Hard Eight (2002) by Janet Evanovich is the eighth installment in the bestselling Stephanie Plum series, delivering another riotous blend of crime and comedy set in Trenton, New Jersey. Published by St. Martin’s Press, this novel finds the beleaguered bounty hunter tracking a missing child while navigating her usual chaos of malfunctioning vehicles, eccentric family members, and romantic tension between cop Joe Morelli and security expert Ranger.
Evanovich’s trademark humor shines through as Stephanie stumbles from one disaster to another, including a memorable encounter with a group of senior citizen vigilantes. Early printings are valued for their unaltered text, particularly the unedited version of Grandma Mazur’s funeral home antics that was later slightly toned down in paperback editions.
