Reviews

Agnes and the Hitman by Bob Mayer, Jennifer Crusie

trisha_thomas's review against another edition

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2.0

“I'm talkin' about you. Stop pretending you're normal. You're insane. Make that work for you.”

Read this one as an audio book. I do not recommend enjoying this book this way. The "inside internal thoughts" of the main character (both Agnes and Shane) are done in a way that makes them quieter than the rest of the audio - which means you have to blast the sound every few paragraphs and then the normal audio can be enjoyed at least 2 cars away (must to the dismay of anyone around you.)

Otherwise, this was an interesting book - if completely ridiculous. I found Agnes marginally funny when she was cooking or trying to threaten people to complete their part of the wedding. But all in all, I found her reaction to killing people (she just continued making breakfast?!) and being shot/threatened unbelievable. I loved how fiesty she was but hated that she couldn't manage to tell Brenda off.

Meh. This one was just not my thing

boo_trixie's review against another edition

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1.0

The audio for this book is TERRIBLE.

This may be an okay book - it was recommended to me; however, the listening experience not enjoyable. The narrator seems good, but whenever a character has any internal dialogue - and there is A LOT - the sound becomes very quiet and has an echo quality. I have no idea what the producer was thinking, because it makes the listening experience incredibly frustrating. You either have to have the audio uncomfortably loud to be able to catch the “inner dialogue” or strain to hear it and still miss half of it unless you rewind (and it’s a constant part of the story). I gave up after 1 hour because I was not having any fun at all.


rinn4's review against another edition

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4.0

Good story, from reading the back you really don't have an idea of what is going to happen in this book. Agnes is a great character and totally unexpected for someone most romance novels would pair with a hitman. There is a ton of intrigue and confusing plot developments but that is what makes the book so good. Its not about whether Shane and Agnes will end up together which considering its a romance novel is pretty damn obvious its about all the other characters and finding out what the hell is going on during this crazy weekend. Very good read, I would recommend for if your looking for something that is just one step up from a beach read.

amykastigar's review against another edition

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5.0

Loved this one! Jennifer Crusie is one of the few authors in romance who can truly write a romantic comedy. Quite a few authors are proficient at comedic elements, but to sustain a rom-com feel for an entire book is quite a feat. Although I've loved JC for years, this is my first go at one of her books written in partnership with Bob Mayer. I'm moving on soon to Lavender's Blue, and I'm very hopeful. But in the meantime, I feel a re-read of Bet Me coming on...

There's nothing like the glow a good book gives you!

sandaleen's review against another edition

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"Your ass is grass and I am a John Deere super-classic riding lawn mower with a V6 engine and a double cutting blade!"

jscarpa14's review against another edition

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4.0

So I listened to the audible version and I think it need to be said that whoever decided to make all the thoughts sound like they're coming from a far away tin can is a moron. I had to turn my Alexa way up or I had difficulty hearing the thoughts and then the rest of the narration seemed loud. It made the audiobook difficult to listen to and I almost gave up because of the loud quiet, clear and muffled roller coaster of narration.

Mostly I really enjoyed this novel Agnes is this naive sort of crazy which I really enjoyed. Bodies dropped regularly and I have to say I found that part pretty funny. There's something happening in every chapter and I really enjoyed this large cast of characters who were all distinctive and well developed. I would have like a more show rather than tell wrap up with the Brenda situation and I didn't really care for the way everyone seemed to exit off the page. I loved the story but I really would have appreciated an epilogue where we could find out what happened after.

While I don't recommend the audible version of the book, I definitely do recommend the book in general and look forward to more stories from this talented duo.

lobo1tomia's review against another edition

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4.0

Az ember gyakran tűnődik el azon, hogy a szerzőpárosok vajon hogyan dolgoznak. Mi az amit egyikük ír, mi az, amit a másik? Egyáltalán milyen a munkabeosztásuk? Egyik gépel, másik meg diktál? Aztán helycsere? Mindenesetre Jennifer Crusie-nak nagyon bejött, hogy egy másik ráadásul férfi szerzővel szűrte össze a levet. A regény vicces, kedves és még a krimi szál is eléggé izgalmasra sikerült ahhoz, hogy a végén már nagyon kíváncsi legyek, hogy sikerül kibogozni a szálakat.

Agnes szeret főzni, társszerzőként mindeféle szakácskönyveket ír, van egy állandó cikksorozata Cranky Agnes (Bolondos Ágnes) címmel, ráadásul sikerült megszereznie álmai házát is egy Dél Karolinai kisvárosban. Csakhogy az álomházzal járnak különböző kötelességek is: például ott kell, hogy férjhezmenjen barátnője lánya, aki az előző tulajdonos unokája is egyben. Aztán meg a baj csőstöl jön: kutyatolvaj érkezik (ez egy Jennifer Crusie regény, azaz az excentrikus eb nem hiányozhat belőle), akit ugyan Agnes szerencsésen leszerel egy palacsintasütővel, ám így újabb gondok adódnak: feltárul egy befalazott pince, ahol lehet van egy bunker, talán hulla, de egy penészedő szobor mindenképp található. Aztán megjelenik a címben említett bérgyilkos, Shane, akit a nagybátyja kért meg, hogy jöjjön haza és vigyázzon Agnesre. A nő háza átjáróvá válik: készülődnek az esküvőre, amit a ház egykori tulajdonosa lépten-nyomon szabotálni akar, egy 25 évvel korábban történt bűnténnyel kapcsolatban is állandóan felmerülnek újabbnál újabb nyomok, na és Shane-nek is van egy befejezetlen ügye. Mivel a hét végére esküvőt kell tető alá hozni, gyilkosságokat kinyomozni, bérgyilkosokat elfogni, flamingókat utaztatni s közben Agnes állandóan főz és egyre többen ülik körbe az asztalát, a történet eszeveszett tempóra kapcsol.

S ez annyira jó, hogy nehéz volt letenni a kötetet. A végére különösen izgalmassá vált, hogy mégis ki kicsoda, kivel van és mit titkol, miért mire hajlandó. Ráadásul még a főszereplők jellemfejlődésére is volt lehetőség, s mindez Crusie-ra jellemző könnyed humorral volt fűszerezve, amibe gondolom jól beleillett Mayer stílusa is, akit eddig nem ismertem, mert nem vettem észre, hogy hol kezdődik az egyikük, hol végződik a másik. Szóval ez az összedolgozás, bármilyen metódussal is csinálták, az Agnes and the Hitman-ben jól bejött.

Eredetileg: http://olvasonaplo.net/olvasonaplo/2008/12/29/jennifer_crusie_and_bob_mayer_agnes_and_the_hitman/

rockchick19's review against another edition

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5.0

i dont know why but i love this book....guess just the dialoge

bookgeek117's review against another edition

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5.0

This book was very funny. It kept me hooked throughout the entire book and I didn't want to put it down.

autumnalia's review against another edition

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4.0

A ton of fun. Relentless plot that skates a little close to ridiculous but in a forgivable and hilarious way. This was like a mash up of my favorite Gilmore Girls episodes, While You Were Sleeping, and the best kind of cheesy action movie. I adored Agnes! One of the best FMCs I’ve come across in romance.