Greetings,
Ya know, for being such a book snob, people are surprised when they find out how eclectic my book collection is. It's like they think it's filled with nothing but Shakespeare and Dostoyevsky. Well, for their information, if a book is good, I will probably like it, because being good is the only requirement I have for what I read. Also, sometimes the best kind of book you can read is one that's just flat out fun. And, in my humble opinion, no one does fun books better than Janet Evanovich.
I started reading the books of Janet Evanovich years ago, most likely in the same way that a lot of people did, by way of the Stephanie Plum series. I read those books so much back in the day, but sadly, I have fallen behind. The last one I read was the seventeenth, and they're up to twenty-three now. I plan to remedy that and catch up in the coming year. However, I have done plenty of reading when it comes to Janet's latest series, where she teams up with fellow writer, Lee Goldberg, starting with the book I will be reviewing today, The Heist.
The Heist is 2013 novel, which I just happened upon in the store one day and picked up a copy for a really good price. I trust the Evanovich name and I was pleased to see that it was book #1 in a series. Nothing worse than picking up a book that looks good and finding out that it's #3 or something. Anyway, these books follow the team of Fox and O'Hare, and when I say "team" I mean kind of mortal enemies who are forced to work together. I think this kind of set up may have been done before, but, again, if it's written well, then I'm all for it.
Our main characters are FBI Agent Kate O'Hare and conman Nick Fox. Kate is very dedicated to her job and is extremely ambitious, and for five years, a lot of that has been aimed at one person, Nick. She has a habit of almost getting him, but then . . . not. But it turns out that he'll be in her sights again and much more regularly when he convinces the FBI to let him aid in the capture of another criminal. And, of course, he wants to work right alongside Kate in the investigation. I wonder why.
As you may have guessed, between these two, there's a bit of, well, I call it romantic tension, because I'm very pure of heart. But you know. Yes, Nick is one person who annoys Kate more than anyone and, yet, she finds herself very attracted to him. Them bad boys, though. And the attraction seems to go both ways, but since Nick is a conman by trade, there's always this thing in the back of your head where you're wondering if he's serious or just messing with her for his own reasons. Normally, I would predict that they'll get together eventually, but considering she's a cop and he's a straight up criminal who should pretty much be in prison, I'm not sure how much of a happily ever after these two could have. But that is part of the fun. And, as usual, this is quite a fun book to read.
It was exactly the kind of book I expect from Janet Evanovich, and it led me to go further into the series this past year, as I have read the first three books and a few short story prequels. On top of that, I have decided to add some books by her co-writer, Lee Goldberg, to my "To Read" list as well. He actually was a writer for the show, Monk, which I have heard was a really good comedy/action series. No wonder Janet decided to write with him. They clearly make a good team.
Speaking of good teams, I'd say the same thing about Fox and O'Hare. And when I say good, I mean quite entertaining. I love the back and forth between them and how they can really hold their own against each other. I love how Evanovich always writes these fantastic characters who are great and fun (again!) . . . and not perfect. Yeah, it's often the flaws that make them so likable, especially her lead female characters. They're strong and can take care of themselves, but they also make a lot mistakes. Almost like they're real people. And THAT is what can make a character relatable to readers. Not by making them a blank slate that anyone can put their own face on, but rather by making them have realistic qualities, which include things good and bad.
And I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Nick Fox might be one of my new literary boyfriends. Yeah, Janet is good at writing those for me, too.
In conclusion, I definitely recommend The Heist and the series that follows, especially if you're already a fan of either of these writers. Now, I read this book, before I found out about the prequel short stories. I don't think that matters too much, but if you go on to GoodReads you can find their titles and then try to read them first, if you want. I found a couple on my library's ebooks collection, but I think they're still on Janet Evanovich's website. Either way, though, if you decide to dive into this series, you're in for a treat.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
