The Bounty

By: Janet Evanovich, Steve Hamilton

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 7 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's Summary

FBI agent Kate O’Hare and charming criminal Nick Fox race against time to uncover a buried train filled with Nazi gold in this thrilling adventure from number one New York Times best-selling author Janet Evanovich and Steve Hamilton.

Type A special agent Kate O’Hare and international criminal Nick Fox have brought down some of the biggest bad guys out there. But now they face their most dangerous foe yet - a vast, shadowy international organization known only as the Brotherhood.

Directly descended from the Vatican Bank priests who served Hitler during World War II, the Brotherhood is on a frantic search for a lost train loaded with $30 billion in Nazi gold, untouched for over seventy-five years somewhere in the mountains of Eastern Europe.

Kate and Nick know that there is only one man who can find the fortune and bring down the Brotherhood - the same man who taught Nick everything he knows - his father, Quentin. As the stakes get higher, they must also rely on Kate’s own father, Jake, who shares his daughter’s grit and stubbornness. 

From a remote monastery in the Swiss Alps to the lawless desert of the Western Sahara, Kate, Nick, and the two men who made them who they are today must crisscross the world in a desperate scramble to stop their deadliest foe in the biggest adventure of their lives.

©2021 The Gus Group, LLC. All rights reserved. (P)2021 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

The worst installment of the series

I really really wanted to like this more because I’m a huge fan of the series but this one just didn’t live up to its predecessors. After reading the Big Kahuna and now this installment, its clear that without Lee Goldberg, this series should be retired.
Regarding this book, one glaring departure from the formula is the omission of the awesome crew of Boyd, Wilma, etc. There were so many great character-specific dialogues and exchanges from this crew that really served as a bridge between Nick and Kate. Leaving them out is a huge mistake. And while it was interesting to have Nick’s dad added to the story, the authors did absolutely nothing with that twist. I was stunned by how little this was leveraged into the story and dialogue. And then there’s the story itself ... its just way too complicated and out there. Maybe they were writing specifically for a movie where all of the pieces of the puzzle would translate into vivid cinematography but for us book readers, it held no substance. And finally, the chemistry between Nick and Kate. Well, its non-existent. And when there were moments of intimate dialogue between them, it seemed forced. So, unless Lee Goldberg helps write the next one, I’m sad to say that this is the last one I will read.

Action packed and so much fun!

Y’all know I love Stephanie Plum. She’s my girl and Ranger is my man.. but I also love The Fox and O’Hare series! Nick Fox was an international thief who got caught by FBI agent Kate O’Hare. Instead of prison, Fox works with Kate to bring down other criminals. Who better to catch a thief than a thief?

In this book we are dealing with much more than someone stealing jewels from the Vatican... we are dealing with a secret organization called the Brotherhood. There is 30 billion dollars of lost gold at stake. Can Fox and O’Hare find the missing treasure map pieces before the Brotherhood does?

Ok listen, I’ll be honest, this story is kind of out there but I still loved it. It was such a fun addition to the series. I love Nick and Kate and their dynamic so much. I think they work so well together and their banter is perfection! I also really love all the side characters. Everyone that helps with their elaborate plans are all so much fun.

If you enjoy heist books with quirky characters, then pick this series up!

Don’t Bother

This used to be my favorite series until Lee Goldberg stopped writing them. The big kahuna was a disaster but I thought I would give it one more chance. This wasn’t horrible it just lacked everything that made the series interesting. Nothing fun and clever. The characters have lost their charm and intelligence. I won’t give away details but my advice is not to bother. This is the last fox and oh are I am reading.

Moved away from original plot line - character changes

This book has moved the series from a few unbelievable moments, with many make you smile or laugh moments, to a full blown action film with a lot of unbelievable narrow escapes and no humor.

Almost all of the characters have had personality revamps. Most notably Nick. He’s gone from a lovable, con artist to a FBI agent who no longer needs to talk his way out of trouble. Instead uses explosives - this was Jake’s expertise.

I’ve always enjoyed these stories because they were light and fun. The characters were likable and each had their own specialty. Together they made a great team.

However this book is more like a cross of Mission Impossible and the Da Vinci code. With old and new characters falling flat.

Very Disappointing.

Lee Goldberg

The series NEEDS Lee Goldberg back! The Ocean's 11 feel is gone and it's what made the books amazing.

Wish I had liked it

I'm a huge fan of the series, but just like the last book this story is missing an interesting con. I liked the introduction of Nick's father but the story felt forced, lots of unnecessary stops along the way in this not so entertaining treasure hunt story. Still love the characters but I wish the story was more captivating.

A Departure From Previous Books

It was clear one of the authors had changed from early in the book. Kate has been relegated to a supporting character. Nick has lost his devilish charisma and is portrayed as a straight man and their relationship is flat and as if they don’t have a complex past.

What the ... was that?!

First of all I'd like to clarify that I absolutely love light action-packed novels like the Fox and O'Hare series or the Stephanie Plum novels (or Clive Cussler). So I was naturally delighted to see the newest adventure of Kate and Nick and bought it immediately. Little had I known that Janet Evanovich had switched co-authors on me. To make a long story short. Everything went pretty much downhill from there.

About half an hour into the story I realised something was wrong. Everything felt off and different. The type of story was different, the atmosphere was different and the characters were different too. And nothing in a good way. Then I realised the new name on the cover. Never heard of Steve Hamilton, but hey - can't know everyone.

So where shall I begin? Let's start with the characters and get it over with. The whole chemisty between Kate and Nick is gone. Everything that's supposed to be fun - like the situations, the jokes and banter feels somewhere between subdued and forced. Also Nick seems to have advanced from charming con-man and art thief to wisecracking martial arts expert with a lucky streak. The way he and Kate dispatch of their enemies would make any action hero proud, while being extremely boring. And I must say, between the two (later three, four and five) of them they rack up an impressive body-count rivalling a 1960's Bond movie. Nevertheless when it comes to NOT being shadowed and followed to their next destination they show an almost unbelievable ineptitude for operational security - especially considering the group is made up of: a former Navy Seal now FBI agent, an extremely successful art thief, a former CIA operative and Kate's father.

All of that simply doesn't fly. While I like the whole premise about (SPOILER ALERT!!) the race to find the next clue to the treasure, I think the whole background with the mysterious (and almost all powerful but still remarkably stupid) underworld neo-Nazi brotherhood looking for a gold treasure with the clues spread on different maps all over Nazi-occupied Europe is a little too far out. Clive Cussler could probably pull it off. But here it doesn't work with the previous settings of this series. In addition the "riddles" are so ridiculously easy anyone with some knowledge about German and Austrian history (or access to the internet) should be able to figure them out instantly. Kate and Nick need a Germanics professor from Oxford for that.

In addition the author chose to set the stage at some of the most well-known tourist attractions in Europe (and the world). And if had been the author I would have made sure that at least the basics are correct. Surely some of his reader have visited at least one of them. There's nothing wrong with a little artistic license here and there, but it looks like the author has done no research whatsoever. And it also looks as if he's never been in Europe. And in a time of GoogleMaps and Wikipedia that to me is really really annoying.

A few examples:
- The way the Eiffel Tower is constructed, almost none of the stuff they do would have worked. Also it's all a bit too much "A View to a Kill". Absolutely no imagination.
- "La Terrace" is nowhere near the Seine river.
- Almost everything about Neuschwanstein is wrong. The topography of the gorge they used (they wouldn't have been able to escape from the gorge since it only has two exits which are easily cordened off by police, it is pretty narrow. Then there's the way the castle is built (on rocks, it doesn't have high walls). It's absolutely ludicrous to think someone could climb up the whole facade to the roof of the castle in the courtyard in a few minutes while the police are already arriving. The interior is completely different (there's only one bed room and only one throne room and there are a few swans, but certainly not more than 70) and the bed room is comparatively small, and very dark and almost sinister). But hey: the castle has it's own artificial grotto ... Oh and the little village "Hohenschwangau" only consists of a few buildings (and two castles) and has no train station for miles around.
- the king who built Neuschwanstein was "Ludwig II" not "Leopold II". Also he wasn't president of Richard Wagner's fan club (seriously?!) but he basically was his sponsor and Richard Wagner was syphoning off as much money as he could from him.
- Almost all of Europe (apart from the British Isles) uses door handles. No door knobs here apart from the fixed kind you pull a door shut from the outside but which won't open the door.
- There's no such thing as a "Euro Train". No idea what the author means
- German trains do not have gaps between the carriages you can push a man through (to be clear: Germany has a 300 kph high speed train network and isn't stuck in the early 1900s). Also there are no compartments with benches and tables.
- the dome of St Peter in the Vatican is about 42m wide and 60m above the church building. Base jumping from that height shouldn't be a problem, but avoiding to hit the dome on the way down should.
- the Schönbrunn Tiergarten (zoo) in Vienna doesn't have most of the animals descibed, but the polar bear habitat is almost spot on.
- Vienna's population (apart from immigrants) speak German only with a Vienesse dialect (which is lingually related to the Bavarian dialects). You won't get far with Italian and certainly not with Romansh (which is only spoken in some parts of Switzerland and Italy BTW)
- the quickest way from Vienna to Breuil-Cervinia is not over the Alps through Lichtenstein but along the Southern rim of the Alps through Italy. Also the Northern route would take them way back they came via Munich, and that journey didn't go so well.
- Breuil-Cervinia is no summer skiing resort but has hikers in the summer. Most ski slopes face South and have little or no snow even as high as 3000m
- There never was a monastary at Furggen mountain. However the remains of the rather impressive cable car station (built after WW2 in 1951 and abandoned in 1993) is still there. It can be accessed on foot via a steep mountain path and a some climbing on foot from the Plan de Maison (approx 890m altitude difference). However, there's definitely no need to climb directly up the sheer wall. Also contrary to what they said, you can actually fly a helicopter up there: the Italians used one to salvage furniture from the cable car station.

Ok ... looks like maybe more than a few ... to be honest, I got angry and at some point simply began searching for inconsistencies. But it just was so easy. If I didn't like the series so much I would have stopped listening to that drivel after about 90 minutes. But some curiousity and Scott Bricks reassuring voice kept me going till the end ...

Just not good

I was only able to listen to about a quarter of the book before I gave up. I love Janet Evanovich, but this isn't up to her normal standards. The storyline was just boring. It was hard to get interested and stay that way. Maybe it got better the longer you listen but I wasn't able to make it that long.

Action Packed Thriller

Prepare yourself - once you start this book, it’s going to be hard to stop! Evanovich and Hamilton are on point with the standard Fox and O’Hare characters as well as a few, new, instantly lovable (or hateable) characters thrown in. While the trademark humor is sprinkled throughout, this is a more serious journey. It’s incredible, and for fans of Fox and O’Hare, definitely a winner!! A fantastic novel! Cant wait for the next installment!!
As always, Scott Brick’s narration is incredible!! He truly brings the characters to life!!