Written by Janet Evanovich & Phoef Sutton
SUMMARY:
First published in hardcover in 2016, this 307-page Bantam Books paperback edition was released the following year. Kicking off a new mystery series, 28-year old attorney/banker Riley Moon has been freshly hired at the Washington D.C. branch of a prestigious firm, Blane-Grunwald. Her first assignment is reluctantly babysitting one of her employer’s wealthiest clients: the eccentric and hunky Emerson Knight.
Determined to personally inspect his gold stash in the bank’s New York City underground vaults, Knight senses a mass financial conspiracy is in play. Riley’s subsequent efforts to dump her bizarre client fail, especially with a relentless assassin squad now in hot pursuit. Forced to place her faith in an unpredictable Knight’s cross-country quest, Riley finds it’s up to them to save an unsuspecting world from imminent chaos.
REVIEW:
Co-authors Evanovich & Sutton conjure up an intriguing comedy-thriller premise, but they foolishly telegraph the criminal mastermind’s identity far too soon. Still, various nods to pop culture are nice touches, including Riley Moon’s childhood aspiration to be ‘Batgirl.’ Riley, as a co-lead, occasionally exhibits potential to be interesting, aside from why she finds a self-involved crackpot like Emerson Knight strangely appealing. Playing the ‘straight man’ sidekick, Riley’s character is easily this book’s best asset. A dubious second-place is the torture-happy henchman, Rollo, as failing to kill him becomes a recurring gag. The remaining cast mostly represents an assortment of annoying caricatures.
As for Curious Minds’ biggest disappointment, look no further than its Buddhist-like Bruce Wayne wanna-be: Emerson Knight. It’s quickly spelled out why this billionaire amateur sleuth is far too ridiculous to be the genre’s newest sensation. Much like a conceited comedian bombing out in front of a live audience, Knight’s contrived antics and meditative babble repeatedly backfire on readers. Too often, his super-wealth and far-too-convenient connections grind what little momentum the storyline has to a halt, especially when an infusion of reality is needed.
Considering Evanovich’s prior experience alone, she can write much better action-comedy romps than this tripe. As a vague homage to Goldfinger, Curious Minds is okay at times only because of Riley Moon’s skepticism. Its outlandish plot twists, however, are sabotaged through a series of unforced storytelling errors haphazardly inflicted on readers. Ultimately, silly execution dominates Curious Minds.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES:
Previewing the sequel, there is a fourteen-page first chapter of Dangerous Minds.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 3½ Stars
