The heist: a novel

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.--Zvirin, Stephanie Copyright 2010 Booklist

The chronicler of Stephanie Plum (Notorious Nineteen, 2012, etc.) teams up with screenwriter Goldberg (Mr. Monk Goes to Germany, 2008, etc.) to kick off a lighthearted new series pairing an FBI agent with the con artist who's been her chronic prey. When nonpareil scam-meister Nicolas Fox escapes from custody shortly after Special Agent Kate O'Hare finally hauls him off to jail, she begs to be put back on his case. But there's a great reason she isn't: The Feds want her to partner with Nick in tracking down playboy investment banker Derek Griffin and retrieving the $500 million of his company's money he took with him. Kate and Nick assemble a crew as dutifully as the cast of Mission: Impossible for the caper, and soon, rock-bottom thespian Boyd Capwell, Texas trucker Wilma Owens and special-effects tech Chet Kershaw are setting up a sting to trick Neal Burnside, Griffin's scalawag attorney, into revealing his boss' whereabouts. Since every other FBI agent in America is hunting for Nick, Kate's career, maybe even her freedom, depends on shielding him from all her colleagues. So it's nice for them both when Griffin turns out to be lying low in Indonesia, where pirates roam the seas unchecked and extradition treaties are no more than a pipe dream but at least the landscape is clear of other FBI types. Kate plots to bag Griffin and the loot; Nick dreams of getting into Kate's pants and taking off with the money himself. The duo is meant to be as adorably romantic as Nick and Nora, but the only elements missing to make their adventure a sitcom are a laugh track and some laughs. Amiable international intrigue that's less James Bond than Matt Helm.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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. Copyright 2013 Booklist Reviews.