The Heist: A Novel (Fox and O'Hare)
Evanovich has top billing here, but she gets some solid support from screenwriter and crime novelist Goldberg, whose own take on comedy and crime, evident in the wacky TV crime series Monk and books like My Gun Has Bullets (1995), matches Evanovich’s over-the-top style to a tee. Their first book in the new Fox and O’Hare series is a near-seamless demonstration of their talents. Readers will have no trouble recognizing hallmarks of Evanovich’s hugely popular Stephanie Plum books: a tough-talking gal heroine with a soft side; a sexy male costar; a wacky bunch of supporting characters; and plenty of flirty banter. The setup is ludicrous fun that demands total suspension of disbelief (no surprise there). Straitlaced FBI agent Kate O’Hare has devoted most of her career to catching internationally known confidence man, tricky Nick Fox. When she actually does it, she’s horrified to realize she doesn’t know what to do next. She doesn’t have long to think about it though, as Nick escapes, and when she finds him, he’s working for the FBI! His job: catch another con man who has made off with millions. After all, who better to catch a crook than another crook? Kate’s not quite sure, but she’s game to work alongside Nick, whose charms she finds difficult to deny. Together with help from new friends, the pair mounts an elaborate con that takes them from the American desert to an Indonesian island. With lots of face punching, international travel, and a few set-tos with modern-day pirates, it’s all good nonsense, which promises more of the same in future episodes. --Stephanie Zvirin