out laughing after reading the first line in this book and the laughs continued through the whole story. I keep expecting to hear that JE has branched out and is now doing stand up comedy. The sexual tensions involving Ranger and Morelli continue. Personally, I hope this never gets resolved...so much more fun this way. A new character, Jeanne Ellen Burrows, was very intriguing. It will be interesting to see if she returns in future stories. I hope so. I liked her. The plot line in this story is a little weak, but that's not why I enjoy this series so much. I like to laugh and Evanovich does it for me every time.

The answer to the question is "yes", because that is how I felt with this book. In it Stephanie has two more vehicles that get blown up plus Ranger's. It gets a little stale after awhile. This is still a pretty good book though because we see our old favourites - Lula, Gramma Mazur and of course Ranger and Morelli. Some unfinished business between Stephanie and Ranger gets finished too. I wish they could bottle and sell Ranger! Anyway, in this book Stephanie is trying to find a missing mother and her daughter for a friend of her family, and she is thrown against a really bad dude who begins terrorizing her and her family. Ranger really helps Steph a lot in this one because this guy is really scary! In fact, it makes Stephanie really consider a new line of work.

Janet E's Stephanie Plum series is one of my guilty reading pleasures. I brought Hard Eight with me on a six hour flight and it entertained me the entire way (wish I could same the same of the airline...). This particular offering doesn't really break any new ground - Stephanie is still the bad luck bounty hunter with an attraction for blown up cars and dangerous men. The regular cast of characters is out in full force - Lula, Grandma Mazur, Joe Morelli, Ranger, and Cousin Vinnie - as Stephanie tries to find a missing woman and child on the run from a mobster and capture a few bond hearing deadbeats (always amusing). The dialog is sarcastic and snappy, but in a few scenes it felt a bit overdone and contrived - no matter though, it's still an entertaining and fun read. I always wondered why they haven't turned any of these stories into a film or TV series - it could really be a great combination of comedy and action/adventure.

I am admittedly Plum crazy. Ever since picking up One for the Money years ago, I've loved hanging out with Stephanie and friends. Hard Eight was another wild, amusing romp with the bounty hunter from the Burg.
Steph searches for a mom and daughter (Evelyn and Annie) on the lam here. There wasn't much background on them, or insight into their situation. However, I think that the main plot of every Evanovich book is just "filler" - the real draw is Steph's family, friends, love life and mascara!
Evelyn and Annie, and ultimatlely Steph, are pursued relentlessly by the nasty Eddie Abruzzi. Eddie makes a particularly creepy bad guy. He is more sinister - and masochistic - then the average Plum villain. Thugs dressed up as bunnies, bears and ex-presidents add some levity.
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the ongoing and complex Stephanie/Morelli/Ranger triangle. There is new ground broken in Hard Eight, but I found it unsatisfying - even if Stephanie didn't! I hope that Janet revisits the story that was started mid-book. It could be scintillating. I was disappointed in the turn of events, romance-wise, that ended the book. But then, a good romantic triangle always leaves some cheering and others wishing for what could have been...
I enjoyed Hard Eight much more than Seven Up, which was a little too cartoonish even by Burg standards.
Here's what I'm hoping for in #9:
More Lula and Grandma Mazur
An adventurous visit to the Bat Cave
An expose' on cousin Vinnie
Out of curiosity, does anyone else have an enhanced hankering for junk food while reading Evanovich novels? Like Steph, the waistband on my jeans is a little tight and I have a yen for Tastykakes. Worst of all, I'm in New Hampshire!

I have totally enjoyed the Stephanie Plum series and anxiously anticipated each new book, however, I am really having a hard time with this one. The characters have always been amusing but I thought believable, I no longer find them believable. Stephanie seems kinda dumb for lack of better words, and Grandma Mazur (my favorite) seems to have lost her zing as well. I keep trying to like the book so I can read #9 when it comes out and hopefully it will be better! I think Janet Evanovich has ventured a little of course with the silliness and hope she gets back on track.If this were a first time read for me I might be a little easier on my review, but I KNOW it can be so much better!

Hard Eight is edgier, darker, more complex than the previous 7 Plum books. The writing is better and tighter. She's doing a better job of character development. That said, Stephanie Plum needs a new bag, literally and figuratively. After all this time, Steph still loses her quarry because she can't find her handcuffs, pepper spray, stun gun, etc. in her bottomless handbag. Her car keeps getting destroyed, frequently because she forgot to lock it. She gets hurt because she forgot to charge her stun gun or because she forgot to buy bullets. Ms Evanovich, could you wise Steph up a little? Write her so she can put her hands on her cuffs? Give her some smarts? Teach her to lock her car door? At first, this incompetence was funny, but now -- it's annoying!
Perhaps Evanovich has run out of funny ideas, and must resort to bumbling for humor. If so, she's writing herself out of a job. Steph's disasters aren't funny anymore, and before I buy the ninth book, I'm checking it out of the library to see if it's worth it.

I love the Stephanie Plum series of novels. I really hate reading so I purchase them both in audio for me and paperback for houseguests and friends. I'm drawn in with the excitment and adventure of the story that Janet seems to capture in every novel. It has twists, turns, Lula, mystery, wonder, and of course two very "HOT" men! Who wouldn't want a mix of both men. :} I would recommend the "Plum" series, her "Full" series, as well as her earlier novels of mixed titles. They're all great fun and keep you as a reader at the edge of your seat waiting to see if a cars going to get blown up, who's died this week, who attends the pot roast dinner, who she sleeps with next, what will burn down next, and will she get her man (love or bounty). I hope you enjoy them as much as I have. I look forward to #14 in the "Plum" series, the next "Full" novel, and the new novel Janet recently wrote with a new author being released this October. Thank you!

Janet Evanovich has created a very loveable, bumbling, character in Stephanie Plum. Hard Eight, is the eighth book in her number entitled series about this amateur bounty hunter and her exploits. Stephanie works for her slimy cousin Vinnie as a bond enforcement officer. The idea being she is supposed to earn a living in capturing your run of the mill criminals who haven't fronted up for their court dates. Only Stephanie always has trouble with that part and as a result, usually gets more than a scrape on the knee and has to call for back up. Enter the two male interests that are more than professional, Joe Morelli the Cop and Ranger the Cuban heart throb and renegade bounty hunter.
In Hard Eight, Stephanie actually shows some backbone and a little bit of improvement in her law enforcement job skills and it's about time too. It's good to see the action is plentiful, the laughs and one liners are original. Janet Evanovich has finally let Stephanie grow up with her skills and have some luck in life. Considering it has taken eight books for her to improve, from a screaming pair of legs with `Jersey hair' who lives off junk food.
This time round, Stephanie's paycheck depends on whether she can catch Eddie Abruzzi. Without getting killed by the ex mobster boss and all around psychopath. Besides trying to make dinner time at her parents house, dodge death callings from Abruzzi, cars exploding, Stephanie has to deal with a few other matters at hand. Her confusion over Ranger her sometimes partner in crime and bounty hunter back up and Joe Morelli's role in her life, and hers in his. Plus there is the added bonus of the disappearance of a child involved in a custody case of a family friend.
All the good parts that Evanovich had in her first Plum novel are still here. Rex the hamster and survivor extraordinaire, the grandma from hell - Grandma Murzer, Steph's car issues, the ex-prostitute and Cagney and Lacey wannabe - Lula.
Janet Evanovoich has gone all out with Hard Eight, making it a full on novel of action and laughs which is good to see. I felt she got a little mundane in a few of the other Stephanie Plum novels. However, she retains me as an avid fan with this one.
I can't wait to see what Ms Evanovich and Ms Plum have install for us in the next two books in this series!

Okay, I am reviewing this book for the die hard fans of Steph. Out of all the books, this was the least entertaining. I liked it better than many other books I have read, but in comparison to the others, it was just not up to par. It seems like Evanovich felt like she had to turn it out and really didn't put enough time and thought into it. Steph just isn't as out there as she usually is. Evanovich uses lots of outs and doesn't develop it nearly enough. If you are a major fan, read it. It's still a good book. It's just not what I expected or wanted. When I finished it, I had a bittersweet feeling all through me. I expected much better, but was throughly disappointed.

I listened to the cassette version of Hard Eight while driving on my vacation. This is my first Stephanie Plum mystery and I don't often listen to books on cassette; however, my son and I both enjoyed this humorous whodunit.
Stephanie tackles a case of a missing child and her mother. Things quickly become exciting when Stephen Soder, the father and ex-husband of the missing duo, is found dead -- on Stephanie's sofa! Exploding cars, hysterical run ins with an unsavory guy with credit card problems, and a memorable cast of characters (including a reformed prostitute and a dweeb lawyer) make this book a winner.

I enjoyed reading Hard Eight but have to say it's not the best in the series. All the usual happens, Stephanie blows up a few cars, people are shot and there's a lot of heavy breathing over Morelli but I just didn't enjoy it as much. Plus after waiting FOREVER to find out what happened between Stephanie and Ranger, it's only barely mentioned when you're well into the book.
A new character is introduced that takes Grandma Mazur's place as comic relief. Let me just say the scene with Klougn(?) and the dryer makes me glad I bought this book.
This is a good story in the continuing series but I wouldn't recommend it to any newbies. Start at the beginning with One for The Money. If you've enjoyed Stephanie's other adventures, you'll enjoy this one and you know you have to buy it to find out what happened in the bedroom in Seven Up:)

After a couple of lackluster efforts, Hard Eight is back on the right track. The story is good and the characters are quirky without being stupid. The wisecracks are back to their high level of funniness. Still not enough Grandma for me, but I don't know how much would be. I'll keep reading about Stephanie Plum as long as Evanovich keeps writing them.

Another classic Stephanie Plum book. Stephanie is the quintessential Calamity Jane. If anything can go wrong, if she can possibly end up in another mess it will happen. Typical cast of new characters along with standing ones - Lula, Ranger, etal. Another laugh out loud enjoyable read from Evanovich.

This is the first of the Stephanie Plum series which I've read, and I have to say it didn't inspire me to go back and read the previous seven books. Set in the Jersey 'burbs, the book (and series) features Stephanie, an apparently thirtiesh bounty hunter of incredible ineptness and poor luck, working for her cousin Vinny's bail bond service. In this stale story, she has two main tasks, to bring in a wife-beater who didn't show up in court, and to help her parent's neighbor find her daughter and granddaughter.
Nothing in the book has any originality to it. Stephanie's neighborhood, the "'Burg" is standard issue, people all know each others business, strangers in the neighborhood are immediately known, and everyone talks tough, etc... Stephanie's two romantic possibilities are cardboard cutouts, the first is a dog-owning hunky nice guy next door type who clearly loves her and is good for her but for some inexplicable reason (maybe delved into in previous books?) she doesn't want to be with. And then there's the laughable Ranger, a tempting slice of mysterious Latino love, with apparently unlimited funds and resources. Considering Stephanie is a clumsy fool the whole book, it's not clear to me why either would be all that interested in her.
Evanovich seems to be overrelying on the "spunkiness" of her main character to hold our attention. Certainly, no real-life bounty hunter could make as many basic mistakes and destroy so much property without getting serious hurt and losing their license. It's not just that she's inept, she doesn't ever seem to learn from previous mistakes, which just makes her annoying.
The supporting cast of characters lends a small sliver of humor to the proceedings, mainly via Stephanie's tagalong partners, "robust black ex-hooker Lulu and puppy-dog correspondence lawyer Albert. Still, most of the attempts at humor are driven by Stephanie's incredible poor luck, repetition (how many cars and handcuffs will she lose?), and so forth. As for the main story about the missing woman and daughter, it's poorly handled from the get go, and only becomes more eye-rolling when her nemesis during her search turns out to be a mad Mafioso type whose dialogue seems cribbed from that of Fat Tony on "The Simpsons" (only not as funny).
Evanovich isn't a good enough writer to bring interesting characters to the table, nor is she a good enough comic writer to make that work, nor is she adept at creating any romantic tension, and forget her crime writing abilities. In sum, the whole thing is too trite for words and a total waste of time.

I realize that the Stephanie Plum series is primarily written for women and I can appreciate that. Even though I am a guy I had really enjoyed the books until this one. First of all, I grew very tired of all the misadventures. I know that is the charm of her character but I think she averaged 3 strange encounters a day. It just wasn't very realistic. Also, the ending was terrible. If Ranger was going to take care of her business anyway, why did he let her waste all that time? Lastly, is there going to be a point when Stephanie actually becomes semi-independent and competent. I am starting to lose the love for Ms. Plum.

It's been 8 books and yet I still don't tire of the characters in Stephanie Plum's life. Stephanie is still bumbling around and it's still fresh. Ranger fans will love this book as well as he gets plenty of paper space (although never enough for me!). Grandma isn't in this one as much which is a bit of a bummer as I so love the father's reaction to her. My only regret is that once again I've read the book from front to back without stopping and I now have to wait until next year when the 9th one comes out. I'll be waiting Janet!
If you haven't read any of Janet's books....do it now....and start where it all began, "One For the Money". You'll enjoy the journey to Hard Eight.

Like everyone else, I devoured the latest Stephanie Plum novel. I tried to savor it, but couldn't. I was disappointed in the beginning, especially after the cliff hanger of Seven Up. It took awhile before we found out what happened on that night that Ranger came to Steph's bedroom. I felt sad for Steph during the book because Morelli wasn't there. You could feel the tension between them. However Ranger did make up for it. I still laughed during the book and couldn't keep a smile off of my face while reading it. I did miss Dougie and Mooner--don't know where they were in this episode except maybe recuperating from #7. This is one series that I can read, and re-read, and re-read. I don't get tired of the characters and I recommend the books to everyone. I have all the women in my department at work reading the series, and all the men know who Ranger and Morelli are. Definitely start from One and keep on reading. Write faster Janet!!

I guess in all honesty the last thing this world needs is another review of this book. However, I think there are two kinds of people who are contemplating reading it - those who have read all the previous books, and those who haven't read any. Here's my advice to these groups.
If you have read all of the previous Stephanie Plum books, your going to love this one just as much because it's a whole lot more of the same fun and farce. If you haven't read any, then you should really go back to One For The Money, because if you start with this you're missing a lot of valuable information and very enjoyable reading.

I love the Stephanie Plum series of novels. I really hate reading so I purchase them both in audio for me and paperback for houseguests and friends. I'm drawn in with the excitment and adventure of the story that Janet seems to capture in every novel. It has twists, turns, Lula, mystery, wonder, and of course two very "HOT" men! Who wouldn't want a mix of both men. :} I would recommend the "Plum" series, her "Full" series, as well as her earlier novels of mixed titles. They're all great fun and keep you as a reader at the edge of your seat waiting to see if a cars going to get blown up, who's died this week, who attends the pot roast dinner, who she sleeps with next, what will burn down next, and will she get her man (love or bounty). I hope you enjoy them as much as I have. I look forward to #14 in the "Plum" series, the next "Full" novel, and the new novel Janet recently wrote with a new author being released this October. Thank you!

Janet Evanovich has created a very loveable, bumbling, character in Stephanie Plum. Hard Eight, is the eighth book in her number entitled series about this amateur bounty hunter and her exploits. Stephanie works for her slimy cousin Vinnie as a bond enforcement officer. The idea being she is supposed to earn a living in capturing your run of the mill criminals who haven't fronted up for their court dates. Only Stephanie always has trouble with that part and as a result, usually gets more than a scrape on the knee and has to call for back up. Enter the two male interests that are more than professional, Joe Morelli the Cop and Ranger the Cuban heart throb and renegade bounty hunter.
In Hard Eight, Stephanie actually shows some backbone and a little bit of improvement in her law enforcement job skills and it's about time too. It's good to see the action is plentiful, the laughs and one liners are original. Janet Evanovich has finally let Stephanie grow up with her skills and have some luck in life. Considering it has taken eight books for her to improve, from a screaming pair of legs with `Jersey hair' who lives off junk food.
This time round, Stephanie's paycheck depends on whether she can catch Eddie Abruzzi. Without getting killed by the ex mobster boss and all around psychopath. Besides trying to make dinner time at her parents house, dodge death callings from Abruzzi, cars exploding, Stephanie has to deal with a few other matters at hand. Her confusion over Ranger her sometimes partner in crime and bounty hunter back up and Joe Morelli's role in her life, and hers in his. Plus there is the added bonus of the disappearance of a child involved in a custody case of a family friend.
All the good parts that Evanovich had in her first Plum novel are still here. Rex the hamster and survivor extraordinaire, the grandma from hell - Grandma Murzer, Steph's car issues, the ex-prostitute and Cagney and Lacey wannabe - Lula.
Janet Evanovoich has gone all out with Hard Eight, making it a full on novel of action and laughs which is good to see. I felt she got a little mundane in a few of the other Stephanie Plum novels. However, she retains me as an avid fan with this one.
I can't wait to see what Ms Evanovich and Ms Plum have install for us in the next two books in this series!

Okay, I am reviewing this book for the die hard fans of Steph. Out of all the books, this was the least entertaining. I liked it better than many other books I have read, but in comparison to the others, it was just not up to par. It seems like Evanovich felt like she had to turn it out and really didn't put enough time and thought into it. Steph just isn't as out there as she usually is. Evanovich uses lots of outs and doesn't develop it nearly enough. If you are a major fan, read it. It's still a good book. It's just not what I expected or wanted. When I finished it, I had a bittersweet feeling all through me. I expected much better, but was throughly disappointed.

I listened to the cassette version of Hard Eight while driving on my vacation. This is my first Stephanie Plum mystery and I don't often listen to books on cassette; however, my son and I both enjoyed this humorous whodunit.
Stephanie tackles a case of a missing child and her mother. Things quickly become exciting when Stephen Soder, the father and ex-husband of the missing duo, is found dead -- on Stephanie's sofa! Exploding cars, hysterical run ins with an unsavory guy with credit card problems, and a memorable cast of characters (including a reformed prostitute and a dweeb lawyer) make this book a winner.

I enjoyed reading Hard Eight but have to say it's not the best in the series. All the usual happens, Stephanie blows up a few cars, people are shot and there's a lot of heavy breathing over Morelli but I just didn't enjoy it as much. Plus after waiting FOREVER to find out what happened between Stephanie and Ranger, it's only barely mentioned when you're well into the book.
A new character is introduced that takes Grandma Mazur's place as comic relief. Let me just say the scene with Klougn(?) and the dryer makes me glad I bought this book.
This is a good story in the continuing series but I wouldn't recommend it to any newbies. Start at the beginning with One for The Money. If you've enjoyed Stephanie's other adventures, you'll enjoy this one and you know you have to buy it to find out what happened in the bedroom in Seven Up:)

After a couple of lackluster efforts, Hard Eight is back on the right track. The story is good and the characters are quirky without being stupid. The wisecracks are back to their high level of funniness. Still not enough Grandma for me, but I don't know how much would be. I'll keep reading about Stephanie Plum as long as Evanovich keeps writing them.

Another classic Stephanie Plum book. Stephanie is the quintessential Calamity Jane. If anything can go wrong, if she can possibly end up in another mess it will happen. Typical cast of new characters along with standing ones - Lula, Ranger, etal. Another laugh out loud enjoyable read from Evanovich.

This is the first of the Stephanie Plum series which I've read, and I have to say it didn't inspire me to go back and read the previous seven books. Set in the Jersey 'burbs, the book (and series) features Stephanie, an apparently thirtiesh bounty hunter of incredible ineptness and poor luck, working for her cousin Vinny's bail bond service. In this stale story, she has two main tasks, to bring in a wife-beater who didn't show up in court, and to help her parent's neighbor find her daughter and granddaughter.
Nothing in the book has any originality to it. Stephanie's neighborhood, the "'Burg" is standard issue, people all know each others business, strangers in the neighborhood are immediately known, and everyone talks tough, etc... Stephanie's two romantic possibilities are cardboard cutouts, the first is a dog-owning hunky nice guy next door type who clearly loves her and is good for her but for some inexplicable reason (maybe delved into in previous books?) she doesn't want to be with. And then there's the laughable Ranger, a tempting slice of mysterious Latino love, with apparently unlimited funds and resources. Considering Stephanie is a clumsy fool the whole book, it's not clear to me why either would be all that interested in her.
Evanovich seems to be overrelying on the "spunkiness" of her main character to hold our attention. Certainly, no real-life bounty hunter could make as many basic mistakes and destroy so much property without getting serious hurt and losing their license. It's not just that she's inept, she doesn't ever seem to learn from previous mistakes, which just makes her annoying.
The supporting cast of characters lends a small sliver of humor to the proceedings, mainly via Stephanie's tagalong partners, "robust black ex-hooker Lulu and puppy-dog correspondence lawyer Albert. Still, most of the attempts at humor are driven by Stephanie's incredible poor luck, repetition (how many cars and handcuffs will she lose?), and so forth. As for the main story about the missing woman and daughter, it's poorly handled from the get go, and only becomes more eye-rolling when her nemesis during her search turns out to be a mad Mafioso type whose dialogue seems cribbed from that of Fat Tony on "The Simpsons" (only not as funny).
Evanovich isn't a good enough writer to bring interesting characters to the table, nor is she a good enough comic writer to make that work, nor is she adept at creating any romantic tension, and forget her crime writing abilities. In sum, the whole thing is too trite for words and a total waste of time.

I realize that the Stephanie Plum series is primarily written for women and I can appreciate that. Even though I am a guy I had really enjoyed the books until this one. First of all, I grew very tired of all the misadventures. I know that is the charm of her character but I think she averaged 3 strange encounters a day. It just wasn't very realistic. Also, the ending was terrible. If Ranger was going to take care of her business anyway, why did he let her waste all that time? Lastly, is there going to be a point when Stephanie actually becomes semi-independent and competent. I am starting to lose the love for Ms. Plum.

It's been 8 books and yet I still don't tire of the characters in Stephanie Plum's life. Stephanie is still bumbling around and it's still fresh. Ranger fans will love this book as well as he gets plenty of paper space (although never enough for me!). Grandma isn't in this one as much which is a bit of a bummer as I so love the father's reaction to her. My only regret is that once again I've read the book from front to back without stopping and I now have to wait until next year when the 9th one comes out. I'll be waiting Janet!
If you haven't read any of Janet's books....do it now....and start where it all began, "One For the Money". You'll enjoy the journey to Hard Eight.

Like everyone else, I devoured the latest Stephanie Plum novel. I tried to savor it, but couldn't. I was disappointed in the beginning, especially after the cliff hanger of Seven Up. It took awhile before we found out what happened on that night that Ranger came to Steph's bedroom. I felt sad for Steph during the book because Morelli wasn't there. You could feel the tension between them. However Ranger did make up for it. I still laughed during the book and couldn't keep a smile off of my face while reading it. I did miss Dougie and Mooner--don't know where they were in this episode except maybe recuperating from #7. This is one series that I can read, and re-read, and re-read. I don't get tired of the characters and I recommend the books to everyone. I have all the women in my department at work reading the series, and all the men know who Ranger and Morelli are. Definitely start from One and keep on reading. Write faster Janet!!

I guess in all honesty the last thing this world needs is another review of this book. However, I think there are two kinds of people who are contemplating reading it - those who have read all the previous books, and those who haven't read any. Here's my advice to these groups.
If you have read all of the previous Stephanie Plum books, your going to love this one just as much because it's a whole lot more of the same fun and farce. If you haven't read any, then you should really go back to One For The Money, because if you start with this you're missing a lot of valuable information and very enjoyable reading.

Ok, so you've waited almost a year to read this book. Well, IMHO, it was well worth the wait. Hard Eight is a great book. It has action, adventure, and plenty of the sassy Grandma Mazur. Stephanie Plum is back with a vengence. Without spoiling it for everybody, I would just like to say that a lot of people will be happy with the pairings in this book. I will say that Eight is probably the most intense book in the series. Near the end, things take a pretty violent twist, and I was suprised how things turned out. All I can say is, I can't wait for Nine. Most Plum fans will love this book, but of course there will always be a few who don't like it. Read it for yourself and see how great it is.

Most people learn from their mistakes. Not so Stephanie Plum. In this, the eighth novel of the popular series by Janet Evanovich, Stephanie volunteers to help find a missing mother and daughter who are on the run from malicious mob-boss Eddie Abruzzi. In the (by now-formulaic) course of her investigation, Stephanie finds several corpses, is threatened with death, has her car torched and apartment broken into, and ends up getting kidnapped and almost killed before the case is solved.

Okay, I get the Jersey attitude and the fact that Abruzzi is a nut-case. But it seems that Stephanie could've saved herself a whole lot of grief with a few simple conversations instead of her misplaced bravado. And what's with Morelli and Ranger? They're supposed to be street-smart, but you wouldn't know it with their bumbling. They both know Abruzzi is dangerous and after Stephanie and instead of keeping an eye on her, they let her go out by herself to get pizza and make her a perfect target for a final kidnap attempt.

Stephanie Plum has ceased to be funny. Now she's just stupid.

I've read all eight Stephanie Plum novels (in order), so clearly I got hooked early on. They are funny, clever, quick reading. Janet Evanovich has a gift for writing quirky (if annoying) characters and laugh-out-loud dialogue. However, Stephanie makes the same lame mistakes from one book to another, and usually within the same book. It is frustrating to see ineptitude over and over again, and I began to wonder what the men in her life see in her. Someone once said that what a man really wants in a woman is competence, which Stephanie seems stubbornly determined not to acquire.
I may have spoiled the fun for myself somewhat by reading Joshua Armstrong's excellent "The Seekers," about his true exploits as a tough yet compassionate bounty hunter in New Jersey. Nah--I'm just tired of seeing the same old dumb behavior, with no learning curve in sight. It's been fun, but I want Stephanie to gracefully retire.

if I got what I really wanted Janet would be up to about number 100 in this series. I love the story line for Grandma, Stephanie, Morelli and Ranger. Stephanie can really get herself into so trouble but can always count on her men to get her out.

OK, I'll probably irritate fans of Janet Evanovich but this book deserves a single star for literature and 4 stars for marketing. Ms. Evanovich can do better and I'm still waiting for her transition to a real writer. I'm getting tired of the same story all over again. Read any book ... the same story, Interweave chapters from any book,,,the same story. Same humor, same will she/won't she, same klutsyness, same car wrecks, same funeral scenes, same characters, same mistakes. Hohum, when will Ms Plum grow as a literary character? Probably never because this series is an example of marketing genius, not as an engaging mystery series. It is not that this book isn't a well written piece of fluff, it is just that the eight books are ALL THE SAME STORY. Please Ms Evanovich, move on to something better.

I LOVED the first seven books (rated each one a 5) and couldn't wait for this one. I was disappointed from the first. The author used identical plot lines and humor (the stun gun for instance) from previous books. While I was glad Stephanie finally got together with Ranger, there could have been more details. The ending was interesting esp when you put some thought to it and does give one thought about how the next one will develop. However, the rest of the story line needs to be more original - Stephanie needs to grow as a character and bounty hunter, maybe give Grandma a boyfriend (she's still doing the same things at Stiva's as previous books), etc. ...

The book itself is, as ever, great--who doesn't enjoy Evanovich's Stephanie Plum? But the reader, while excellent at enunciating, just *isn't* the right match. She makes Stephanie sound overeducated, prim, and in her 40's. I really hope the audio publisher goes back to using "Joisey" voices like Lori Petty or Debi Mazur and continues to use this reader for books that need more "class" and less "streetwise."

THis is the first book by Janet Evanovich that I have read but it will not be the last. I love her fast paced entertaining style of writing. This book was great, excellent story plot, mystery and even humor. I was intriqued with Stepahnie Plum trying to locate the missing girl and her mother, and at times I would find myself laughing out loud at some of the messes she would get herself into or something she or Lula had said. Great book I hope all her books are this good.

The great appeal of this series is the character of Stephanie and the humor that comes out of the interplay between characters.
A lot of the humor is due to stephanie's ineptness, but in this book it was taken too far and was not as funny.
I always love grandma's comments but in this book they were trite.
On the plus side her relationships with Morelli and Ranger get developed. Ranger has a larger role in this book, which is a good thing.
On the whole, not as good as the earlier ones, but still readable.

I broke down and bought this book in hardback and was not sorry for paying extra. This book was a little more serious than Seven-Up, but it was well placed when the situations became funny. As alway old and new characters played well with the new characters. Her love life has also become more complicated because I think that Stephanie is very enamored of Ranger but also still has feelings for Joe Morelli. Stephanie whatever guy you decide to be with I would love to be with the other. Keep on writing Janet you have a brand new fan to read your books.

I like this book series, this one just like the rest. I don't think it's the best in the series but really, if you're reading this review you likely already took in the first 7 so there's no reason to stop now. Some of the situations are forced, particularly the series of handcuff incidents. But in all it's a good & entertaining read and I'll move on the the 9th in the series sooner than later.

I bought this book at noon but had to go to work so I didn't get started on it until about 10:30pm, but I was up until I finished it. I don't want to give too much away, since it is a mystery in a way. But it has all the classic Stephanie Plum elements: Ranger, Joe, Blown up Cars, and of course a couple of bad guys.
For those of you who haven't read the Stephanie Plus series, start at the beginning and work your way up. There are references to past books.
Stephanie's character is personable and understandable. She lives a normal live, basically. I mean, if you were a bond enforcement person how normal can your life really be?

I have to say first, that I loved the first 7 books. They were hilarious and had a heroine that was gutsy and believeable which made me really look forward to Hard Eight.
Boy, I was disappointed...what happened? Stephanie does get her man, but not through her own resourcefulness or guts. In One for the Money, she seemed more assured, more gutsy, more...something! In this outing, she has her mom, her sister, Ranger, Morelli (although, can't be sure, he's in the book so little) running over rabbits, and tracking her man down for her... There are some funny moments, but they seem like the same moments from before....and don't get me started on the 10 line paragraph/resolution of Steph with Ranger, the hottest flirting I've ever read anywhere, and then....what happened?
Overall, I would have to say, that I would prefer not to have a little book out, like the christmas novella every six months, and have Janet work on her next book all year round, it just seems that she can turn out a better book if that's the only one that she's working on.

I gobbled up this book last night and had laughs, grins and giggles throughout the reading! Stephanie does it again and again and again - getting into trouble. And with the support characters, a new one is introduced who is so much fun, and the sexual tension tightly strung and I can almost not wait for #9. Ranger is a hot hunk and Joe is a hot hunk - which one should Stephanie ultimately be with? Grandma Mazur, while having a minor role in this book, is still a delight. Sis Valerie has a bigger role and is a hoot! Lula - ahhh, Lula. What great fun!!! I think all the fans of Stephanie will enjoy this book. Come on #9!

Once again the book after a big cliffhanger has left me disappointed. Not that it wasn't a good story, it was. It had a lot of classic Stephanie moments. I just don't understand how two of the major characters could be so different in this book from the previous seven. Neither Ranger, nor Morelli seemed like themselves. And speaking of Ranger, I waited seven books for a resolution that came in 2 paragraphs and a "I've got to go?" Nope, sorry, this book was a big disappointment to me. I'm not so sure I will even bother with book 9.

Starting with her first Stephanie Plum novel, Janet Evanovich had me wanting more. Keeping with that concept, "Hard Eight" picks up where "Seven Up" left off. The story seems so real, for I live in New Jersey and am familiar with the Trenton area.
Anyone who likes a drama series with a hint of comedy and mystery on TV, will love this book. Only thing, if you are new to Evanovich, I suggest starting with the first book in the series and reading forward from there.

Hi,

don`t want to write a two pages review but after the first it is just getting better and better and also make me laugh so everyone around me when I read look at me and ask me what is going on!

Thank so much to the author for sharing and please keep Stephanie Plum alive for long!!

Regards

In Hard Eight, Stephanie has the usual problems - people trying to do her in, Lula wanting to shoot everyone in sight and a new woman - Jeanne Ellen who has some secret background with Ranger. But Ranger, oh Ranger - who finally gets Stephanie in bed and totally ruins her for any other man or so she thinks. She's still in love with Joe - handsome cop, good guy, protector, but Ranger.....hot, dark, sensitive, listens to classical music for heaven's sake is hot for Stephanie but has told her he's not the marrying kind. I say use Ranger for all he's worth and go back to Joe when you're ready to settle down. We could all use a Ranger in our lives!

They are getting predictable but I will still pick up the next one. You can expect from every book at least one new character, a car blowing up and constant sexual deliberating between Ranger and Morelli.

Too close to real life, Stephanie is becoming mundane with age. It's hard to imagine why not just one but two hunks repeatedly come to her rescue when she shows no resourcefulness, self esteem or self control over her burgeoning appetite. While this book was entertaining, Stephanie was not. This series is read for escapism, so crank up the heat and give Stephanie back her spunk and soul.

After being ever so slightly disappointed with Seven Up, Evanovich comes back better than ever with Hard Eight. Although there are slightly darker undertones to the burg in this book, there are also many wonderful laugh out loud moments. While tracking down a child for her parent's neighbor, Stephanie manages to aquire another wanna be bounty hunter apprentice to "help" out, adding to a real three way circus effect to her apprentions. She also manages to tick off some of the real bad guys in the burg and needs more help from Ranger who calls in his "favors" in this book, FINALLY! Now Stephanie really has a dilema as Joe and Ranger both try to look out for her in their own ways. Best of all we see that maybe the apple didn't fall too far from the tree as Stephanie's mother shows what she is really made of, and it isn't pot roast! Great Read!

I love Janet Evanovich! Yes the characters in Stephanie Plums life are getting a little too familiar, yep, I can't believe she is still so inept, yep to all those negatives. BUT if you want a book you can enjoy from cover to cover while sitting on the beach, go for Hard Eight. Assuming you have read the other 7! I laughed out loud more than once, my friends around me urging me on to finish so they could read it! Very entertaining, a good read.

I have greatly enjoyed reading all of the Stephanie Plum mysteries. The Jersey-girl-turned-bounty-hunter is a terrific character, and so are the whole cast of folks who pop in and out of her chaotic life. You'll laugh a LOT, guaranteed. I just wish the mystery in this book was better thought out. The plot and its unlikely resolution seem almost like afterthoughts. Maybe you (like me) can live with that, in exchange for the fun of this highly character-driven series.

Ranger fans will love this new edition to the Stephanie Plum series! I think this is the best book so far and it shows a human side of Stephanie... This book strays from the bounty hunting a bit when Stephanie decides to help her parents neighbor Mabel on her search for her daughter, Evelyn and granddaughter, Annie. Ranger and Stephanie's relationship evolves and this book is so entertaining. Valerie,Stephanie's sister is also in this book.

Although Ramirez is dead, his owner is still alive and no I am not talking about Jimmy Alpha.

Read it!!!!!

I like this book series, this one just like the rest. I don't think it's the best in the series but really, if you're reading this review you likely already took in the first 7 so there's no reason to stop now. Some of the situations are forced, particularly the series of handcuff incidents. But in all it's a good & entertaining read and I'll move on the the 9th in the series sooner than later.

I bought this book at noon but had to go to work so I didn't get started on it until about 10:30pm, but I was up until I finished it. I don't want to give too much away, since it is a mystery in a way. But it has all the classic Stephanie Plum elements: Ranger, Joe, Blown up Cars, and of course a couple of bad guys.
For those of you who haven't read the Stephanie Plus series, start at the beginning and work your way up. There are references to past books.
Stephanie's character is personable and understandable. She lives a normal live, basically. I mean, if you were a bond enforcement person how normal can your life really be?

I have to say first, that I loved the first 7 books. They were hilarious and had a heroine that was gutsy and believeable which made me really look forward to Hard Eight.
Boy, I was disappointed...what happened? Stephanie does get her man, but not through her own resourcefulness or guts. In One for the Money, she seemed more assured, more gutsy, more...something! In this outing, she has her mom, her sister, Ranger, Morelli (although, can't be sure, he's in the book so little) running over rabbits, and tracking her man down for her... There are some funny moments, but they seem like the same moments from before....and don't get me started on the 10 line paragraph/resolution of Steph with Ranger, the hottest flirting I've ever read anywhere, and then....what happened?
Overall, I would have to say, that I would prefer not to have a little book out, like the christmas novella every six months, and have Janet work on her next book all year round, it just seems that she can turn out a better book if that's the only one that she's working on.

I gobbled up this book last night and had laughs, grins and giggles throughout the reading! Stephanie does it again and again and again - getting into trouble. And with the support characters, a new one is introduced who is so much fun, and the sexual tension tightly strung and I can almost not wait for #9. Ranger is a hot hunk and Joe is a hot hunk - which one should Stephanie ultimately be with? Grandma Mazur, while having a minor role in this book, is still a delight. Sis Valerie has a bigger role and is a hoot! Lula - ahhh, Lula. What great fun!!! I think all the fans of Stephanie will enjoy this book. Come on #9!

Once again the book after a big cliffhanger has left me disappointed. Not that it wasn't a good story, it was. It had a lot of classic Stephanie moments. I just don't understand how two of the major characters could be so different in this book from the previous seven. Neither Ranger, nor Morelli seemed like themselves. And speaking of Ranger, I waited seven books for a resolution that came in 2 paragraphs and a "I've got to go?" Nope, sorry, this book was a big disappointment to me. I'm not so sure I will even bother with book 9.

Starting with her first Stephanie Plum novel, Janet Evanovich had me wanting more. Keeping with that concept, "Hard Eight" picks up where "Seven Up" left off. The story seems so real, for I live in New Jersey and am familiar with the Trenton area.
Anyone who likes a drama series with a hint of comedy and mystery on TV, will love this book. Only thing, if you are new to Evanovich, I suggest starting with the first book in the series and reading forward from there.

Hi,

don`t want to write a two pages review but after the first it is just getting better and better and also make me laugh so everyone around me when I read look at me and ask me what is going on!

Thank so much to the author for sharing and please keep Stephanie Plum alive for long!!

Regards

In Hard Eight, Stephanie has the usual problems - people trying to do her in, Lula wanting to shoot everyone in sight and a new woman - Jeanne Ellen who has some secret background with Ranger. But Ranger, oh Ranger - who finally gets Stephanie in bed and totally ruins her for any other man or so she thinks. She's still in love with Joe - handsome cop, good guy, protector, but Ranger.....hot, dark, sensitive, listens to classical music for heaven's sake is hot for Stephanie but has told her he's not the marrying kind. I say use Ranger for all he's worth and go back to Joe when you're ready to settle down. We could all use a Ranger in our lives!

They are getting predictable but I will still pick up the next one. You can expect from every book at least one new character, a car blowing up and constant sexual deliberating between Ranger and Morelli.

Too close to real life, Stephanie is becoming mundane with age. It's hard to imagine why not just one but two hunks repeatedly come to her rescue when she shows no resourcefulness, self esteem or self control over her burgeoning appetite. While this book was entertaining, Stephanie was not. This series is read for escapism, so crank up the heat and give Stephanie back her spunk and soul.

After being ever so slightly disappointed with Seven Up, Evanovich comes back better than ever with Hard Eight. Although there are slightly darker undertones to the burg in this book, there are also many wonderful laugh out loud moments. While tracking down a child for her parent's neighbor, Stephanie manages to aquire another wanna be bounty hunter apprentice to "help" out, adding to a real three way circus effect to her apprentions. She also manages to tick off some of the real bad guys in the burg and needs more help from Ranger who calls in his "favors" in this book, FINALLY! Now Stephanie really has a dilema as Joe and Ranger both try to look out for her in their own ways. Best of all we see that maybe the apple didn't fall too far from the tree as Stephanie's mother shows what she is really made of, and it isn't pot roast! Great Read!

I love Janet Evanovich! Yes the characters in Stephanie Plums life are getting a little too familiar, yep, I can't believe she is still so inept, yep to all those negatives. BUT if you want a book you can enjoy from cover to cover while sitting on the beach, go for Hard Eight. Assuming you have read the other 7! I laughed out loud more than once, my friends around me urging me on to finish so they could read it! Very entertaining, a good read.

I have greatly enjoyed reading all of the Stephanie Plum mysteries. The Jersey-girl-turned-bounty-hunter is a terrific character, and so are the whole cast of folks who pop in and out of her chaotic life. You'll laugh a LOT, guaranteed. I just wish the mystery in this book was better thought out. The plot and its unlikely resolution seem almost like afterthoughts. Maybe you (like me) can live with that, in exchange for the fun of this highly character-driven series.

Ranger fans will love this new edition to the Stephanie Plum series! I think this is the best book so far and it shows a human side of Stephanie... This book strays from the bounty hunting a bit when Stephanie decides to help her parents neighbor Mabel on her search for her daughter, Evelyn and granddaughter, Annie. Ranger and Stephanie's relationship evolves and this book is so entertaining. Valerie,Stephanie's sister is also in this book.

Although Ramirez is dead, his owner is still alive and no I am not talking about Jimmy Alpha.

Read it!!!!!

The 8th book in the Stephanie Plum series is another gem from writer, Janet Evanovich. Fans of the series could not wait to get their hands on this release, and new readers will be delighted at the antics of the characters in these books. In this installment, Stephanie's mother asks her to find a neighbor's missing relative, and family loyalty (and boredom) spurs Stephanie to take on the case. However, when she gets involved, a shady landlord starts warning her off the scent, and suddenly Stephanie finds out his henchman are following her. When various bad things start to happen, (i.e. her car gets blown up again, she is followed by someone in a bunny suit, snakes wind up in her apartment, and a dead body appears on her couch) Stephanie knows she is in way too deep. She enlists the help of the sexy Ranger to help her out of this jam, and also finds herself with help from both Grandma Mazur and Lula. All of the favorite characters from previous installments return, and their antics will have you laughing aloud.

I cannot believe that there are people who actually have not read this series! Stephanie Plum is a hilarious character, and her slapstick comedy has made me laugh aloud at some strange times. If I read these books in front of other people, they invariably ask me what is so funny, and I can never quite relate the story as well as Ms. Evanovich can! There are few mystery books that can make me laugh as much as this series and yet keep me interested in the mystery, but this series does it all. Who else but Stephanie Plum can have every car she has ever owned wrecked in some way (they usually blow up), and be chased by a person in a bunny suit? If you have never read any of the books in the series, join the millions of others that have and get reading today!

The first book in the series is "One for the Money". Enjoy!

Big disappointment. Stephanie's cars blow up, she loses handcuffs, she still hates shooting her gun, although she's a hell of a marksman in her apartment building. The whole Abruzzi plot is contrived and fizzles in the end. As does the "GREAT RANGER SEX SCENE" which is about as long as this review. You'd think a romance writer could have done a better sex scene, especially after building it up for seven books. Let's just say the seeming extent of Ranger's sexual prowess could be called "Hard Ate." Big deal. Marv Albert does that and he's no mysterious, rock-hard bounty hunter.
Janet is still good at getting laughs, although much less frequently than before. She needs to put more work into character development and plot. It's time to move on from Stephanie being a stupid, but lovable, idiot.
After this, I'm waiting for Nine in paperback.

I was extremely disappointed in this book, but I have been a bit disappointed in the last 2 or 3 of the Stephanie Plum books.
Maybe it's because after this many books, everything I thought was funny has now become routine; I thought Grandma Mazur had a very tiny role, and what there was seemed inane. I usually anticipate the yearly release, but now will have to rethink future purchases. One disappointment was the hasty ending. Multiple pages of buildup and a quick, abrupt end that was quite a disappointment in itself.

The latest in the Stephanie Plum series Hard Eight,is a fun read. It was a pleasant surprise to read this one and find our character finally moving forward somewhat. Yes it has the same formula, madcap situations, ongoing lovelife problems, but there is also an interesting story unfolding. Plot wise Hard eight is perhaps one of Evanovichs best. Of course the secondary story, Stephanie's love life continues to unfold. Yes, Stephanie finally succumbs to Rangers charms. However, after all the hype the relationship has received in previous books, fans will be disappointed in the skimpy couple of paragraphs devoted to the tryst. It seems the author wanted to focus on the plot rather than the characters. Too bad,with a little more attention to character development Hard Eight could have been Great!

Unlike some series which start to die out around the 5th or 6th go-around, the Stephanie Plum series just keeps getting better and better.
There was still the usual happy-go-lucky, in-your-face humor always present in the previous episodes, but there was also a more serious side to this outing in that the bad guys were really nasty. I for one, liked it. It showed a depth to Stephanie that we were not acquainted with before.
Can't wait for the next one!!

It's hard not to like this series. Altho the storyline was a bit different,I liked it. Ranger and Joe were merely passing thru. I did not like that. I dont want this tension to ever end but it seems they ran fleetingly thru the book and Steph's life. Lula is always a hoot. Grandma Mazur is wonderful but I could do without Steph's sister and her kids. Extraneous. Waiting for the next.

I'm a great mystery lover and a tremendous fan of Janet Evanovich and her Stephanie Plum series. Many books are better when read because you pick up the intellectual nuances that sometimes get lost in recorded books. Not this one. Stephanie and all her comrades in craziness are far better when appreciated in audio performance mode. The lingo, the dialect, the overall hilarity shine through. Having both read and listened to the books in this series, I can say that the audio versions are far and away the best way to enjoy these characters and their antics. I can't wait for the movie!

I have to admit I didn't like this book as well as earlier ones. Frankly, I'm getting tired of the cars blowing up. Let it die already. And I'm also getting tired of Stephanie being such a klutz. I never cared for the old horror movies where everybody says, don't go down the basement, there's a monster there, and immediately the stupid heroine wanders off to the bassement. Stephanie wanders off to the basement by herself over, and over, and over.... Yawn.
And it seems to me that anyone with an IQ over 32 would put some bullets in her gun and keep it where she could get at it if she was receiving this level of threat.
But the biggest disappointment to me was the handling of the whole Ranger romance thing. I realize that Morelli is to be Stephanie's destiny. But I thought Ranger might get a book or two. But no. It's wishy-wash, wishy-wash, fireworks (for less than a page) and then run back to Morelli. Phooey!
To sum it all up, the jokes are wearing thin. Stephanie needs to start being slightly more competent.

I received this book yesterday, and spent my entire evening reading it. In Stephanie Plum tradition, it is a great page turner, very hard to put down. It was true to form with the other seven (the cases, the cars, etc) but seemed to lack something. And I'm not sure what. Of course, all of us die-hard fans will be buying and reading it anyway, and I'm certainly glad that I did add it to my library, but I feel jipped somehow. Now I have to wait another 365 days to find out more? The ending, even though it is open ended like all the others, isn't really the cliffhanger we've come to love. It is a great summer read, but not the best in the series. Can't wait for #9!

After some disappointment with the seventh installment in the Stephanie Plum series, I approached this one with some trepidation. But, Stephanie and Joe, Ranger and Lula, Bob and Grandma Mazur are back!! And they are better than ever in a novel that is a little darker than its predecessors, but a good solid story full of the belly laughs we've all come to expect in a Plum!! I am now eagerly awaiting #9--only about a year to go!!

...when you finish the eigth book in a series, and are so upset that it's over you go back and re-read the first seven. Janet Evanovich has given her faithful (perhaps rabid) readers yet another hilarious, endearing, and interesting Stephanie Plum tale. When you make characters so alive, and so vibrant that readers wish they could know them in real life? Well, I think you've definitely done something special.
Thank you Janet!

HARD EIGHT was my first Janet Evanovich experience and so delicious, I'll definitely go back for seconds. If you need to lighten your load, if you feel inept, if you feel that the sky is falling, you need to read HARD EIGHT. It's fast-paced, hilarious, and not a book that will help you fall asleep. Stephanie Plum is smart, insecure, and incredibly unlucky, but it's hard to feel sorry for her, when you're laughing at each misadventure. Evanovich seems to have brought out every weird or stereotypical character she's ever encountered and plopped them into Stephanie's life at just the right moments. HARD EIGHT is slapstick in print with an ending that is reached with the help of two guardian hunks.

For readers new to this series, the earlier books are lively, funny stories of Stephanie Plum's(a New Jersy Bouny Hunter) misadventures in the Berg. Culminating with this book, more recent offerings fall short of the mark, with stale plots, cutsie writing and underdeveloped main characters. Her recent books generally follow the same pattern of too many pages of screwball antics of Stephanie Plum and various (somewhat interchangable) sidekicks, shallow interactions with Ranger(mysterious hero) or Morelli (potential soul mate)mainly involving sex (or not) and quick resolution of underlying menance in last 50 pages, with the so "unexpected" cliffhanger reflecting a trite "will she, wont she" relationship with both men. At least in Hard Eight Stephanie makes some decision, although it took some 200 pages of "antics" to get to it, and she decided, changed her mind and got the bad guy in the remaining 60 (or so) pages. The resolution of the main plot and Stephanie's personal relationships seem tacked on and rushed.
Die hard fans will of course read it. I can only say I wish I had waited for the paperback.

The latest in the Stephanie Plum series Hard Eight,is a fun read. It was a pleasant surprise to read this one and find our character finally moving forward somewhat. Yes it has the same formula, madcap situations, ongoing lovelife problems, but there is also an interesting story unfolding. Plot wise Hard eight is perhaps one of Evanovichs best. Of course the secondary story, Stephanie's love life continues to unfold. Yes, Stephanie finally succumbs to Rangers charms. However, after all the hype the relationship has received in previous books, fans will be disappointed in the skimpy couple of paragraphs devoted to the tryst. It seems the author wanted to focus on the plot rather than the characters. Too bad,with a little more attention to character development Hard Eight could have been Great!

I am a fan of all the Stephanie Plum books and I certainly enjoyed "Hard Eight"! Several colleagues at work and I read this series faithfully and discuss and laugh about the books on a regular basis. Grandma Mazur was her same witty self and Mom got into the action more this time by running over "the rabbit".
I definitely recommend this book to all who enjoy fun and an easy read!!

I love these books and always enjoy the ride. That said this long awaited moment with Stephanie and ranger, all this tension and excitement about it was left very unfulfilled:/! There should have been some sort of emotion/passion/ heat in their encounter but it was cold, simple and not anything like it should have been, definetly dissapointed.

the editorial reviewer who said this book wasn't as good as her others. It wasn't, but even that still merits four stars. It still made me laugh out loud, feel miserable and also cringe horribly (particularly towards the end).

Although this was far from my favorite in this wonderful and quirky series, it did not disappointment in the entertainment department. I do not read Janet Evanovich's books for the mystery element (there are much better mystery writers); I read them for the non-stop slapstick humor and oddball characters and, like the previous books, Hard Eight had me laughing out loud from start to finish. Remembering the dryer scene with Kloughn alone still makes me break out in spasms of giggles. Two complaints: Although I missed Grandma, who only has small scenes, I loved the annoying new character Klough. However, Ms. Evanovich, more of Grandma Mazur in #9 please. Secondly, the love scene with Ranger was nothing but a fleeting moment after all the sexual tension and build up. Surely it deserved more ink!

Hard Eight is such a great book. I am a die hard Stephaine Plum and Janet Evanovich fan. Stephanie is back in action with a new "sidekick" in Albert K-l-o-u-g-h-n (pronounced "clown") and she is ready for action. Or so she thinks! This time it's war. In this book, I followed Stephanie through at least four pairs and handcuffs, a flock of wild, atacking geese, and tons more action. I laughed my way through the book and was delighted at the changes in the relationships of Stephanie and Ranger and Stephanie and Joe. By the end of the book, I was dying for another round. Guess I'll have to wait until next year!

I don't know who is writing these reviews, but you've got to be kidding me. This was one of the most trite books I've ever read. It was like every cop/action movie, but worse. The humor is NOT funny (unless you find Full House hilarious, in which case, buy the entire Janet Evanovich series), and sex scenes are tossed about shamelessly in places where it is entirely inappropriate... for instance, after Stephanie is abducted, beaten, and almost killed. she's gone for SEVERAL HOURS, and as soon as she gets back, she gets it on. WHO DOES THAT??? "yeah honey, i was just diagnosed with cancer... whaddya say we head upstairs?" i recommend you stay far away from this book, unless you're okay with an obvious storyline, a plot lacks any sense of reality, and humor that yearns for comparison to Yakov Smirnoff.

While I always enjoy the explots of Stephanie Plum. The ending cost her a point, weak is being very polite. Without spoiling it for anyone. She could have had the same ending on page 50 just as well as page 300. But, of course we wouldn't have destroyed at least 2 cars would we?
Oh well, it was still FUN. Just work a little harder on the ending. Ok.

Evanovich continues to deliver the funny escapades of Stephanie Plum. Each novel introduces new characters that enhance an already great cast. Hard Eight is no exception. As I read this one I kept thinking these things would only happen to Stephanie. Evanovich keeps coming up with antics that could only happen in her novels and make you buy into them. Nothing about these novels seem contrived or manipulated, just good fun. I can't wait to read number nine. A year is tooo long a wait for news of Stephanie.

I remember when I first discovered the series and would curl and laugh one weekend morning. Four to Score being the hieght of the series. This one, Eight, felt phoned in, like it was made up of rejected bits from other books. Boring actually. The scene with Ranger a crime. I remember I always used to grin through their encounters now I could easily take a nap.

This is the first of Janet Evanovich's novels I've read and I can say so far the style and content is superior to Crusie's in "Fast Women." I would imagine "Hard Eight" would appeal to readers from Germantown and around that area. I, personally, can't relate, and the charaters so far seem a tad "tacky." But Evanovich has an easy style and I'll read on and see how it goes...

You will wonder through the whole book is this really a mystery or a love story. Will Stephanie finally commit to Ranger or Joe? Will Stephanie ever stop keeping the gun in the cookie jar? Janet provides another humorous and exciting dose of mystery to her readers. If you are not a fan, you will be after reading hard eight.

My husband actually introduced me to this series after he read the latest book, "Hard Eight". It was a quick read, especially if you stay up late to see what happens next! I found it witty and entertaining, and as a result, have started reading the series from the first book, "One for the Dough". Being a Peace Officer myself, I can relate to Plum's character attempting a tough job in a "man's world" and making necessary compensations. Being inept at times, Plum is frustrating and yet loveable. I could have used a little steamier love scene or two, anticipating Plum's character finally acting on her primal urges, but overall, the book kept me hooked until the last page.

See storyline above.
Very entertaining and laugh out loud funny. The unabridged novel seems to never have a dull moment. It is read by Lorelei King, and she does a fantastic job with the voices. A fun story featuring Stephanie Plum, again having her adventures in bond enforcement. Watch out for the killer rabbit.
Highly recommended