As I am a big fan of the comic crime caper, I am always happy to find a new series that has intriguing puzzles and makes me laugh. I took a chance on the O'Hare and Fox series written by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldman and I am glad I did.
Kate O'Hare is an FBI special agent and ex-SEAL. She is tough. She lives on fast food and considers her Glock to be a fashion accessory. Nick Fox is an international thief and con man. He is charming. He prefers caviar and champagne and dresses in sartorial splendor.
In The Heist we learn that O'Hare has been hot on the trail of Fox for years and through an entertaining set of circumstances catches him. To her dismay her superiors give him the option of going to jail or working with O'Hare and the FBI to catch high-profile criminals - art thieves, Wall Street crooks, and others of that nefarious ilk.
Guess which option he chooses...
Along the way we get to meet all sorts of wacky characters of dubious repute - but with special skills - that Fox calls on to help in conning the criminals. Often, O'Hare's father - a retired Special Forces operative - is pulled in to supply a grenade launcher or two.
The capers sometimes unfold in foreign locales - so far I have visited Shanghai, Indonesia, Berlin, Scotland, the Greek islands, and Montreal.
Ms. Evanovich, as you probably already know, writes the "numbered" Stephanie Plum series. Mr. Goldberg works in television and wrote for Monk, the series starring Tony Shalhoub as the obsessive-compulsive detective, and wrote fifteen of the Monk mystery books.
I have gobbled up the first two books in the series, The Heist and The Chase. There are two more, The Job and The Scam with The Pursuit scheduled to be published in June.
These tales contain all the elements that make for the best bedtime reading ever - witty writing, characters that are having a good time, and clever plots. Best of all, there is no graphic violence to upset my sweet dreams.
Have you stumbled on a new-to-you series that you enjoy? Don't you love it when that happens!
