Hard Eight
Book 8 of Stephanie Plum
Language: English
Action & Adventure American Bounty hunters Detective Detective and mystery stories Fiction Fiction - Mystery General Humour Missing children Mystery Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths Mystery & Detectives Mystery Fiction New Jersey Plum Political Romance Stephanie (Fictitious character) Suspense Talking Books Women Private Investigators Women Sleuths
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published: Jan 1, 2002
Description:
Fugitive Apprehension Agent Stephanie Plum has a big problem on her hands: Seven-year-old Annie Soder and her mother, Evelyn, have disappeared.
Evelyn's estranged husband, Steven, a shady owner of a seedy bar, is not at all happy. During the 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 to take possession of the house.
Finding a kidnapped child is not an assignment for a bounty hunter. But Evelyn's grandmother lives next door to Stephanie's parents, and Stephanie's mother and grandmother are not about to see their neighbor lose her house because of abduction.
Even though Stephanie's plate is full with miscreants who missed their court dates, including old nemesis and violent drunk Andy Bender and an elusive little old lady accused of grand theft auto, she can't disappoint Grandma Mazur! So she follows the trail left by Annie and Evelyn-- and finds a lot more than she bargained for. Steven is somehow linked with a very scary Eddie Abruzzi. Trenton cop and on-again, off-again fiance Joe Morelli and Stephanie's mentor and tormentor, Ranger, warn Stephanie about Abruzzi, but it's Abruzzi's eyes and mannerisms that frighten Stephanie the most. Stephanie needs Ranger's savvy and expertise, and she's willing to accept his help to find Annie even though it might mean becoming too involved with Ranger.
Stephanie, Ranger, Lula (who's not going to miss riding with Ranger), and Evelyn's lawyer/laundromat manager set out to find Annie. The search turns out to be a race among Stephanie's posse, the True Blue Bonds' agent, a Rangerette known as Jeanne Ellen Burrows, and the Abruzzi crew. Not to mention the fact that there's a killer rabbit on the loose!
Strap on your helmet and get ready for the ride of your life. Hard Eight. The world of Plum has never been wilder.
Hard Eight "Keeps up Evanovich's standards for over-the-top situations"-Chicago Tribune. "[A] must read...readers will want to finish this delightful work in one sitting."--Midwest Book Review. "Offers the best action yet."-Newark Star-Ledger. "The girl mercenary is as fresh as ever."-People. "Hard Eight is most emphatically not Raymond Chandler but, like his work, a piece of finely crafted prose."-San Francisco Chronicle. "Plum is one of fiction's most irresistible heroines."-Seattle Post Intelligencer. "Evanovich has certainly come a long way since One for the Money; her latest Stephanie Plum mystery merits a one-day national laydown on June 18."--Library Journal. "Well plotted and cleverly resolved...her wickedly funny characterizations and the intriguing love triangle are what keep her readers coming back for more."-Bookpage. "As close to summer escapism as you can get. Evanovich hits a high note with her newest...a great addition to a well-stocked beach bag."-Houston Chronicle. "A perfect summer vacation book...promises fun, laughter, and unforgettable characters...Evanovich delivers."-Tennessean (Nashville, TN). "Thrills mixed with lust, seasoned with humor: a delightful escape."-News & Record (Greensboro, NC). "Evanovich produces more than "beach reading". She writes rollicking, raunchy, hysterical fiction that is so real, you will laugh out loud and want to visit the Burg."-Rockwall County News. "Just when you think the adventures of Plum and company can't get any funnier or more convoluted, Janet Evanovich proves you wrong-nobody does it better!"-Romantic Times. Seven Up. "A madcap comic mystery-Jersey-girl style."-The New York Times. "Expect a laugh per page...Bottom line: Plum Pick."-People. "If you like your summer reads hot and sassy, try Seven Up."-Boston Herald. "Evanovich is the crown princess of detective fiction...Seven Up is brassy, comical, and light-hearted."-Bookpage. "Seven Up is funny, sexy, scary."-Booklist. "Edgy romance triangle, the loopy family relationships, or the bounty-hunting jobs that skate between absurdity and genuine tension."-Denver Post. "An adventurous, amusing ride...billed as a crime novel, it has the requisite intrigue and chase scenes, but is also seasoned with humor."-Oakland Press (Pontiac, MI). "[A] fast, funny, and first-rate tale."-Ft. Myers News Press. "Romantic and laugh-out-loud funny, this caper is the perfect summer antidote to serious reading."-St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "The dialogue's snappy...the pace is quick...Evanovich's great gift is an ability to create situations zany enough to provoke bursts of laughter."-Philadelphia Inquirer. "Marked by wise-cracking humor, eccentric characters, and a gritty urban New Jersey setting...Evanovich's 'Stephanie Plum' series attracts an ever-increasing number of fans with each book."-Library Journal. "Loads of fun...with laughs on every page."-USA Today. "Evanovich continues...her successful formula...[she] provides a beginning that illustrates all that is right with this series and an ending that ties the story together, gives us a dose of reality, and leaves us with a cliffhanger."-Chicago Tribune.