I'm reading The Heist, and it's my first Janet Evanovich novel. I've been told that the novels that she write in collaboration with others are not as good as those in the series "starring" Stephanie Plum. Of course, I haven't read any of those so I can't make any comparison.
I can say that The Heist, like the Rosie Project, feels like "reading" a movie. So many of the ideas are very cinematic, from decked out yachts to massive explosions caused by rocket launchers.
I found myself wondering if Goldberg came up with the plot, the setting, the pacing and Evanovich came up with the jokes. I wonder because the jokes tend to be very woman-centric. Even so, some of them just don't feel quite right, like the one in which the protagonist, Kate O'Hara, lists wearing a push-up bra to her sister's wedding as a deception about which she feels guilty. I thought and thought about that one; it definitely did not immediately ring true that wearing a garment of clothing, no matter which garment of clothing, could be thought of as a deception, Maybe Lee Goldberg wrote that joke.
I read this book for a book group and some of the Evanovich fans present said that they preferred the Plum series.
I find myself wondering about books written by screenwriters. To me, one of the virtues of this book is its quick pace. I didn't feel that I had to wade through a lot of exposition to get to the action. In fact, the episode of the exploding yacht takes place in the first half of the book (which surprised me).
On the other hand, Kate and Nick or whatever their names are, are stock characters. I do feel like I'm reading an episode of "The Mentalist," or "White Collar," or any one of a number of other shows that feature sexy con men teaming up with strait-laced FBI agents, whether male or female.
This book is entertaining: funny and fast-paced and a lot like TV. It's hard to care about the characters, because they aren't very well-developed (although Kate's ex-military dad is an interesting and entertaining character, and his ability to help her in her work is exciting). It seems to me that this is a great book to read on a plane, a train, a bus or when you're sick - i,e., when you want to be entertained and you don't want to work so hard.
I can say that The Heist, like the Rosie Project, feels like "reading" a movie. So many of the ideas are very cinematic, from decked out yachts to massive explosions caused by rocket launchers.
I found myself wondering if Goldberg came up with the plot, the setting, the pacing and Evanovich came up with the jokes. I wonder because the jokes tend to be very woman-centric. Even so, some of them just don't feel quite right, like the one in which the protagonist, Kate O'Hara, lists wearing a push-up bra to her sister's wedding as a deception about which she feels guilty. I thought and thought about that one; it definitely did not immediately ring true that wearing a garment of clothing, no matter which garment of clothing, could be thought of as a deception, Maybe Lee Goldberg wrote that joke.
I read this book for a book group and some of the Evanovich fans present said that they preferred the Plum series.
I find myself wondering about books written by screenwriters. To me, one of the virtues of this book is its quick pace. I didn't feel that I had to wade through a lot of exposition to get to the action. In fact, the episode of the exploding yacht takes place in the first half of the book (which surprised me).
On the other hand, Kate and Nick or whatever their names are, are stock characters. I do feel like I'm reading an episode of "The Mentalist," or "White Collar," or any one of a number of other shows that feature sexy con men teaming up with strait-laced FBI agents, whether male or female.
This book is entertaining: funny and fast-paced and a lot like TV. It's hard to care about the characters, because they aren't very well-developed (although Kate's ex-military dad is an interesting and entertaining character, and his ability to help her in her work is exciting). It seems to me that this is a great book to read on a plane, a train, a bus or when you're sick - i,e., when you want to be entertained and you don't want to work so hard.
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