Plot or Premise

Hard Eight is the eighth book in the Stephanie Plum series. In this one, she’s looking for a missing mom and daughter whose grandmother could lose her house if the custody bond is violated.

What I Liked

The story has the typical range of secondary characters, and an addition of a hard-core female bounty hunter along the lines of Ranger. And a hysterical attempted vehicular murder of the Easter Bunny.

What I Didn’t Like

I don’t much care for stories that involve moms/wives and children in jeopardy and being shuttled around like a tub of household effects in a move. Part of that is the ick factor, but part of it is the simplistic storyline and emotional range that is usually given to the characters — the new “damsel in distress” plotline where someone has to come rescue them. I also didn’t feel that the initial bad guys were fleshed out very well, particularly as they are easy to spot in fake masks and outfits, and the final boss felt like a comic book character.

The Bottom Line

Not bad but not the best.