Hard Eight - Janet Evanovich

Stephanie Plum, bounty hunter, is searching for a runaway mother and child while trying to avoid both the child's father and Eddie Abruzzi, the stereotypical madman with willing henchman. Unfortunately, she is not a very good bounty hunter - in fact, she may be the world's worst. Ever. This obviously creates much of the humour in the book. While searching for the mother and child she is also attempting to apprehend two other bail bondees; one of whom she attempts to capture several times but fails even though he is a drunk, the other she happens to come across without even bothering to look! Stephanie requires police help so often they have a pool, and draw lots to see ...  Read the complete review

The Carl Hiassen influence in modern American fiction is horribly persuasive. Even bad writers have their imitators, of course, and Janet Evanovich, whose current offering - such is the way of the literary world - reposes in the upper half of the hardback top ten might be Uncle Carl's even less talented niece. She is meant to be a "funny writer" but, compared to her fitful strivings to hold down a joke, Olivia Goldsmith is Dorothy Parker reincarnate and P.J. O'Rourke oh, I don't know, a James Thurber for the 21st century. She doesn't do plot and she doesn't do establishing detail (road, house, TV playing, man opening door is about ...  Read the complete review