I hope you all enjoyed last week's annotation because there are more to come ( five to be exact). Some genres will be what I like, others.... well I gave a try. For the first annotation, it's thriller, which is an fast-paced story centered around a profession with lots of dangerous but exciting thrills and chills.
About the Owl and Thrillers- Until now, never knew that the authors that I enjoyed back in the 90s when I was teen, John Grisham and the late Michael Crichton, were thrillers. Also loved the crime/caper romps of the late Elmore Leonard (like Out of Sight.) I was considering revisiting a Grisham or Crichton novel ( or something in that style), but really wanted something fun. So.......
Title: The Heist
Author: Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg
Genre: Thriller/Caper/Humor
Publication Date: June 18, 2013
Number of Pages: 320
Series: Fox and O'Hare, #1
Geographical Setting: California and various parts throughout the US and the world ( including Mount Athos, Greece and Indonesia)
Time Period: 21st Century
Topics: FBI Agents, Con Artists, Swindling, Heists
Characteristics of A Thriller( as Featured in this Book)
- Moves at a fast pace, with lots of dangerous twists and turns faced by the protagonist(s).
- Somewhat extensive weaponry jargon that is FBI related, but does not distract from plot. Most of the plot revolves around the art of conning, which is glamorized to the point of creating a great movie.
- Being that this is a caper/heist thriller, has a bit of lighter, slapstick tone (with some dark and menacing spots.)
- Features a very strong, smart hero ( a female FBI agent.) Antihero is a dangerously charming con artist, can't be trusted ( but is quite lovably, which is not of the norm). Also not of the norm is that although our hero ( heroine) does bring the antihero down, they end up working together ( with hints of sexual tension.) Secondary characters, such as Fox's team members and O'Hare's are developed more for humor. Villains are pathetic and wussy than menacing ( but they do get their just desserts.)
Along a ragtag team of con artists, wild chases, and exotic locations, it going take more than a pile of Toblerone bars for Fox and O'Hare to work together and bring their man in...without killing each other first.
My Take: This was a hooot!!!!!!!!!!!!! (And possibly by pairing with another writer, Evanovich has made me a fan again.) I loved every page of it, think Castle-meets-Catch Me If You Can. ( In fact, Nathan Fillon would be perfect as the fast-talking, handsome bad boy Fox. ). In comparing this to Leonard, this is more of a breezy beach read, doesn't really have the dark, edgy tones (and yes, there is violence, but it's more comedic than graphic.) I can't wait for The Chase, the second book in the series ( it comes later next month) and the day Fox and O'Hare become ... Fore.
Read-a-Likes ( from Novelist)-
- The Hot Rock by Donald Westlake-First in the John Dortmunder series, this offbeat caper follows a gang of jewel thieves caught up in international intrigue. (There are 12 books in the series.)
- Mr. Monk Cleaned Out ( Monk # 10) by Lee Goldberg-Based off the popular series, it features the topics " Caper novel" and " Swindler and Swindling", and plot involves a corrupt investment banker. (Currently are 17 Monk books).
- Dirty Money by Richard Stark ( aka Donald Westlake)- For those that want something as dark and gritty as Leonard, Westlake wrote another series, Parker, under a different name. This is the 24th and final book in the series ( Westlake died in 2008) and features a bank heist wrong.
Yes, I would definitely read a thriller again ( most definitely the Caper/Crime novels. There's a few Leonard books I have yet to read, like Road Dogs. Also want to read Marne Kellog's Kick series and Westlake's Dortmunder series.) I would also read the straight and serious stuff ( just finished Midnight by Kevin Egan. Very chilling. Also saw that Grisham is now writing a legal thriller series for kids called Theodore Boone.)
Next time's annotation is a horror classic. Oh.. fun.
I've never read a thriller with the comedic element that you describe here. I think I would probably like a book like this, so I'll have to look into one of these. Even though it has been done before, it's a neat idea to have the FBI agent pair up with the con artist to solve a crime. It would be harder to accept if the con artist were a violent criminal, but the charming con artist can easily be seen by the reader as a partner and possible future romantic interest.
ReplyDeleteI work at the reference desk at a public library where Janet Evanovich is one of the most requested authors of any genre. I think I would enjoy reading this book. I haven't read many thrillers but the combination of thriller/humor sounds interesting not to mention it is from a highly sought-after author!
ReplyDelete