Fox and O'Hare

What is the Fox and O’Hare series about?

Nick Fox is a con man of exceptional talent — the kind who does not steal money so much as persuade people to hand it over willingly. Kate O’Hare is the FBI agent who dedicated years of her career to catching him. When she finally does, the FBI makes her an offer she cannot refuse: keep Nick Fox close, use his skills, and take down the criminals who are too slick for standard law enforcement. Kate’s reward for years of relentless pursuit is being stuck with the man she pursued.

Janet Evanovich co-wrote the first five books with Lee Goldberg, making this a genuine collaboration rather than a ghostwritten series — and the comic timing shows. Goldberg brought heist-plotting discipline; Evanovich brought the irresistible banter that has always been her strongest suit. The first two books in particular are extremely well-constructed as comedic entertainments.

The dynamic is the engine and the pleasure. Nick is charming, improvisational, and constitutionally incapable of doing anything the straightforward way. He treats every assignment as an opportunity for an unnecessarily baroque scheme. Kate is disciplined, competent, and genuinely irritated by almost everything Nick does — not because he is bad at his job, but because he is good at it in all the wrong ways. The cases require them to run elaborate cons, which means playing roles, trusting each other under fire, and spending a lot of time in close quarters pretending to be something they are not. The romantic tension emerges naturally from that proximity and is handled lightly but consistently across the seven books. Evanovich does not rush it, which is the right call — the slow burn is part of the fun.

The tone is breezy heist comedy. Think caper film rather than crime novel: The Sting rather than The Wire. Nobody is in serious danger for long, the schemes are inventive without being implausible, and the pleasure comes from watching two skilled people who would never voluntarily choose each other gradually, grudgingly discover they are better together than apart.

Should I read the Fox and O’Hare series in order?

Yes. The series is complete at seven books and follows a clear arc. The relationship between Nick and Kate develops meaningfully across the run, and The Bounty provides a proper conclusion that pays off the setup from book one. Reading in order is not merely recommended — it is the experience the series is designed to deliver.

Who will enjoy the Fox and O’Hare series?

Readers who enjoy heist stories with romantic comedy elements. The series sits closer to the comedy end of the spectrum than most crime fiction — fast, light, and built for fun rather than tension. If you have read the Stephanie Plum series and want more Evanovich at a similar pitch, this is the obvious next step — the mismatched-duo structure is familiar but executed with more plot discipline. The two-book Knight and Moon series offers another variation on the formula for when you finish here.