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Cover of Hard Eight by Janet EvanovichHard Eight
Modern · Fiction, Mystery, Adventure

Hard Eight

by Janet Evanovich
2002 · 348 pages · Fiction
Lifetime bestseller
≈ 9 hours to read · about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day

What it's about

Hard Eight is the eighth Stephanie Plum novel: the Trenton bounty hunter takes on another case, with her family, Joe Morelli and the mysterious Ranger never far away, and the usual chaos follows.

Why it's worth reading

It reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. The Stephanie Plum series is one of the funniest in crime fiction.

You'll love it if you liked

Good to know

Each book stands alone, but the series begins with One for the Money.

By the numbers

72.5Must-Read Score
  • Readers76 out of 100 · counts 42%
  • Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
  • Bestseller42 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
  • Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%

Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.

Where it ranks

Why it made the list

Bestseller
#1 New York Times bestseller (1 week at #1)

Reads as

Funny, Adventurous, Uplifting

How we rank

Already read it? Upload your Goodreads or StoryGraph history and get the 50 best books you haven't read, tuned to your taste.Get my 50

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Explore the best-of lists

All 36 best-of lists →

Quick answers

Is Hard Eight worth reading?

Yes. It reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. It ranks #1,044 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 72.5 (the best book we found scores 99).

What is Hard Eight about?

Hard Eight is the eighth Stephanie Plum novel: the Trenton bounty hunter takes on another case, with her family, Joe Morelli and the mysterious Ranger never far away, and the usual chaos follows.

How long does it take to read Hard Eight?

About 9 hours (348 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.

What should I read after Hard Eight?

If you liked it, try Hot Six by Janet Evanovich, Eleven on Top by Janet Evanovich or Twelve Sharp by Janet Evanovich.