The King’s Ransom by Janet Evanovich

Much thanks to Janet Evanovich, Atria Books, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ironically, I’m surprised it’s only been four years since Gabriela’s first book came out—it feels like longer. I don’t know what happened behind the scenes, but man; it changed release date several times, co-authors came and went. But here it finally is!

And it’s okay. Released at the wrong time of year—spring or summer would have been more appropriate—but definitely written by Evanovich. If you tend to like her novels, you’ll probably enjoy this fast-paced globe-trotting adventure. If you’ve read her before and didn’t care for her style, this won’t change your mind.

You don’t have to have read the first one. I didn’t remember jack squat about it and didn’t feel like I’d missed anything in this one.

So let’s get into it.

I have no idea what the point of the first chapter was. Unless it had something to do with the first book that went over my head, the only purpose for the first chapter I can think of is demonstrating Gabriela’s skills. Nothing of the situation or characters introduced in there carried through, unless you count Gabriela’s lack of modesty. It could have been cut without affecting the rest of the book.

I appreciate a fast pace, but this was almost too fast. With the setting changing so frequently, new characters constantly being introduced, and few quiet moments for us to catch our breath and process, I started feeling dizzy shortly past the halfway point. I struggled to focus and absorb new information.

While Gabriela was the primary POV, it did switch very briefly at times to Ahmed, Rafer, Bench, and . . . Teddy, I think. The ‘fraidy King. Usually they were set apart by scene breaks, but the narrative didn’t always make the switches clear, in an old-fashioned omniscient way. It was weird. The alternate perspectives functioned to heighten suspense and maintain tension, reminding the reader of what’s at stake or increasing the threat—because the reality of Gabriela’s profession is a lot of research, watching, and waiting, and that does not make for a compelling story. Skilled writing wouldn’t have needed to switch POVs to keep the narrative compelling, but Evanovich would have actually needed to give Gabriela some inner monologue and emotion, which is not her style. I hate switching POVs, and Evanovich usually doesn’t do that, so it really chapped my ass.

The suspense, tension, and stakes did stagnate when the trail of the golden coffin went cold. Progress wasn’t being made and the plot started to feel like a tangential wild goose chase. In addition to trying to fix this problem with alternate POVs, Evanovich started throwing villains at us. Ha, you thought Ahmed was the big bad? Wrong! He’s actually a morally gray love interest (more on that in a moment). Bench is really the bad guy! And so is this guy! And this guy! And there’s this potentially evil castle dude—nope, never mind him—but there’s a fourth bad guy! Surprise, they’re a group of pansy-ass trust fund babies! Be afraid! And guess what? THERE’S SOMEONE EVEN MORE EVIL THAN THEM! And you know what makes all of these villains extra sinister? None of them do their own dirty work. Because nothing is more terrifying than delegating to faceless henchmen. -_-

With the focus shifted to the plethora of Big Bads, the little guys got lost in the shuffle. It was never made clear to me who’d done the killing of the local hires. And whatever happened to Leon Blake? I don’t remember if they figured out he’d been killed too. And I was so mad that Gabriela didn’t see fit to share any of her finder’s fee with Kilchester, Jim, and Jacko; she wouldn’t have found jack squat without them. Marcella, too, but I assume Gabriela pays her well. Jim got taxi fare but his help went far beyond that. Poor Jacko got a real raw deal, his car half totaled and his leg shot.

One thing I did love was finding out Ahmed’s a love interest. I noticed the chemistry between Ahmed and Gabriela long before his role became clear. I was so on board with them exploring their unexpected attraction . . . then Gabriela gives in to Rafer’s badgering, and I was so disappointed. I felt the friendship and long history between Gabriela and Rafer, but no romantic chemistry. They felt like tolerant older sister and annoying little brother, which made references to them having sex feel gross. Rafer (wtf name is that, anyway? Every time I see it I get more annoyed) was slovenly, careless, immature, and had zero mystery to him. Ahmed was his opposite. It felt like Rafer was the love of Gabriela’s youth, but Ahmed could be the love she needs in adulthood. And his moral grayness would make for a fascinating character . . . as long as he doesn’t revert to a one-dimensional, toxically masculine stereotype like Ranger did.

Yes, in short, it’s a carbon copy of the Morelli-Stephanie-Ranger triangle, complete with Gabriela defaulting to the ex. Again. And again.

Shoot. Me. Now.

The characters got little if any character development, but that’s typical for Evanovich. She has to be the most plot-focused writer I’ve ever read. The few times we did get a little Gabriela inner monologue, it felt a bit forced and telly (as opposed to showy).

Assuming Evanovich did first-hand research, I bet it felt real good to write off all those travel expenses. I’d be surprised if she didn’t go to all those places herself, given the exhaustive level of detail she included. The cultural information was interesting, like the traffic in Cairo, but I don’t need flight times and turn-by-turn navigation in my fiction. Nor, for that matter, do I need to know the brand name of every piece of clothing and make and model of every vehicle. Were there sponsorships going on here or what?

Finally, the amount of junk food these people ate. Absolutely disgusting. Sure, we’re told they exercise, but exercise won’t protect you from a poor diet.

A third book is teased but not promised. I’d read it as long as Gabriela tells Rafer to fuck off and gets with Ahmed. I refuse to spend another thirty years watching her waffle like Stephanie.