A Review of Curious Minds by Janet Evanovich and Phoef Sutton

Curious Minds: A Knight and Moon Novel

by Janet Evanovich and Phoef Sutton

Janet Evanovich and Phoef Sutton make a good writing team. I have enjoyed reading all of their collaborative series. Curious Minds is the beginning of what promises to be another fun one. I got the same vibe from this book as I had when I read some of the Lizzy and Diesel books. I’m not saying that the characters are much alike, just that I get the same feeling.

Emerson Knight doesn’t have any of the same mystical powers that Diesel has, but, then again, there might be a little something going on there, and Riley Moon is not anything like Lizzy. She is nearly the exact opposite of Lizzy. Riley is a fiery redhead from Texas and once she lets loose, you better not be in her way.

But Emerson and Riley work well together. They have some of that classic Evanovich heat going on between them too, but we have to wait until the next book to really see where that goes.

Curious Minds had me engaged. I had trouble putting it down. The characters were fun and the action was fast. What more can you ask for?

I give Curious Minds 4 Stars out of 5 and a Big Thumbs Up! I think that Janet Evanovich and Phoef Sutton have another winner.

I received a Digital Review Copy from the Publisher.

Book Description

Janet Evanovich, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Stephanie Plum series, teams up with Emmy-winning writer Phoef Sutton for a brand-new series of mysteries featuring Emerson Knight and Riley Moon, a dynamic duo with instant and undeniable chemistry.

Emerson Knight is introverted, eccentric, and has little to no sense of social etiquette. Good thing he’s also brilliant, rich, and (some people might say) handsome, or he’d probably be homeless. Riley Moon has just graduated from Harvard Business and Harvard Law. Her aggressive Texas spitfire attitude has helped her land her dream job as a junior analyst with mega-bank Blane-Grunwald. At least Riley Moonthought it was her dream job, until she is given her first assignment: babysitting Emerson Knight.

What starts off as an inquiry about missing bank funds in the Knight account leads to inquiries about a missing man, missing gold, and a life-and-death race across the country. Through the streets of Washington, D.C., and down into the underground vault of the Federal Reserve in New York City, an evil plan is exposed. A plan so sinister that only a megalomaniac could think it up, and only the unlikely duo of the irrepressibly charming Emerson Knight and the tenacious Riley Moon can stop it.

Book Details

Series: Knight and Moon (Book 1)
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Bantam (August 16, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0553392689
ISBN-13: 978-0553392685
Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.1 x 9.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds

About the Authors

Janet Evanovich is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Stephanie Plum series, the Fox and O’Hare series with co-author Lee Goldberg, the Knight and Moon series, and the Lizzy and Diesel series as well as twelve romance novels, the Alexandra Barnaby novels, Troublemaker graphic novel, and How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author.

Phoef Sutton was born in Washington DC. He cut his eye teeth as a playwright, but first made a living as a writer in TV. He worked on the classic NBC series CHEERS for eight years, and went on to write movies (THE FAN, MRS. WINTERBOURNE) and also serve as consulting producer and writer for BOSTON LEGAL and TERRIERS. He lives in South Pasadena, CA and Vinalhaven ME with his wife and two daughters.

A Review of The Scam by Janet Evanovich & Lee Goldberg

The Scam (Fox and O’Hare #4)

by Janet Evanovich & Lee Goldberg

The Fox and O’Hare series reminds me of the Ocean 11, 12 etc. film series, but with a twist. The crooks are working for the FBI. They run a scam trying to bring down the bad guys.

I enjoy this series. The writing team of Evanovich and Goldberg work as well together as their fictional team of Fox and O’Hare. They keep the action fast paced and pretty believable. It feels like it really could happen this way. Fox and O’Hare are fairly well developed, but most of the supporting cast are pretty much there just to fulfill a task. They are brought in to do a job and they do what they have to do without intruding too much into the action. If you have been reading the series, you will know most of them from previous books, if not it won’t matter. Everything still works just fine.

One thing I really like about this series is that it is a true series, not a serialized book. The whole story is told in this one book. You can pick it up and read it as if it was a stand-alone book. Then once all the loose ends are tied up, they add one more chapter. The last chapter adds a cliffhanger. Something happens in the final chapter that lets you know where the next book will start, but it isn’t a continuation of the current book. It’s kind of like a preview shown at the end of a television show. Kudos!

The Scam is another fun, sexy, action-filled, fast-paced, addition to possibly my favorite Janet Evanovich series. I think the writing team approach to this series really works well. I look forward to reading the next book, and hope that it will be here soon.

I give The Scam 4 1/2 Stars out of 5, and A Big Thumbs Up! If you have read any of Janet Evanovich’s books, I’m sure you will like this one. If you like heist or con-man type movies, give this book a read; you will have fun.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Book Description

Nicolas Fox is a charming con man and master thief on the run. Kate O’Hare is the FBI agent who is hot on his trail. At least that’s what everyone thinks. In reality, Fox and O’Hare are secretly working together to bring down super-criminals the law can’t touch. Criminals like brutal casino magnate Evan Trace.

Evan Trace is running a money-laundering operation through his casino in Macau. Some of his best customers are mobsters, dictators, and global terrorists. Nick and Kate will have to go deep undercover as high-stakes gamblers, wagering millions of dollars—and their lives—in an attempt to topple Trace’s empire.

It’s a scam that will take Fox and O’Hare from the Las Vegas strip, to the sun-soaked beaches of Oahu’s North Shore, and into the dark back alleys of Macau. Their only backup—a self-absorbed actor, a Somali pirate, and Kate’s father, an ex-soldier who believes a rocket launcher is the best way to solve every problem. What could possibly go wrong?

Book Details

Series: Fox and O’Hare (Book 4)
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Bantam (September 15, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0345543165
ISBN-13: 978-0345543165
Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1 x 9.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces

About the Authors

Photo: © Roland Scarpa

Janet Evanovich is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Stephanie Plum series, the Fox and O’Hare series with co-author Lee Goldberg, the Lizzy and Diesel series, the Alexandra Barnaby novels and Troublemaker graphic novel, and How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author.

 

 

 

Photo: © Roland Scarpa

Lee Goldberg is a screenwriter, TV producer, and the author of several books, including King City, The Walk, and the bestselling Monk series of mysteries. He has earned two Edgar Award nominations and was the 2012 recipient of the Poirot Award from Malice Domestic.

A Review of Wicked Charms by Janet Evanovich and Phoef Sutton

Wicked Charms: A Lizzy and Diesel Novel

by Janet Evanovich and Phoef Sutton

I always enjoy reading the latest book from Janet Evanovich, whether it’s one of the books from the Stephanie Plum series or the Fox and O’Hare series or this one, the Wicked series with Lizzy and Diesel. We first met Lizzy and Diesel in the Stephanie Plumb (Numbers) series, but they work much better in their own series since magic and “special abilities” really aren’t a part of the Numbers series. This book takes place in Salem, Massachusetts, and continues the quest that started in the first of the Wicked Books. Each of the books are complete in and of themselves; this isn’t a serial novel, but it helps to understand the story and characters if you read them in order.

Ms. Evanovich has teamed up with Phoef Sutton to write this book, but that doesn’t do anything to detract from the writing; in fact this may be the best book in the series. I think that Wicked Charms finally fulfilled the promise of this series. The story is funny, but still exciting; and the various characters are really coming into their own. In some ways, I am starting to look forward to seeing what Lizzy and Diesel are up to more than what Stephanie’s next adventure will be.

The Wicked series is a bit different. It combines a dose of magic and “special abilities” to a cozy mystery. Then there is the Janet Evanovich style of romantic interest and humor. All of this is mixed in just the correct proportions. What comes out is a very funny, sexy, lighthearted, supernatural, mystery; that can be enjoyed by either sex. If this sounds like something you might like to read, I would suggest that you start with the first book in the series, Wicked Appetite.

I give Wicked Charms 4 1/2 Stars out of 5 and a Big Thumbs Up! Read it, you will have fun.

I received a Digital Review Copy from the publisher.

Book Description

Lizzy and Diesel are back in an all-new wicked adventure from #1 New York Times bestselling author Janet Evanovich and Emmy Award–winning co-author Phoef Sutton.

Murdered and mummified nearly a century ago, notorious bootlegger Collier “Peg Leg” Dazzle discovered and re-hid a famous pirate’s treasure somewhere along the coast of New England. A vast collection of gold and silver coins and precious gems, the bounty also contains the Stone of Avarice—the very item reluctant treasure seeker Lizzy Tucker and her partner, Diesel, have been enlisted to find. While Lizzy would just like to live a quiet, semi-normal life, Diesel is all about the hunt. And this hunt is going to require a genuine treasure map and a ship worthy of sailing the seven seas . . . or at least getting them from Salem Harbor to Maine.

Greed is eternal and insatiable, and Lizzy and Diesel aren’t the only ones searching for the lost pirate’s chest. People who have dedicated their entire lives to finding it are willing to commit murder or make a deal with the devil just to hold the fortune in their hands. One of those people may even be Wulf, Diesel’s deceptively charming and enigmatic cousin. Wulf desires the Stone of Avarice. He also desires Lizzy. It’s hard to say how far he’s willing to go to gain either one.

Wicked Charms is a swashbuckling adventure full of raiders, monkeys, minions, and mayhem. Lizzy and Diesel are going to have to do everything they can to keep their heads above water and hope they’re living a charmed life.

Book Details

Series: Lizzy & Diesel (Book 3)
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Bantam (June 23, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0553392719
ISBN-13: 978-0553392715
Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.1 x 9.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds

About the Authors

Janet Evanovich is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Stephanie Plum series, the Fox and O’Hare series with co-author Lee Goldberg, the Lizzy and Diesel series, twelve romance novels, the Alexandra Barnaby novels and Troublemaker graphic novel, and How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author.

Phoef Sutton is a writer, producer, and novelist who has written for shows such as Cheers, News Radio, and Boston Legal. Sutton is also the winner of two Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe, and a Peabody Award.

A Review of The Job by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

The Job (A Fox and O’Hare Novel)

by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

Did you like the previous books in the Fox and O’Hare series? If you did, then you will like this one too. Special Agent Kate O’Hare and charming con man Nicolas Fox are back together, traveling the world, and taking down the bad guys. The Job is a very straight line adventure-thriller. There is some mystery, but not much. Mainly Fox and O’Hare have to figure out who the bad guy is, and then come up with an elaborate con, to take him down. All the while, everyone except O’Hare and her boss, is trying to capture Fox, and throw him in jail.

The story is good. It’s fast paced, has a lot of entertaining action, but no real plot twists. You pretty much know what is going to happen, and it does. I had hoped for more. I like to be puzzled. I like to think I have it a figured out, but then to have it be something entirely different. I like plot twists. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed The Job, and had trouble putting it down, but I had wanted more. It just seemed that everything worked out too well and too easily.

I give The Job 3 1/2 Stars out of 5. If you like fast paced books, with a complicated sting operation and a little romantic tension, then you will love The Job.

I received a Digital Review Copy from NetGalley.com.

Book Description

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.

Book Details

Series: Fox and O’Hare
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Bantam (November 18, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0345543122
ISBN-13: 978-0345543127
Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.1 x 9.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds

About the Authors

Janet Evanovich is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Stephanie Plum series, the Lizzy and Diesel series, twelve romance novels, the Alexandra Barnaby novels and Trouble Maker graphic novel, and How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author, as well as the Fox and O’Hare series with co-author Lee Goldberg.

Lee Goldberg is a screenwriter, TV producer, and the author of several books, including King City, The Walk, and the bestselling Monk series of mysteries. He has earned two Edgar Award nominations and was the 2012 recipient of the Poirot Award from Malice Domestic.

A Review of The Chase: A Novel by Janet Evanovich & Goldberg Lee

The Chase: A Novel (Fox and O’Hare)
by Janet Evanovich & Goldberg Lee

The Chase is a fun, fast-paced, con and heist type book. It’s a quick read, a perfect book to take on that Caribbean cruise. This series from Evanovich and Lee has a lot of potential. The Chase is book 2 in the series. It’s very outlandish and over the top, so it has some of the humor of the Stephanie Plum series, but not that flat-out, laughing out loud kind of humor.

The main characters, FBI agent, Kate O’Hare and con man, Nicolas Fox, are likable and just slightly larger than life. They seem to feel similar to the duo in the TV series, “White Collar”. The difference here, is the addition of a sexual tension, since O’Hare is a female FBI agent, and both Fox and O’Hare are young and physically attractive. The supporting cast is a fun-filled bunch with idiosyncratic personalities and some of them have quite exaggerated mannerisms. They liven up the story quite a bit. I expect that most of them will be permanent fixtures in the upcoming books in this series.

The Chase was an enjoyable novel, and I give it 4 Stars out of 5. I recommend it to anyone looking for a fun, light-hearted adventure story. If you like Janet Evanovich’s other books, you will enjoy this one too.

I received this Digital Review Copy for free from NetGalley.com.

Book Description
Release date: February 25, 2014

Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg, New York Times 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.

Product Details
Series: Fox and O’Hare
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Bantam (February 25, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0345543084
ISBN-13: 978-0345543080
Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pound

About the Author

Janet Evanovich is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Stephanie Plum series, the Lizzy and Diesel series, twelve romance novels, the Alexandra Barnaby novels and Trouble Maker graphic novel, and How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author, as well as the Fox and O’Hare series with co-author Lee Goldberg.

Lee Goldberg is a screenwriter, TV producer, and the author of several books, including King City, The Walk, and the bestselling Monk series of mysteries. He has earned two Edgar Award nominations and was the 2012 recipient of the Poirot Award from Malice Domestic.

The book description is from Amazon.  The Chase: A Novel (Fox and O’Hare)

A Review of Double Dip by Gretchen Archer

Double Dip
by Gretchen Archer

If you are ready for a fun filled, witty, mystery, “Double Dip” is just what you need. Ms. Archer has written a novel that will have you chuckling and smiling and maybe even laughing out loud from time to time. You will be in for a real riot. The humorous situations will remind you of the early Janet Evanovich numbers books. You remember them. The ones you couldn’t put down because Stephanie just kept getting in one predicament after another, and you couldn’t wait to see what Granny would do next. Well “Double Dip” is the same type of book. Davis Way is in one funny spot after another. She is always wise cracking with her partner at work, Fantasy, or to herself, much of the time, and she just can’t get it right with the love of her life, Bradley Cole. AND she even has her Granny in this book. The situations, predicaments, and characters will keep you interested, and the writing will keep you reading.

I really enjoyed this book, probably even more than the first one, “Double Whammy”. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series, “Double Strike”, due out this Fall.

I give this book 4 1/2 Stars out of 5, and a Big Thumbs Up! If you have been missing the fun of the early numbers books, this book will bring it back to you. This is fresh writing from a new talented author.

I received this book for free from NetGalley.com.

Book Description
Publication Date: January 28, 2014

SNAPPY, WISE-CRACKING AND FAST PACED…

“A smart, snappy writer who hits your funny bone!” – Janet Evanovich

It’s Davis Way’s first slot-tournament season. And it may be her last.

Things are dicey at work. A personal assistant goes missing, a little old lady goes on a suspicious winning streak, and a Bellissimo executive goes gaga for Davis. She follows a disappearing slot-tournament player trail to the So Help Me God Pentecostal Church in Beehive, Alabama, then jumps headlong into a high stakes holy scandal.

She’s on a losing streak at home, too. Her days, nights, and dinners run together, as Davis juggles a revolving door of uninvited guests, namely her rotten ex-ex-husband, Eddie Crawford. And Bradley Cole thinks three’s a crowd.

The worst? Davis doesn’t feel so hot. Maybe it’s the banana pudding, or maybe it’s a little bundle of something else.

DOUBLE DIP. A reckless ride in the fast lane, and Davis Way can’t find the brakes.
Books in the Davis Way Crime Caper Mystery Series:
DOUBLE WHAMMY (#1)
DOUBLE DIP (#2)
DOUBLE STRIKE (#3) (Fall 2014)
Part of the Henery Press Mystery Series Collection, if you like one, you’ll probably like them all…

Product Details
Series: A Davis Way Crime Caper
Paperback: 260 pages
Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inchesHenery Press; 1 edition (January 28, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 193838394X
ISBN-13: 978-1938383946
Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
Paperback: 11.2 ounces

About The Author
Gretchen Archer is a Tennessee housewife, mom of three, grocery-list and crime-caper writer. She’s the author of the Davis Way Mystery series.

The book description is from Amazon. Double Dip