In "Hard Eight," bounty hunter Stephanie Plum doesn't just have to search for the usual bonds bail fugitives. Additionally, she tries to find the missing daughter and granddaughter of her parents' neighbor. However, she is not the only one to look for Evelyn and Annie. Dangerous Eddie Abruzzi as well as bounty hunter Jeanne Ellen Burrows also follow Evelyn's tracks. Soon Stephanie is confronted with Abruzzi's war games -- one of his fun ideas is to hire a six foot tall "bunny" stalking Stephanie.
Stephanie's private life is equally dangerous. Been on the "off" option of the on-and-off relationship with Trenton cop Joe Morelli, her mentor Ranger sees his chance. And then there's the attorney Albert Kloughn who wants to be Stephanie's partner in bounty hunting. In true Plum chaos tradition, Stephanie has an unusually high rate of car loss again, but that's nothing compared to a geese attack in the park.
Fans of Stephanie Plum will swallow this eighth adventure just as the preceding seven books, while newcomers might want to start with "One For The Money" and work their way up to "Hard Eight." Janet Evanovich is simply great at mixing mystery with screwball comedy elements. The result is a hilarious and highly entertaining thriller with a fantastic main protagonist and many equally fantastic supporting characters who easily win the heart of the reader.