The Job, Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

In the continuing adventures of FBI Special Agent Kate O’Hare and charming con-man Nick Fox, Kate receives a call while working undercover during a bank-heist Nick. He says four simple words: “I didn’t do it.”

This of course is followed immediately by a call from her boss, saying that Nick has broken his agreement to help the FBI catch bad guys and has gone bad-guy himself by stealing priceless art. Kate goes on his trail, and finds as she catches the thief, that the heist-master isn’t Nick at all, but a woman posing as Nick to draw him out. As a former member of his gang of criminals, she knows Nick’s style and uses his techniques to get him to come out of hiding, visit her in jail, and find out why she’s so desperate for to talk to Nick. Thus, a larger apprehension is under way in the form of an international drug lord who has had plastic surgery to disguise his looks. 

The two use their super sleuth skills to track him down via his overpriced vices and set out to find him and destroy his empire. Kate, Nick, and their merry band of wackos that includes Kate’s father, a quirky actor (that really believes he’s just playing an role), a brash southern woman who will drive anything just to say she has, and a special effects artists to help set up their scheme, all come together help to take him down. 

The premise behind these novels is similar to that of the USA Network’s White Collar meets Oceans Eleven. Throw in the quirk behind Lee Goldberg’s Monk series, and the humor and whit in Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series and you have the combination of mystery, 80’s pop culture references, comedic characters, and a fun read. This isn’t a deep mystery novel with international intrigue and suspense, and a bit of romance thrown in. It’s light, sometimes predictable, and a quick read. It’s more of a “something to read on a sunny day at the beach” material than book club discussion worthy. 

This is the third novel in the series, but there are also two very short novellas. This one can be read as a stand-alone but it wouldn't hurt to read in order to get introduced to the characters.  

*Received Advanced Review Copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

About the Authors (From GoodReads):

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.

New York Times Bestselling author Lee Goldberg is a two-time Edgar Award and two-time Shamus Award nominee whose many TV writing and/or producing credits include "Martial Law," "SeaQuest," "Diagnosis Murder,""Hunter," "Spenser: For Hire," "Nero Wolfe," "Missing." "Monk" and "The Glades." He's also the author of the Fox & O'Hare series with Janet Evanovich (The Heist, The Chase, The Job), "The Walk," "Watch Me Die," "King City," the "Dead Man" series, as well as the "Diagnosis Murder" and "Monk" series of original mystery novels.