Hard Eight--review — 6 years ago
From the inside cover:
“Fugitive Apprehension Agent Stephanie Plum has a big problem on her hands: 7-year-old Annie Soder and her mother, Evelyn, have disappeared. Evelyn’s estranged husband, Steven, is not at all happy. During the divorce proceedings, he and Evelyn signed a child custody bond, and Steven is demanding the money secured by a mortgage on Evelyn’s grandmother’s house, and the True Blue Bail Bonds Agency wants to take possession of the house.
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 Mazur!
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.”
Here’s another Plum mystery in which Stephanie’s main case is a favor and not for her cousin Vinnie. I believe this is the first case in which a child is involved. Seems that Evanovich is needing to stretch a little to make the “freebies” worth it for Plum. Am I disturbed with Plum’s manic avoidance of strong emotions when it comes to dealing with anyone other than hot men? Well, I guess she has a tough-girl persona to uphold.
The “love” triangle is still…triangulating. Why have a relationship when you can have high drama? Not a deal-breaker for me, but only because I know that she can’t keep it up for much longer without jumping over a goodly-sized shark. Of course, part of the curiosity concerns what balance the series will maintain between the legal and moral ends of the spectrum. Can Stephanie balance both of those aspects of her lifestyle (aside from her bedfellows)?
Previously published on BookCrossing.com, 2003
