The Job Book Review

The Job

Janet Evanovich

Lee Goldberg 

Rating (out of 5):5

Genre: General Fiction/Heist Fiction

Release Date: November 18, 2014

Series: Fox and O'Hare

Series Number: 3

Profanity: mild

Violence: mild

Sexual Content: mild  

Age Recommendation: 17+

Author Website: http://www.evanovich.com/ and http://www.leegoldberg.com/




Summary:

He’s a charming con man and she’s a dedicated FBI agent, and they’re about to drive each other crazy . . . again! 
 The FBI had one demand when they secretly teamed up Special Agent Kate O’Hare with charming con man Nicolas Fox—bring down the world’s most-wanted and untouchable felons. This time it’s the brutal leader of a global drug-smuggling empire.  The FBI doesn’t know what their target looks like, where he is, or how to find him, but Nick Fox has a few tricks up his sleeve to roust this particular Knipschildt chocolate–loving drug lord. From the streets of Nashville to the back alleys of Lisbon, from the rooftops of Istanbul to the middle of the Thames, Nick and Kate chase their mark. When they find themselves pitted against a psychopathic bodyguard and a Portuguese enforcer who gets advice from a pickled head, they decide it’s time to enlist some special talent—talent like a machete-wielding Somali pirate, a self-absorbed actor, an Oscar-winning special effects artist, and Kate’s father Jake, a retired Special Forces operative. Together they could help make this Fox and O’Hare’s biggest win yet . . . if they survive.


Review:

The Job shows readers once again that Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg still have it. Readers are swept up in not only an adventure across the globe but also in the increasingly interesting relationship between Nick and Kate. The stakes are big, the danger is high, and as always the laughs abound in this latest installment of the Fox and O'Hare series. 

This time the story starts out in the middle of a bust interrupted by a call from Nick to Kate, "I didn't do it." With that the pair sets off on an adventure across the globe after a brutal drug lord. As always Nick and Kate are great together, working well with each others strengths and weaknesses. In this book Kate has really began to gain some confidence in working with Nick and pulling off heists. I felt like this story was more about her than anyone with Nick taking a little bit of a backseat through the story. 

That's not to say Nick wasn't terrific, he was. He showed a slightly different side of himself in this story after running into an old friend and then again when he and Kate were split up in an unavoidable situation. I really would have liked to have seen a little more of this side of Nick in this book, but I'm sure as the series progresses we'll get to see more of it.

The story and heist were delightful and I was never short of laughs while reading. I found it a little grittier than the previous books in this series which threw me a few times but didn't ruin my overall enjoyment of the book. Instead of the somewhat rocky pace of the last book we are treated to wonderful pacing in the Job, with excitement and mystery from start to finish. The heist was pulled off brilliantly and I enjoyed getting to see further into the point of view of the mark in this book. 

I was pleased to see some old favorite characters return in The Job. Growing steadily as one of my favorite characters is Kate's father, Jake. I really enjoyed seeing him interact with Nick. Their relationship should a rocky one, but the two get along remarkably well, and even take time to pick on Kate a little bit. Boyd and Willy return along with Tom Underhill. As with the other books we're introduced to a few new colorful characters and they all get their chance to really shine in this book. 

The Job is a wonderful read from start to finish, returning to the excitement and laughs that hooked so many readers in the first book. I am convinced that this series will  only get better and better in the capable hands of Evanovich and Goldberg. The Job is a book not to miss.

Note: I received an electronic copy of this book from Negalley for my fair and honest review which I have stated above. 

~Dawn

You can find my reviews for the other books in this series here:

The Shell Game
The Heist
The Chase

The Chase Book Review

The Chase

Janet Evanovich 

Lee Goldberg 

Rating (out of 5): 4.5

Genre: General Fiction/Heist Fiction

Release Date: February 25, 2014

Series: Fox and O'Hare

Series Number: 2

Profanity: mild

Violence: Mild

Sexual Content: mild 

Age Recommendation: 16+

Author Website: http://www.evanovich.com/ and http://www.leegoldberg.com/



Summary: 

Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg, bestselling authors of The Heist,return in this action-packed, exciting adventure featuring master con artist Nicolas Fox and die-hard FBI agent Kate O’Hare. And this time around, things go from hot to nuclear when government secrets are on the line.

 Internationally renowned thief and con artist Nicolas Fox is famous for running elaborate and daring scams. His greatest con of all: convincing the FBI to team him up with the only person who has ever caught him, and the only woman to ever capture his attention, Special Agent Kate O’Hare. Together they’ll go undercover to swindle and catch the world’s most wanted—and untouchable—criminals. Their newest target is Carter Grove, a former White House chief of staff and the ruthless leader of a private security agency. Grove has stolen a rare Chinese artifact from the Smithsonian, a crime that will torpedo U.S. relations with China if it ever becomes public. Nick and Kate must work under the radar—and against the clock—to devise a plan to steal the piece back. Confronting Grove’s elite assassins, Nick and Kate rely on the skills of their ragtag crew, including a flamboyant actor, a Geek Squad techie, and a band of AARP-card-carrying mercenaries led by none other than Kate’s dad.  A daring heist and a deadly chase lead Nick and Kate from Washington, D.C., to Shanghai, from the highlands of Scotland to the underbelly of Montreal. But it’ll take more than death threats, trained henchmen, sleepless nights, and the fate of a dynasty’s priceless heirloom to outsmart Fox and O’Hare.


Review:

The Chase is a great addition to the brilliantly crafted Fox and O'Hare series by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg. This book takes readers along with Nick and Kate after former White House chief of staff, Carter Grove who's stolen more than meets the eye. The Chase dives further into Kate's relationship with Nick and gives us glimpse into Nick's past. 

The story and con in this book were good, not as great as in The Heist but they were still enjoyable to read. The book was full of great moments and some really funny scenes. My favorite thing about this book was getting to learn more about Nick's past as well as see his relationship with Kate move forward, if only a little. The two are not only a great team, but generally great together. As for Nick's past, lets just say it's as colorful as he is. We got to see some repeat characters return and meet new one's including Duff MacTaggert a key person in getting Nick into the con game.

The one problem I had with this book was the pacing. I found it to be rocky and slow in the middle. The start the book was good and then fell a little flat as Nick and Kate worked to steal back a rare Chinese artifact from a plane. The pace finally picked back up later when the duo moved on to hitting the man who stole the artifact in the first place and we were finally treated to a real con. 

There was a lot of character building in The Chase, which I enjoyed. I feel like this book did a lot for the characters, especially Nick and Kate. It built up a lot of what was started in the first book and gave readers a good look into how this team is going to work in the future. I am eager to see where their relationship goes from here and how their work together changes and molds over this series.

Overall The chase was a wonderful read. I wish that the pacing had been a little better but I know that in the next book that should be rectified. This was a good sequel to a great series and I am eagerly awaiting the third book in this series The Job.  

~Dawn

You can find my reviews for the other books in this series here:
The Shell Game
The Heist
The Job

The Shell Game Short Story Review

The Shell Game

Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

Rating (out of 5):5

Genre: General Fiction/Heist Fiction

Release Date: October 7, 2014

Series: Fox and O'Hare

Series Number: 0.5

Profanity: none

Violence: none

Sexual Content: none  

Age Recommendation: 16+

Author Website: http://www.evanovich.com/ and http://www.leegoldberg.com/


Summary:

It was love at first con. Find out how FBI Special Agent Kate O’Hare and con artist Nicolas Fox first met in this exclusive eBook original short story!

Con man Nick Fox is after Garson Klepper’s golden Peruvian relics. For Fox, convincing Klepper to hire him as security for the relocation of the relics to the Getty museum in L.A. was easy. Problem is, Fox wasn’t planning on Klepper also enlisting the help of the FBI. Fox also wasn’t planning on being paired up with rookie special agent Kate O’Hare. She’s smart, she’s tenacious, and when she’s conned, she holds a grudge. Life for Fox and O’Hare will never be the same again.

The Shell Game is a prequel to the riveting series from Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg, which continues with The Job on November 18.
   

Review:

The Shell Game is a short prequel to The Heist by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg intended to give readers a look at Kate and Nick's first meeting while simultaneously making fans of the series desperate to read the next full book, The Job.

It does it's job splendidly.

The Shell Game has the same witty tone as the other books, if it's a little light on the heist side of things (which as anyone who's read my reviews of heist books would know is my favorite part). That's not to say there isn't a heist running through the whole story, there just isn't enough time in this short story to fully flesh it out like it's done in the full novels. The aim of The Shell Game is to give readers something we never knew we needed before now, the story behind how Kate and Nick met.

I loved getting to see more of Kate and Nick, this story provided good incite into why they are so drawn to each other and the drive behind each one. The ending was particularly good for many reasons, leaving me with a giddy smile plastered on my face.

As a side note, I hope that a few of the characters who were introduced in this short story make an appearance in The Job, they were interesting and I'd love to see more of them.

Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg kept me laughing through the story and by the end the only thing I regretted was that it wasn't longer. The Shell Game is a great piece to introduce new readers to the Fox and O'Hare series and a must read for fans who are already in love with it.

~Dawn 

My reviews for other books in this series:

The first book in this series The Heist can be found here
The third book in this series The Job can be found here

The Heist Book Review

The Heist

Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg 

Rating (out of 5): 4.5

Genre: Mystery Fiction 

Release Date: June 18, 2013

Series:Fox and O'Hare

Series Volume: 1

Profanity: Mild

Violence: Mild

Sexual Content: No sex

Age Recommendation: Adult

Author Website:

http://www.evanovich.com/
http://www.leegoldberg.com/

Summary (From Amazon):
Nicolas Fox is an international con man, famous for running elaborate scams on very rich and powerful people. He knows that the FBI has been hot on his trail for years—particularly FBI Special Agent Kate O’Hare. But just when it seems that Fox has been captured for good, he pulls off his greatest con of all: He convinces the FBI to offer him a job, working side by side with O’Hare.

Their first assignment takes them to the side streets of Berlin, the California desert, and remote Indonesian islands as they team up to catch Derek Griffin, a corrupt investment banker charged with stealing millions from his clients. Finding Griffin on his private island is going to test O’Hare’s patience and Fox’s skill. High-speed chases, pirates, and Toblerone bars are all in a day’s work . . . if O’Hare and Fox don’t kill each other first.

Review:

This is my second Janet Evanovich book and I must say that I was much happier with this one than the first that I read by her. As for Lee Goldberg I love the series Monk so I figured I couldn't go wrong with him co-writing. I chose The Heist based on the fact that I'm a sucker for a good con and a coworker recommended it.

I was not disappointed. This book had me laughing from the get go and only let up long enough to allow me to fall for Nick and grow to like Kate enough to cheer her on.

Kate O’Hare is an ex-Navy SEAL turned FBI agent. She’s tougher than most men and eat just as much as them as well. She's take charge, but still somehow always manages to get food on her shirt. She's made it her mission to catch Nicolas Fox. Nick is a natural con man and the harder the con, the more enjoyment he gets out of it. When he's finally caught by Kate he manages to talk (or should I say con?) his way into working for the FBI instead of going to jail. He is teamed up with Kate and the two are sent off to catch the elusive Derek Griffin. The story is an lighthearted read and doesn't take too long to get through, but is still highly enjoyable. The con/heist isn't laid out in a 'wow I never would have figured that out' kind of way but explained as the book and characters pull it off and plan it. Though there were still plenty of clever moments that made me smile, especially during the first half of the book while Nick was pulling off a pretty funny heist.

The characters are funny and varied as Nick and Kate build their crew. The two most notable (and loveable) were the flamboyant actor Boyd Capwell and adrenaline junky Wilma Owens aka Willie. Boyd's acting had me in fits of laughter while Willie is just crazy enough to make you fall in love with her. Kate's father was by far my favorite additional character. After all, who won't love a dad who can kill a man 16 different ways with a pair of tweezers and who's idea of a care package includes very explosive toys. I really hope to see more of them in later books.

The story is fast paced and never gets very confusing. It is fairly simple and not too complicated, but a book as fun as this really doesn't need to be. The story has fun twists and turns while throwing the characters in crazy situations and pulling them out in ways just as insane.

I listened to this as an Audio book and really enjoyed Scott Brick's reading. His voice was pleasant and he pulled off a variety of different voices well, though he was not as varied as I've heard other people read. I was able to keep up with the story well and didn't get lost while listening.  

Over all this is a great fun read. If you need a quick easy laugh or if you enjoy a good heist pick up this book.

~Dawn

My review for the prequel short story The Shell Game can be found here