Rating: 
Summary: Hard Eight
Review: 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 had 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 the 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 Mazuri. 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 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 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Next year I'll wait for the paperback
Review: The first six books of the Stephanie Plum series were a hoot. At points they had me laughing so hard that my sides hurt. The plots twisted, the villians were twisted, her family only a little less so, Stephanie's car blew up, there was lust, and then there was LUST!!!. Although the seventh book was a little below par it still had its moments.
In this book there was a plot, there was lust (only written small), cars blew up, but the whole thing didn't hold together that well. It tried to be funny, but didn't get up to the earlier standards. I think Ms. Evanovich painted herself in a corner with Stephanie and Ranger, after flirting around with getting them in bed for 3 books she devotes all of a half page to it. Come on guys - this is something that Stephanie has been obsessing about since she met the man and a half page?? More space was devoted to the purchase of shoes in earlier books.
Like I said, I will buy the next book, but as a paperback and not pre-order the hardback. I hope Ms. Evanovich gets her, and Stephanies groove back.
Rating:
Summary: Plum Pickings - Another Excellent Read
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: A repeat of any the other books in the series
Review: 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!
Rating:
Summary: A book to love
Review: I have a hard time getting into books but the whole Stephanie Plum Series got me reading 8 books in 2 weeks. more than I read in the year 2001. Hard eight is a great follow up from 7up. When you read the book it's not like you are reading. It's like you are watching everything happen. She is descriptive and has a great way with words. I recoment this book to everyone. You can also check out the first two chapters to all the books on Evanovich.com. Though once you read the excerps you are going to want to read the books.
Rating: 
Summary: What a disappointment !!!
Review: I have enjoyed each and every one of the Stephanie Plum books written by Janet Evanovich, with the exception of this newest release, Hard Eight. Being one of Ms. Evanovich's greatest fans, it's very hard for me to say that I was painfully disappointed in this novel. I can understand the challenge it must present to the author to maintain the energy and integrity for each subsequent book, however, I have to agree with the review from "A reader from Anchorage, AK United States" ... this novel seemed rushed and lacking a round or two more of the working draft process. More importantly, I came away from the book feeling that Ms. Evanovich had betrayed her wonderfully funny and engaging main character. The attraction of Stephanie Plum has always been her wonderful blend of naivete and spunkiness, combined with a very resiliant attitude to life. In previous novels, Stephanie comes across as gutsy, witty, creative - and smart enough to try to solve things her way - even when she was in over her head due to her lack of experience. She might make mistakes, but she never came across as stupid .. or so annoyingly repetitious in her blunders. After seven novels, it was incredibly insulting to see her bumbling around in this novel as if she'd never had any previous experience as a bounty hunter, or learned anything from her time on the streets working with the infamous Ranger, her unofficial mentor. I found this novel painful to read and incredibly disappointing. I will be very cautious about buying any future Stephanie Plum novels, especially the expensive hard back versions I have collected to-date. My hope is that Ms. Evanovich will take the time to think about the ways she might grow the Stephanie Plum character so that she retains all the wonderful qualities from previous novels, and continues to provide readers with the wonderful humor and adventure that have been integral to her earlier work.
Rating:
Summary: Hard Eight
Review: 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!
Rating:
Summary: A Step Up
Review: I loved this book. As A die hard Stephanie Plum fan, I was sorely disappointed with book 7, and think Book 8 was a nice recovery. Stephanie is helping out a neighbor in this story. It was interesting to see the character changing. This story more prominently featured Ranger, one of my favorite Plum characters. We finally see Steph get serious with her handgun, and there's classic "only Stephanie" situations, such as being attacked by a flock of geese over a box of CrackerJacks. I found myself laughing aloud and am anticipating next summer, when the adventure continues....
Rating:
Summary: Janet Evanovich does it again
Review: Book 8 continues on the lines of the first 7 in the series. The book is funny and filled with suspense. I would recommend it for anyone looking for a good laugh and a great book.
Rating:
Summary: not bad
Review: 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.
|
