Believe it or not, The Bounty is my first Janet Evanovich book. No, I haven’t been living in a cave. Truth be told, I have no legitimate excuse. I’m just extremely late to the party. And I feel shame. But when I saw Steve Hamilton was co-authoring this book, I decided now was the time to get my head out of my ass and pick up what I expected would be a well-written, entertaining story. And I was not disappointed.
First, let’s be clear on one thing. This book is not a hard-core action thriller, a suspenseful psychological thriller or even a twist-filled political thriller. What is it? The Bounty is just unadulterated fun. It’s pleasurable and playful, amusing and enjoyable. It’s a combination of National Treasure and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade wrapped inside The Amazing Race. Except instead of racing against teams of normal people for a chance to win the $1 Million prize at the end of the journey, you’re competing against terrorists and Nazis to see who will be the first to uncover $30 Billion (400 tons) of hidden/stolen Nazi gold. If that’s not the makings of a compelling story, then I don’t know what is.
The Bounty is the seventh book in the Fox and O’Hare series, but as I mentioned this is my first Evanovich book so I’m curious how long-time fans will receive it. As a standalone, it works well enough. I never felt like I was missing out on insider knowledge gained from previous books. Although there’s obviously a past between Nick Fox and Kate O’Hare, but it isn’t that difficult to figure out and the book does a good job of providing basic backstory information. My intuition tells me that people who have read the prior six books in the series will derive even more enjoyment from this book because they’ll hold more insight into the characters paths to this point. But if you haven’t read the prior installments, don’t let that keep you from reading this exciting, somewhat cheesy Hollywood-like thriller that will put a smile on your face.
Additionally, The Bounty provided an evil henchman that has rocketed up the rankings of my favorite thriller bad guy sidekicks. His name is Franz and he’s a mountain of a man with the resilience of The Terminator. And because his name is Franz, I can’t help but picture an Andre the Giant-sized, musclebound Kevin Nealon in gray sweats with a bad German accent. Sorry not sorry for putting that image in your head. But regardless of how you picture him, Franz is a terrific side character and adds a fascinating aspect to this book.
All told, The Bounty is a great choice if you're looking for an alternative to dark thrillers. It’s a spirited and delightful book. A palate cleanser for gritty, emotionally draining, heavy stories. Guaranteed to provide plenty of excitement and intrigue, leaving you satisfied as you close the back cover. Pick up a copy, get your popcorn ready, cozy up in your favorite reading spot and enjoy.
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