Early Review of The Scam ( Fox and O'Hare # 4) by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

Title: The Scam: A Fox and O'Hare Novel
Classification: Adult Fiction
Genre: Mystery/Romantic Suspense
Series: Fox and O'Hare (Book 4)
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Bantam (September 15, 2015)
ISBN-10: 0345543165
ISBN-13: 978-0345543165
Janet Evanovich's website: http://www.evanovich.com/
Lee Goldberg's website: http://www.leegoldberg.com/
Notes: Received an eARC loan from the publisher for review purposes.


Kate O'Hare is an FBI agent wrapped up in a rather enticing package. She's smart, beautiful, strong, and able to use all that to her advantage when going after her target. Growing up in a family of strong military men who wished to impart some of their knowledge to her, they had her throwing grenades and shooting guns at a very young age. She can take a punch and give one without breaking a nail. She's the only agent to bring down the notorious Nicolas Fox and she'd be every bad boys dream if only she wasn't  a straight-laced by-the-book FBI agent.

Nicolas Fox is the opposite of Kate in almost every respect. He's good-looking, charming, laid-back, and could lie his way into or out of anything with the proper incentive thrown at him. Lately, Kate has been the center of his attention. While he may never truly get the craving for the thrill of the con out of his system, he's now using his powers for good, and keeping his boredom at bay by targeting people on the wrong side of the law. Working with Kate as part of the plea bargain he made with the FBI, their latest assignment is to bring down Evan Trace.

Evan Trace owns several boutique casinos in Las Vegas and Macau that launder money for terrorists, mobsters, drug lords, etc. The FBI has no doubt that some of those funds have been used to finance acts of terrorism against the United States which is why he's being targeted. Evan is sharp as a whip and ruthless with no qualms about eliminating anyone who gets in his way or double crosses him. Kate and Nick will have to try to keep one step ahead of him in order to take him out and put an end to his illegal dealings.

This was another fun, fly by the seat of your pants wild ride, er, read and the fourth installment of the Fox and O'Hare series. In this book, Kate and Nick have to do some fast talking and fancy footwork to keep ahead of the game. What looks like a straight forward con soon becomes complicated when someone fingers them as not being who they say they are. Twists and turns ensue, and the scam they devised needs to quickly be revised to spread a much larger net then they previously intended. Guns go off, explosions are had, bad guys abound, and.....well, you'll have to read to find out more. *smirk*

With a fast pace, loads of humor, and a chemistry between Kate and Nick that is fun to watch, I gave this one 4 out of 5 roses. Be forewarned, however, that the book has a killer cliff hanger ending that made me want the next book yesterday. If you're looking for a lighthearted read that will leave you in a good mood, then I recommend you check this one out. Oh, and is it just me or does anyone else gets the urge to eat a Toblerone after reading this one? *smile*

Notes to Keep You in the Know:

Talk about timing... recently, a heist in Macau transpired where millions went missing. The scam perpetrated reportedly involved a casino junket. You can read more at: http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/30/asia/macau-junket-missing-millions/

"Lying 65km to the west of Hong Kong, Macau is a city of duality. Its fortresses, churches and the culinary traditions of its former Portuguese colonial masters speak to a uniquely Mediterranean style on the China coast. These are intermixed with the customs, alleys, temples and shrines of its Chinese heritage. On the other hand, the Special Administrative Region (SAR) of Macau is the ‘Vegas of the East’, the only place in China where gambling is legal.

Taipa was once two islands that were slowly joined together by silt from the Pearl River. A similar physical joining has happened to Taipa and Coloane because of land reclamation from the sea. The new strip of land joining the two islands is known as Cotai (from Co-loane and Tai-pa). Taipa has rapidly urbanised and it’s hard to imagine that just a few decades ago it was an island of duck farms and boat yards. The small island of Coloane was a haven for pirates until 1910. Today it retains Macau’s old way of life, though luxurious villas are finding their way onto the island."

To learn more about Macau and see pictures, visit http://www.lonelyplanet.com/china/macau (website where the above information was found.)

Order of the series:

Short stories associated with the series:

Early Review of The Job (Fox and O'Hare, #3) by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

Title: The Job: A Fox and O'Hare Novel

Classification: Adult Fiction

Genre: Mystery
Series: Fox and O'Hare
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Bantam (November 18, 2014)
ISBN-10: 0345543122
ISBN-13: 978-0345543127

Authors' Websites:
Janet Evanovich - http://www.evanovich.com/
Lee Goldberg - http://www.leegoldberg.com/

Notes: I received an eARC loan from the publisher.

Special Agent Kate O'Hare is once again about to team up with her former arch rival, criminal mastermind, Nicholas Fox. Paired together by the FBI, they've been recruited for a series of under-the-table missions to go after a class of criminals that operate outside the reach of the law. People who are so rich and powerful that they can manipulate the legal system so they never have to answer for their crimes, assuming that they're ever caught. This time, however, the case takes on a personal note. Lester Menendez is a smart, vicious, and sadistic drug lord who enjoys torturing and playing with his victims before killing them. If he finds your services no longer needed you more than likely will meet with an agonizing death. Menendez believes, like the Boy Scouts, in leaving no trace. Menendez, however, has expanded that to include anyone who could recognize or pin something on him. He's like a ghost which everyone knows about, but is invisible in many ways. No photographs, fingerprints, or DNA evidence exists to link him to his crimes.

When one of Fox's former team members alerts him of the death of her brother at Menendez's hand, he and Kate decide it's time for Menendez to be taken down. With the unofficial support of the FBI behind them, they're about to take down one of the world's most wanted, elusive, and dangerous criminals or die trying, 

This is the third book of the Fox and O'Hare series and once again Evanovich and Goldberg have created a wonderful and highly entertaining story that has you wondering what will happen next while laughing your you know what off. In this book, Fox and Kate pose as a married couple who have found sunken treasure on the high seas and need someone to secretly bankroll the operation to retrieve the treasure without anyone being the wiser. Know your mark is the first rule of thumb a con man learns and Nick Fox is no novice in the art of conning. He'll use what he knows about Menendez to capture the man.

So what makes this series special besides the incredibly intricate and funny cons? Well, part of it is the underlying sexual tension between Fox and O'Hare. Kate is a straight laced, by-the-book type of agent who never deviated far from what is right. Nick's influence, however, is starting to wear off on her and he's slowly corrupting her, but in what appears to be a good way. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall when Nick and the FBI hashed out their plan to use him to go after the criminals who were untouchable. I can't help but think if Nick truly wanted to get out of anywhere he could have managed it on his own. He strikes me as an overly intelligent rich man who was bored and found pleasure in conning people. Not quite a Robin Hood, but I have a feeling as the series progresses, we're going to find out many more surprising things about Nick. I think the Topkapi Daggar theft, is only the cutting edge of what is to be revealed.

Another aspect of the series I love is all the little trivia like facts that are included within each story. I actually watched one episode of the Man from Atlantis and didn't realize at the time it was Patrick Duffy who played the main character. Plus, many of the artifacts, such as the Topkapi Dagger, actually exist. Others, such as the sunken ship, Nuestra Senora de Santa Maria, have a slightly altered name and history from what I can only guess to be their real-life counterparts. While I could find nothing on the Nuestra Señora de Santa Maria, a ship bearing the name Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, which sank off Cape Santa Maria in Portugal, had a similar lawsuit which was won by the Spanish government against the salvage team who found and recovered its treasure.

Overall, I gave this one 4 out of 5 roses. It well paced, funny, and smartly written. I love the chemistry between Nick and Kate and hope we'll see this relationship evolve in the near future. I look forward to the next installment of this series and the next crazy scam these two will pull in the name of justice. Definitely the type of series I recommend reading to put you in a good mood.

Notes to Keep You in the Know:
To learn more about the Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, check out the following link to an article by CNN on the lawsuit:
http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/01/world/europe/spain-u-s--treasure-dispute/

Order of the series:

Short stories associated with the series:

The Heist (Fox and O'Hare #1) by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

Title: The Heist: A Novel (Fox and O'Hare)
Series: Fox and O'Hare  

Classification: Adult Fiction 

Genre: Mystery/Romantic Suspense 

Format: Hardcover; 320 pages
Publisher: Bantam; 1st Printing edition (June 18, 2013)
ISBN-10: 0345543041
ISBN-13: 978-0345543042 

Notes: I bought a copy and received an ARC at BEA.

FBI Special Agent Kate O'Hare is a woman who lives and breathes her job. For the past several years her job has been to hunt, find and stop a criminal mastermind--Nick Fox--whose creative, innovative and over-the-top schemes have conned millions from unsuspecting wealthy victims. Every time Kate gets close to nabbing the infuriating man, he slips from her grasp like the slippery snake that he is. Learning from her mistakes and goaded by the man who dared to breach her hotel room and raid her minibar while she was off looking for him, she's determined this time she'll get her man. Once she's got him, however, the sweet thrill of victory will be short lived as her life will take an unexpected twist...

     “Okay, now I am really confused,” Kate said. “We’re going to be chasing him?” 

     “Of course,” Bolton said. “He’s a federal fugitive.” 

     “But we’re the ones who set him free,” Kate said. “He’ll be out there doing missions for us.” 

     “We don’t know that,” Jessup said. 

     “Yes, we do,” Kate said. “That’s the deputy director of the FBI sitting next to you.” 

     “It was worth getting arrested just for this moment,” Nick said. 

     “Fox is still going to be on our Most Wanted list,” Bolton said to Kate, “and every agent except you will be on the lookout for him.” 

     “What will I be doing?” she asked. 

     “Keeping him from getting caught,” Bolton said. “While pretending to be pursuing him, of course.” 

     

This is the first book in a new series written by the dynamic duo of Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg. It contains Ms. Evanovich's trademark sense of humor, and while the outlandish situations she tends to create for her character are still present, they've been slightly tamed (I dare guess by Mr. Goldberg's influence) giving it a more realistic and sophisticated feel. I didn't think I could love anything created by Ms. Evanovich more than her Stephanie Plum series, but after reading this one, I believe I was just proved wrong. Of course, teaming Ms. Evanovich up with the very talented Lee Goldberg (the creator of the Monk series) was utter brilliance.

Kate O'Hare is a smart, beautiful, by-the-book agent who doesn't play well with others. An ex-Navy SEAL, she's got a quick temper which got her honorably discharged when she decked her commanding officer after he tried to cop a feel. She's dedicated herself to truth, justice, and the American way. Okay, not quite superman, but she runs a close second. *smirk* She's also obsessed with taking down one of the FBI's 10 most wanted fugitives, Nick Fox. A man she's willing to take down dead or alive.

Nick Fox lives up to his name, as he's clever and has a prize winning combination of personality, good looks, wit and charm that can steal the rug right our from under you while you thank him for the privilege--that is, until you come to your senses and realize what he's done. By that time, however, he's long gone. His IQ has got to rate in the genius level, and he reminds me of  Frank Abagnale Jr who was played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie 'Catch Me If You Can'. His love of messing with Kate is second only to his love of planning and executing the perfect heist. Ironically, he finds himself attracted to the smart young woman who seems to be able to keep up with him on a mental level that few can. She, however, is off-limits for obvious reasons.

For their first mission together, Kate and Nick have been assigned to take down Derick Griffin, a big-time investment banker who went into hiding after making off with five hundred million dollars of his client's money. They need to uncover his location, locate the stolen money, and steal it back before he knows what happened. And they need to do it without anyone else being the wiser. With two such mismatched individuals working together you can bet you're in for a fun time.

This one gets a full 5 out of 5 roses from me. With humor, suspense, action and a dash of a possible romance-in-the-making, this ones has the perfect blend for one delightful new series. I highly recommend this one. I'm forgoing my Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale because this one wasn't so much aimed at romance as setting the building blocks for what could be one delectable delightfully complicated relationship.

Notorious Nineteen (Stephanie Plum #19) by Janet Evanovich

• Title: Notorious Nineteen: A Stephanie Plum Novel
• Classification: Adult Fiction
• Genre: Romantic Suspense/Comedy
• Format: Hardcover, 320 pages
• Publisher: Bantam; 1st Printing edition (November 20, 2012)
• ISBN-10: 0345527747
• ISBN-13: 978-0345527745
• Author's Website: http://www.evanovich.com/

"I need a date," Ranger said.

My voice ratcheted up an octave. "You want me to get you a date?"

"No. I want you to be my date. I have to attend a black tie event, and I need someone watching my  back."

Stephanie is once again strapped for cash, and Ranger knows just what buttons to push when he offers to pay Stephanie to be his body guard. He originally asked her to be his date, but later turned the invitation into a job offer. One of his best friends is getting married, and both he and his friend have been threatened. After making it perfectly clear she won't be falling for his masculine charms, she agrees. She insists, "I may be ready to have a committed adult relationship."  So she's determined to resist the irresistible man because she's committed to her relationship with Morelli.

While getting some income from Ranger will help things, there is a big bounty to be had on a skip, Geoffrey Cubbin, who disappeared from the hospital shortly after an operation. Desperate for a big payout Stephanie decides to play detective to find out what happened to the man. The odds the man left on his own are minute and the odds that no one saw anything seems even less likely, yet the staff insist they saw nothing and the surveillance video seems to back up their claims. Will Stephanie prove to be a better PI than bounty hunter?

This is the nineteenth book of the Stephanie Plum novels, and I admit to still being a huge fan. In this book, we learn a little bit more about Ranger as we get to meet one of his old army buddies who is getting married. After reading this book, I can't help but feel Ranger's feelings for Stephanie run deeper than she realizes. The fiance of Ranger's best friend even stated that she thought for sure they were a couple. She even went so far as to say it had to do with the way Ranger looked at her. While I don't want the series to end, I would love for the love triangle to finally be resolved.

My top ten reason's why Stephanie should end up with Ranger:

10) Morelli needs to mature a little. He doesn't seem ready to make a commitment. I think Ranger's ready, able, and willing.

9) Grandma Bella (Seriously, need I say more?)

8) Morelli had his shot, and he's done nothing with it. Time to move on.

7) As Stephanie claims, Ranger is "magic."

6)  As Ranger has stated Morelli is stupid for letting him anywhere near Stephanie.

5)  If Morelli was the 'one', Ranger wouldn't turn Stephanie's  head or curl her toes.

4) Um, we're talking Ranger. I mean really think of the whole package.

3) He gives her space to be who she is and doesn't try to confine her.

2) He's always there for her.

1) He "gets her" like Morelli never will and will never try to change her. He loves her just the way she is.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. It gets a 4 out of 5 roses from me. I love the silly and crazy way Stephanie will do what she must to take down a skip. I love how Ranger is always there to save her and bail her out. Plus, I love the mystery as to what happened to Geoffrey Cubbin and how Stephanie helped solve it. Things got a little intense, but I enjoyed how things got shaken up a bit. Could Ranger finally be ready to make a move? I sure hope so. I guess the next book will tell.

Explosive Eighteen (Stephanie Plum, #18) by Janet Evanovich

• Title: Explosive Eighteen: A Stephanie Plum Novel (Stephanie Plum Novels)
• Classification: Adult Fiction
• Genre: Romantic Suspense / Comedy
• Format: Hardcover, 320 pages
• Publisher: Bantam; 1 edition (November 22, 2011)
• ISBN-10: 0345527712
• ISBN-13: 978-0345527714
• Author's Website:  http://www.evanovich.com/
• 
  

"I'm always amazed at the way life plays out. How so often single decisions sets people on an irreversible journey."

Upon returning from her dream vacation, that wasn't, a dream that is, Stephanie finds she's somehow managed to pick up somebody else's photograph. Thinking it wasn't important and that she would never be able to find its owner, she threw the photo away. Unfortunately for her, the photo was more important than she could have ever imagined. People are searching for it and are willing to do whatever it takes to get their hands on it, including killing anyone who gets in there way.

Meanwhile Stephanie is being closed mouthed about what happened on her not so dream worthy Hawaiian vacation. We know it involved Marelli, Ranger, a ring that left a white ban around her otherwise tanned ring finger, and caused her to come home early and the 'boys' to be detained after they got into a fight. So the questions on everyone's mind is did she get engaged and/or married and, as the ring is nowhere to be found, what happened and with whom?

This was basically the same song, different dance from Ms. Evanovich. Every now and then, however, it's nice to add another Stephanie Plum book to your stack. Still plenty of laughs and good times to be had. This one, however, left off with an unanswered question. Early on in the book, Lula asks Stephanie if she could be pregnant? So the question on my mind is will we be hearing the pitter patter of little feet in an upcoming book and, if so, who's the daddy? I think it would be a riot if Stephanie ended up pregnant. Would She finally be forced to choose between Morelli and Ranger? Would the guys abandon her or would they each step up to the plate? Of course my ultimate fav would be for Stephanie to end up with twins, one from Ranger and one from Morelli. Hey, that kind of stuff has happened in real life, and with Stephanie's luck it would happen to her.

If I had to create a theme song for this one, I'd probably pick the music to 'Homecoming Queen's Got a Gun' by Julie Brown. I would, however, change the lyrics to something like, "Everybody run, Lula bought a rocket launcher at a yard sale in the projects just for fun." lol

Overall I gave this one 3 out of 5 roses. It was a little too predictable, but still a fun read. On the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one scored a BLUSH rating--at the beginning stages of romance where something is just starting to be stirred. I still adore Stephanie and hope we don't see the end of this series any time soon. I just hope Ms. Evanovich stirs things up a little bit in her next book. Wouldn't if be funny if one of the guys cars blew up and it had nothing to do with Stephanie? What if Stephanie lost her memory, and liked Ranger more than Morelli (yes, I'm team Ranger) or thought she was Lulu? The possibilities are endless. I say go a little crazy Ms. Evanovich. Let Stephanie live a little and take a walk on the wild side.