| Plot Summary of Hard Eight |
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St. Martin's, June 2002, 25.95, 320 pp.
ISBN 0312265859
Not everyone can work a job where the odds are that they will run across dead bodies, have their cars blown up or have to track down a person who doesn't show up for their court date but Stephanie Plum can and does. Somehow, the idea of being a bounty hunter makes Stephanie feel good and if it means that her lover Joe Morelli doesn't want to be with her because of it then that is his loss.
Stephanie promises her mother's next door neighbor that she will find her missing daughter Evelyn and her two children. Evelyn had to take out a child custody bond using her mother's house for collateral. If she fails to show up at the hearing, her mother will lose the house. In the course of the investigation Stephanie finds a dead body on her couch, is stalked by a killer rabbit, and is in danger of being killed from a powerful crime lord who want something Evelyn has.
Anybody and everybody who loves a hysterically funny crime thriller with plenty of chills, thrills and action must read HARD EIGHT. Janet Evanovich's latest installment in the Stephanie Plum series is so over the top readers will want to finish this delightful work in one sitting. The author effectively uses the protagonist's relationship with Morelli and sexual attraction to Ranger as a way of relieving some high level tension. This novel is guaranteed to be on the New York Times bestseller list before too long.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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"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 character 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.
Stephanie follows the trail left behind by Annie and Evelyn-and finds a lot more than she bargained for. Steven is somehow linked wiht a very scary Eddie Abruzzi. Trenton cop and on-again, off again fiance Joe Morelli, and Stephanie's tormentor, Ranger, warn Steph 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 getting a little too involved with Ranger.
So Stephanie and her whole crew 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 Jean Ellen Burrows, and the Abruzzi crew. Not to mention the fact that there's a killer rabbit on the loose!"
Boppy, Resident Scholar
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"Stephanie Plum returns as Janet Evanovich's heroine. Stephanie is a bounty hunter who never gets her man. Stephanie is just one step away from being inept. She just getes lucky. In this story, a missing person case takes her on a wild goose chase. Only this time, a local mob boss doesn't like Stephanie butting into the case. Apparently there is something the missing person has that the mob guy wants. He blows up at least two of Stephanie's cars and kills a man in her apartment to try to deliver his message to stay away. Stephanie also has to deal with an elusive man who refuses to be taken in for his court date. And she still can't make up her mind if she's still interested in cop friend Joe Morelli, or the sexy mercenary Ranger. Friend Lulu and Grandma Mazur join the crime fighting as usual and the whole cast creates a comedy of errors trying to capture the bad guys and still stay alive."
BethG, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Hard Eight |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 30%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
The crook is....
- on the run from the law
Crime Thriller
Yes
Crime plotlets:
- escape/rescue from kidnappers
Mostly a criminal POV story
Yes
General Crime (including known murderer)
Yes
Who's the criminal enemy here?
- finding a known killer
If story PRIMARILY about main chr. being hunted...
- hunted by killer/stalker
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- bounty hunter
Age:
- 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
The antagonists are:
- US mafia
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Physique
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
City?
Yes
Style
Part of a series?
Yes
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths?
- 5-7
Unusual form of death?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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