The Scam

The Scam is the fourth book in Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg’s Fox and O’Hare series, in which FBI special agent Kate O’Hare and master thief Nicolas Fox run off-books cons against criminals the Bureau cannot reach through legal channels. The Scam takes them to Hawaii after Carter Grove, a casino-owning money launderer with paramilitary protection. The premise is the same heist-show DNA that drives the series: assemble a crew of specialists, build a fake situation around the target, and watch it unravel in their favor.

Goldberg’s sitcom-room timing is the secret weapon of this series. Where the Stephanie Plum novels have lately leaned on character familiarity, Fox and O’Hare has cleaner plot mechanics, faster comedic beats, and more confident set pieces. The Hawaiian-shirt charm of the supporting crew (Jake O’Hare’s Vietnam-vet grouchiness, Boyd the failed actor, Tom Underhill the pyrotechnician) is the kind of light-touch ensemble work the genre rarely manages. The romance subplot between Kate and Nick continues to be a slow-cook tease, and the book is better for not rushing it.

Recommended for fans of caper TV like Leverage, White Collar, and Hustle, and readers looking for books like The Scam that prize forward momentum over psychological depth. New readers can start here without confusion. Solid four stars, and arguably the best entry in the Fox and O’Hare run to date.