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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
This is Crusie back on top form ! This book was brilliant, hilarious, chaotic madness. This time I couldn't tell where Mayer had a hand, I know he must have been behind the action scenes but in this book the collaboration was seamless, I think they managed to iron all the kinks out and it really works. Take the beginning for instance : this one sucked me right in, I was hooked right away, unlike the beginning of Don't Look Down where I struggled.
Cranky Agnes is a cooking columnist with anger management issues who just bought her dream house, on the condition that she must put on her best friend's daughter's wedding. The problem is, people keep turning up and trying to kill her. And everything that could go wrong with the wedding is going wrong. It's almost as if someone doesn't want the wedding to go off... Thank goodness her friend Joey, an ex-mobster, is there to help.
Shane is a hitman. His latest hit didn't go to plan, and then his uncle Joey calls and asks him to protect "his little Agnes". But when Shane arrives it turns out Agnes isn't so little and knows how to wield a frying pan to devastating effect. What's more, she seems to attract an amount of chaos he has never encountered before.
This book is a wild ride of complete insanity, so first of all, suspend all disbelief and strap in for the ride. Some things you'll encounter are old mobsters, 5 million lost somewhere around the house, a secret den in the basement, several hitmen of various levels of competence, several fierce Southern ladies, flamingoes, a bridge that threatens to collapse at any moment, a court-ordered psychiatrist, frying pans used as weapons, some delicious breakfasts, and a wedding. There is even a cameo of Moot. It's wonderful.
This time around we get some of Crusie's trademark top-notch characters : I really liked Agnes and Shane. Agnes is warm and caring, she has that spark that makes her relateable, she's also a strong character who knows what she wants, and she has a delicious streak of complete lunacy : let's just say you don't want to cross her. I loved that and wanted to cheer her on every time she lost it. The voice of her court-ordered psychiatrist in her head slowly transforming as the story went on was gold. I LOVED that. It was a perfect touch.
Shane was good people. He felt real and three dimensional (much better than Wilder) and he was really good to Agnes, he appreciated her and helped her out. He had some sweet moments and I liked them as a couple.
Then there is a whole slew of colourful secondary characters, all of them memorable and fun. There was a lovely feeling of found family, and I love books where you get that feeling of one big crazy family coming together, even when they quarrel. It reminded me a bit of the Dempseys.
This book has a lighter, wittier tone, more like some older Crusies, and for me, this is when she is at her best. Some bits of dialogue had me laughing out loud and that's not easy to get out of me when I read. I loved it.
There were a couple breathless action scenes with Shane, he is definitely very competent at his job (what a man !)And that first scene when Agnes has rage-sex with him was hot. There is also quite a bit of violence, but the story is zipping along in such a zany, madcap way, it doesn't feel very brutal.
I don't really know what more to say except that this book was delightful and fun and such a treat.
Cranky Agnes is a cooking columnist with anger management issues who just bought her dream house, on the condition that she must put on her best friend's daughter's wedding. The problem is, people keep turning up and trying to kill her. And everything that could go wrong with the wedding is going wrong. It's almost as if someone doesn't want the wedding to go off... Thank goodness her friend Joey, an ex-mobster, is there to help.
Shane is a hitman. His latest hit didn't go to plan, and then his uncle Joey calls and asks him to protect "his little Agnes". But when Shane arrives it turns out Agnes isn't so little and knows how to wield a frying pan to devastating effect. What's more, she seems to attract an amount of chaos he has never encountered before.
This book is a wild ride of complete insanity, so first of all, suspend all disbelief and strap in for the ride. Some things you'll encounter are old mobsters, 5 million lost somewhere around the house, a secret den in the basement, several hitmen of various levels of competence, several fierce Southern ladies, flamingoes, a bridge that threatens to collapse at any moment, a court-ordered psychiatrist, frying pans used as weapons, some delicious breakfasts, and a wedding. There is even a cameo of Moot. It's wonderful.
This time around we get some of Crusie's trademark top-notch characters : I really liked Agnes and Shane. Agnes is warm and caring, she has that spark that makes her relateable, she's also a strong character who knows what she wants, and she has a delicious streak of complete lunacy : let's just say you don't want to cross her. I loved that and wanted to cheer her on every time she lost it.
Shane was good people. He felt real and three dimensional (much better than Wilder) and he was really good to Agnes, he appreciated her and helped her out. He had some sweet moments and I liked them as a couple.
Then there is a whole slew of colourful secondary characters, all of them memorable and fun. There was a lovely feeling of found family, and I love books where you get that feeling of one big crazy family coming together, even when they quarrel. It reminded me a bit of the Dempseys.
This book has a lighter, wittier tone, more like some older Crusies, and for me, this is when she is at her best. Some bits of dialogue had me laughing out loud and that's not easy to get out of me when I read. I loved it.
There were a couple breathless action scenes with Shane, he is definitely very competent at his job (what a man !)
I don't really know what more to say except that this book was delightful and fun and such a treat.
I only read this book because I lost a bet with my wife but damn it if it wasn't super entertaining and fun.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This novel is one of the few that was worked on in collaboration with Bob Mayer, and it's much better than the first one. While I don't love it as much as un-adulterated Crusie it still has the wacky characters and crazy dialogue I love, with murder added as a spice.
I admit that books about tough guys killing things isn't usually my thing, but it works for these guys. Shane is a nice guy in a dirty job, and you can tell by when he keeps his cool and when he loses it what he holds important. I'd like to learn more about Carpenter too, even though he seems to act like a back drop to much of the action (I suspect he does it on purpose). Agnes is how most of us feel on a bad day, and how we wish we could act when the jerks of the universe thwart us. I want to be her when I grow up.
I admit that books about tough guys killing things isn't usually my thing, but it works for these guys. Shane is a nice guy in a dirty job, and you can tell by when he keeps his cool and when he loses it what he holds important. I'd like to learn more about Carpenter too, even though he seems to act like a back drop to much of the action (I suspect he does it on purpose). Agnes is how most of us feel on a bad day, and how we wish we could act when the jerks of the universe thwart us. I want to be her when I grow up.
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
O.W.L.s Readathon 2020, Prompt for Charms: Book with a white cover
I think that if I could give 0 stars, this would be the book that got it. I have a very low bar for this genre but this was literally the worst that I have read. Which is frustrating because I have really enjoyed Jennifer Crusie in the past. Perhaps it was the multi-author format with one of the authors being male...I don't know. But this was just over the top ridiculous in terms of a story line and some of the characters. I finished the book, but it took a lot of effort to do that.
I found Agnes and the Hitman to be a lively and raucous listen for the car. When it comes to books on CD, I can't always take serious and profound pieces of literature. While I gave this only 2 stars, it was a nice and entertaining fit for extended drives.
Agnes is a food columnist caught in a battle to keep her house and livlihood. Pitted against the a take-no-prisoners rival and possibly the mob, Agnes gets in over her head. Luckily the dreamy hitman Shane comes into the picture to help her straighten things out.
The writing and plot definitely made this light fare. It's pure escapist entertainment, often funny, but without much substance. The characters are enjoyable and the authors create quite a few truly funny scenarios. Recommended for those looking for a mix of light/funny intrigue and romance.
Agnes is a food columnist caught in a battle to keep her house and livlihood. Pitted against the a take-no-prisoners rival and possibly the mob, Agnes gets in over her head. Luckily the dreamy hitman Shane comes into the picture to help her straighten things out.
The writing and plot definitely made this light fare. It's pure escapist entertainment, often funny, but without much substance. The characters are enjoyable and the authors create quite a few truly funny scenarios. Recommended for those looking for a mix of light/funny intrigue and romance.