Hard Eight

Stephanie Plum is back in Janet Evanovich's eighth novel about the Trenton, New Jersey bounty hunter. In "Hard Eight," Stephanie is on the trail of her neighbor's granddaughter who has fled Trenton with her daughter for unknown reasons. This time Stephanie isn't working to retrieve an FTA (failure to appear) for her cousin Vinnie. This time her tracking skills are put to the test for personal reasons. As the story evolves, Stephanie's position changes and she becomes the hunted by a psycho who fancies himself as an expert in military strategy and war games. The game is afoot.

I really enjoyed this latest entry into the Stephaine Plum saga, but like candy, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. I'm going to have to take a break from the series before moving on to "To the Nines." All the humor and charm I've come to enjoy and expect in the series is present but the book does have a couple of diversions from the previous stories. Stephanie has to content with a stalker this time around and the tone of the story is a little darker than what I've come to expect. This isn't a bad thing. She also has to contend with a personal life that's spiraling out of control. Problems with her on again, off again cop boyfriend, Joe Morelli, and sexual tension with bounty hunter and mercenary Ranger only help to complicate matters. Finally the book doesn't exactly end cleanly. The central plot is tied up but the continuing story lines are left completely open this time around and I'm curious to see how they progress. I get the feeling that some things will never be the same.

Another great book by Evanovich. A funny thriller that flies by. Recommended.