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Sunday, June 8, 2014

The Heist by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

Authors: Janet Evanovich & Lee Goldberg
Publisher: Bantam Dell
Date of publication: June 2013

FBI Special Agent Kate O’Hare is known for her fierce dedication and discipline on the job, chasing down the world’s most wanted criminals and putting them behind bars. Her boss thinks she is tenacious and ambitious; her friends think she is tough, stubborn, and maybe even a bit obsessed. And while Kate has made quite a name for herself for the past five years, the only name she’s cared about is Nicolas Fox—an international crook she wants in more ways than one.

Audacious, handsome, and dangerously charming, Nicolas Fox is a natural con man, notorious for running elaborate scams on very high-profile people. At first he did it for the money. Now he does it for the thrill. He knows that the FBI has been hot on his trail—particularly Kate O’Hare, who has been watching his every move. For Nick, there’s no greater rush than being pursued by a beautiful woman . . . even one who aims to lock him up. But just when it seems that Nicolas 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 Special Agent Kate O’Hare.

I am a huge fan of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, well at least up until about book 13.  I also was a huge fan of the TV Show "Monk", which Lee Goldberg was a writer for.  Put these two authors together and you have the potential for a hugely funny and madcap adventure.  Thankfully, they pulled it off in The Heist. I thought this book was hilarious and found myself laughing out loud constantly.  The in-jokes and circumstances that Kate and Nick find themselves in kept the book fresh and engaging.

I loved Kate because she is a kick-ass agent who isn't TSTL and not really afraid of doing whatever it takes to get the job done.  I also loved Nick.  He reminded me of Neal Caffrey from the TV show "White Collar".  Very smart, sexy and always got a con up his sleeve.  The chemistry between the two was just right in a not annoying way.  My only hope is that as the series goes along we won't constantly get a "will they or won't they" scenario.  That will get old fast.  I think that is what got tiring for me with the Stephanie Plum series.

The peripheral characters added a lot of comic relief to the story.  I really hope that they show up in later books.  I loved Willy and her honesty.  I also loved Kate's father and their relationship.  The cons were fun to watch unfold, especially when things went wrong.  

If you haven't given this one a shot yet, I highly recommend it.  It was a lot of fun and I have The Chase on my TBR Pile priority list so stay tuned!

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