The Shell Game by Janet Evanovich, Lee Goldberg Narrator: Scott Brick
Series: Fox and O'Hare #0.25
Published by Random House Audio on October 7, 2014
Source: Purchased
Genres: Crime Fiction, Short Story
Length: 48 mins
Format: Audiobook
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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. Life for Fox and O’Hare will never be the same again.
Short stories are always tough to talk about – I want people to know why I did/didn’t enjoy it, but I don’t want to give away too much. It’s even tougher when it’s a prequel to a series that I’ve read all the rest of, like this one.
The Shell Game details Nick Fox and Kate O’Hare’s first meeting. Nick’s a con-man/thief and Kate’s FBI. HE’s charming, she’s dedicated. They’re both intelligent and good-looking, although I’m not sure you get a feel for how attracted they are to each other in this mini-episode. Nick gets to show off his cleverness, Kate gets to show off her ability to see through him, but I missed their interactions with each other that are so much of the fun in the series.
Scott Brick does a good job as always as the narrator. His tone of voice fits the story, not melodramatic, but not straight either. Does that make sense. He knows the type of story it is, how over the top the characters can be, and just goes with it.
Over all it’s a good introduction, but I’m glad I read the full length stories first. I’m not sure this one would have made me immediately pick up the others and it’s a series I really enjoy- fun and light, adventure and sexual tension.
About Janet Evanovich
Janet Evanovich (née Schneider; April 22, 1943) 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 a co-author of the Fox and O’Hare series. She has over two hundred million books in print worldwide and is translated into over 40 languages.
About Lee Goldberg
Lee Goldberg is a two-time Edgar Award and two-time Shamus Award nominee and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than forty novels, including the Eve Ronin series and the Ian Ludlow series. He has also written and/or produced many TV shows, including Diagnosis Murder, SeaQuest, and Monk, and he is the cocreator of the Mystery 101 series of Hallmark movies. As an international television consultant, he has advised networks and studios in Canada, France, Germany, Spain, China, Sweden, and the Netherlands on the creation, writing, and production of episodic television series.
That would be hard getting into such a short one. I’ve read a few like that where I read the full length’s before the shorts like this and was very glad for it.
I will stick to the Plum books, even if I hate them