Book ~ "The Pursuit" (2016) Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

From Goodreads ~ Nicolas Fox, international con man, thief and one of the top ten fugitives on the FBI’s most-wanted list, has been kidnapped from a beachfront retreat in Hawaii. What the kidnapper doesn’t know is that Nick Fox has been secretly working for the FBI. It isn’t long before Nick’s covert partner, Special Agent Kate O’Hare, is in hot pursuit of the crook who stole her con man. 

The trail leads to Belgium, France and Italy, and pits Nick and Kate against their deadliest adversary yet: Dragan Kovic, an ex–Serbian military officer. He’s plotting a crime that will net him billions ... and cost thousands of American lives. 

Nick and Kate have to mount the most daring, risky and audacious con they’ve ever attempted to save a major U.S. city from a catastrophe of epic proportions. Luckily they have the help of an eccentric out-of-work actor, a bandit who does his best work in the sewers, and Kate’s dad, Jake. The pressure’s on for Nick and Kate to make this work - even if they have to lay their lives on the line.

Everyone thinks Nick is a con man and thief and Kate, an FBI agent, is trying to catch him.  But in reality, Nick had been caught and is now secretly working with Kate and the FBI.  Only a handful of people are aware of this.  In addition, Kate and Nick are now in a relationship.

Nick had been kidnapped at the end of the last book, The Scam, by a Serbian named Dragan.  Dragan needs Nick to help him break into a vault full of diamonds.  He double crosses Nick, though, after the theft.  Nick and Kate realize what Dragan was really after and they appear to join forces with him in order to bring him down.

Nick and Kate puts together their team which includes Kate's father, an actor who takes his parts too seriously, a dad who build treehouses, a buxom redneck who wants to drive anything (regardless whether she's had training or not) and an awarding winning special effects artist.

This is the fifth in the Fox and O'Hare series ... I've them read all and enjoyed them.  I liked the writing style and thought this story was just okay.  It got a bit boring when it read like a travel guide and/or history book describing places like when they were in France.  Yes, it's far-fetched at times so I had to leave my sense of belief at the door and go with it.  I liked Kate and Nick and enjoyed their interactions and banters.  I liked the other supporting characters.  They were fun and quirky.

Book ~ "The Scam" (2015) Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

From Goodreads ~ 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? 

Everyone thinks Nick is a con man and thief and Kate, an FBI agent, is trying to catch him.  But in reality, Nick had been caught and is now secretly working with Kate and the FBI.  Only a handful of people are aware of this.

Their latest case has them trying to bring down Evan Trace, who runs a money-laundering operation through his casinos.  But then Kate gets a call from her father, Jake, that his friend in Hawaii has been attacked and his food truck blown up by Olika, the major drug distributor for a Japanese crime syndicate.  Jake wants revenge so Nick and Kate decide to readjust their plan to including also bringing down Olika.

Nick and Kate put together their team which includes Jake, a former Somali pirate, an actor who takes his parts too seriously, a dad who build treehouses, a buxom redneck who wants to drive anything (regardless whether she's had training or not) and an awarding winning special effects artist.

This is the latest in the Fox and O'Hare series ... I've them read all and enjoyed them.  I liked this book and the story ... it was interesting to see how they pulled this scam together.  Yes, it's far-fetched at times so I had to leave my sense of belief at the door and go with it ... and I was okay with that.  I liked the writing style and thought it flowed well and found it amusing.  It ends with a cliffhanger.

I liked Kate and Nick and enjoyed their interactions and banters.  I liked the other supporting characters.  They were fun and quirky.

I hope they continue with this series.

Book ~ "The Shell Game" (2014) Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

From Goodreads ~ Con man Nick Fox is after Garson Klepper’s golden Peruvian relics. For Fox, convincing Klepper to hire him as security for the relocation of the relics to the Getty museum in L.A. was easy. 

Problem is, Fox wasn’t planning on Klepper also enlisting the help of the FBI. Fox also wasn’t planning on being paired up with rookie special agent Kate O’Hare. She’s smart, she’s tenacious and when she’s conned, she holds a grudge.

This is a short story and the prequel to the Fox and O'Hare series ... we find out how FBI Special agent Kate O'Hare and con artist Nicolas Fox first meet.

Nick Fox poses as security to ensure that some Peruvian relics aren't stolen ... when he's actually planning on stealing them.  The owners of relics asks the FBI for help and Kate O'Hare is assigned. It's her first case and she's determined that nothing is going to happen.  But it does.

I liked the writing style and it's a quick read.  I've read all in this series and enjoyed them.

Book ~ "The Job" (2014) Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

From Goodreads ~ 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.

Nick is a former con man who is supposed to be working with Kate, an FBI agent, to help the FBI catch the most-wanted criminals.  But evidence shows that he has been back to his old tricks again ... or has he? This leads Nick and Kate on a quest to capture a sadistic drug lord who has disappeared off the face of the earth.

Nick and Kate put together their team which includes Jake, Kate's dad, along with his elderly cronies, an actor who takes his parts too seriously, a dad who build treehouses and an awarding winning special effects artist who is on the brink of bankruptcy.  Can they pull it off?

This is the third in the Fox and O'Hare series ... I've read all three plus a novella and enjoyed them.  I liked this book and the story ... it was interesting to see how they pulled this scam together.  Yes, it's far-fetched at times so I had to leave my sense of belief at the door and go with it ... and I was okay with that.  I liked the writing style and thought it flowed well and found it amusing.

I liked Kate and Nick and enjoyed their interactions and banters.  I also enjoyed the interactions between Kate and Jake, her dad..  The supporting characters were likeable too such as Willie (the big-busted redneck) and Boyd (the actor who really gets into his roles).

I'd recommend this book.

Book ~ "Pros and Cons" (2013) Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

From Goodreads ~ FBI special agent Kate O’Hare has made it her mission to nail international con artist Nicolas Fox. When she discovers his plot to plunder a venture capitalist’s twentieth-story Chicago penthouse of all its cash and treasures at the same time that the self-proclaimed “King of Hostile Takeovers” is getting married, Kate is 85% - okay maybe 92% - sure that she’s finally going to bag Nick Fox.

Problem is, first Kate has to convince her boss, building security, and maybe even herself, that wedding planner Merrill Stubing is actually Nicolas Fox. Second, she has to figure out how to corner and capture him without disrupting the event of the year. And third, what’s going to happen once O’Hare finally gets her hands on Fox? It’s going take a pro to catch a con before the fireworks over Lake Michigan go off.

This is a short story and the prequel to The Heist, which I'd read a couple weeks ago.

Kate O'Hare is an FBI agent on the hunt for Nick Fox, who is a con artist.  She tracks him to Chicago where he is posing as wedding planner Merrill Stubing (he takes his aliases from TV characters).  He is hoping the bride-to-be's flimsy wedding dress and fireworks will be enough distractions so he can rob the rich older groom-to-be, Milton.

I've read the next two in the series (the latest one will be out this year) and enjoyed them.  Had I read this one first, it would have piqued my interest to read get into the series.  I liked the writing style and it's a quick read.

Book ~ "The Heist" (2013) Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

From Goodreads ~ 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. 

Problem is, teaming up to stop a corrupt investment banker who’s hiding on a private island in Indonesia is going to test O’Hare’s patience and Fox’s skill. Not to mention the skills of their ragtag team made up of flamboyant actors, wanted wheelmen and Kate’s dad. High-speed chases, pirates, and Toblerone bars are all in a day’s work ... if O’Hare and Fox don’t kill each other first.

Kate is an FBI agent who has been chasing con man Nick.  Whenever she gets close, he gets away.  She's extremely happy when she finally catches him ... until she discovers that he has been secretly hired by the FBI to help them catch other con men.

Their first target is Derek Griffin, an investment banker, who disappeared with $500 million of his clients' money.  Working with a team that Nick pulls together, they set up the scam to get the money back.

This is the first in the Fox and O'Hare series ... I read The Chase last week, which is the second in the series and liked it so went back and read this one.  I've read all of Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series and it was good to read something of hers that has more substance.

I liked this book and the story ... it was interesting to see how they pulled the scam together.  It's far-fetched at times so I had to leave my sense of belief at the door and go with it ... and I was okay with that.  I liked the writing style and thought it flowed well.  As a head's up, there is some swearing.

I liked Kate and Nick and enjoyed their interactions and banters ... I thought their last interaction at the end of the book was funny.  The supporting characters were likeable too such as Jake (Kate's dad), Willie (the big-busted redneck) and Boyd (the actor who really gets into his roles).

I'd recommend this book.

Book ~ "The Chase" (2014) Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

From Goodreads ~ 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 f 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. 

Nick Fox is on the FBI's top 10 wanted list ... Kate is an FBI agent on the hunt for Nick.  Unbeknownst to everyone but her boss and her dad, Nick and Kate are actually working together.  A rare artifact that has been at the Smithsonian is being returned to China ... except it was stolen 10 years ago by Carter Grove, a former White House chief of staff, and a replica has been in its place.  Nick and Kate must steal the real artifact from Carter and replace it without anyone knowing.  This then leads them to want to expose Carter and recover other priceless things he has stolen over the years.  But Carter isn't going to make it easy ... he now heads up a private security agency which employs trained killers who don't hesitate to do what they do best.

This is the second in the Fox and O'Hare series ... I hadn't read the first one, The Heist, but didn't need to as this book works as a stand alone.  I've read all of Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series.  Over the years they have gotten silly and mindless so it was good to read something of hers that has more substance.  This is the first that I've read of Goldberg's.

I liked this book and the story and it kept me interested.  There was a lot of action ... it was far-fetched at times so I had to leave my sense of belief at the door.  I liked the writing style and thought it flowed well.  It was humorous at times ... like when Nick's alias are from TV shows (Sonny Crockett, Jonathan Hart, Jethro Clampet, etc.) As a head's up, there is some swearing.

I liked Kate and Nick and enjoyed their interactions and banters.  The supporting characters were likeable too such as Jake (Kate's dad) and his sidekicks, Willie (the big-busted redneck), Joe (the computer geek) and Boyd (the actor who really gets into his roles).

I'd recommend this book.