NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The irrepressibly charming duo of Emerson Knight and Riley Moon returns in another gripping mystery by #1 New York Times bestselling author Janet Evanovich. Buddhist monk Wayan Bagus lost his island of solitude and wants to get it back. The island was about two hundred miles northeast of Samoa. It had a mountain, beaches, a rain forest, and a volcano. And now it’s … and a volcano. And now it’s gone. Poof! Vanished without a trace.
Brilliant and boyishly charming Emerson Knight likes nothing better than solving an unsolvable, improbable mystery. And finding a missing island is better than Christmas morning in the Knight household. When clues lead to a dark and sinister secret that is being guarded by the National Park Service, Emerson will need to assemble a crack team for help. Since a crack team isn’t available, he enlists Riley Moon and his cousin Vernon. Riley Moon has a Harvard business degree and can shoot the eyes out of a grasshopper at fifty feet, but she can’t figure out how to escape the vortex of Emerson Knight’s odd life. Vernon has been Emerson’s loyal and enthusiastic partner in crime since childhood. He now lives in an RV behind Emerson’s house.
Together, this ragtag, mismatched trio will embark on a worldwide investigation that will expose a conspiracy one hundred years in the making.
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Need More books in this series. Love it
Great new characters. Can’t wait for Ms. Evanovich to write the next one!
This was the second audio book I have listened to. I wasn’t sure what to expect. It was clever and interesting. The characters were unique and funny. The plot was unique with an interesting mystery. I enjoyed listening to it. The author has a great imagination with humor!
For the love of Mike, I loved it! All of the scientific information was lost on me but it was still quite entertaining. Emerson has friends everywhere and it was great meeting some of them. There was some things about cousin Vernon that I really pray I will forget but he was fun. I did miss the zoo and Auntie and I hope we get to see them again soon.
Great book, love the series
This was a fun book. Totally out there on the believability scale, but it was a riot to read. Emerson is a super-eccentric bazillionaire, who is charming, brilliant, and loves solving mysteries. The arrival of his Buddhist monk friend, Wayan Bagus, with the news that his tiny Pacific island has disappeared, was just what he needed to spice up his life. It will also get him out of helping Riley Moon bring order to his financial paperwork. Riley became his personal assistant after he got her fired in the first book, Curious Minds. Riley is practical and resourceful. She has multiple degrees from Harvard, but thanks to her small-town Texas sheriff father, she can also shoot, drive, and rope, abilities that come in handy when dealing with Emerson.
Starting with NOAA, Emerson, Riley, Wayan, and Emerson’s cousin Vernon, investigate why an island that was on all the maps suddenly isn’t there any longer. A bit of runaround from the officials there sent them to the National Park Service, who had jurisdiction over that area of the American Samoas. When Vernon made an unexpected connection between a multitude of missing hikers, volcanic activity, and several national parks, there’s no choice but to investigate. Threats from a Park Service secret society only served to increase the group’s determination to solve the mystery.
The action was nonstop as our team lurched from DC to Yellowstone to Hawaii. Emerson’s brilliance was exhibited in some pretty off-the-wall plans that somehow always worked out in their favor. I couldn’t help but laugh at their camping exploits in Yellowstone, especially Emerson’s negotiations with a bear. I was utterly caught up in the tension as they bluffed and finagled their way into the hidden laboratory deep in the woods of Yellowstone. They barely escaped with their lives after a run-in with an ax-wielding thug with the nickname “Tin Man” and had to high-tail it to Hawaii to stop a plan for Armageddon.
They arrived in Hawaii one step ahead of the bad guys. I was on the edge of my seat as Emerson’s make-it-up-as-he-went-along methods were put to the test. Riley’s capture by the bad guys made her hostage to the return of that which Emerson had stolen. Emerson and the others launched a rescue attempt utilizing lava tubes while avoiding wild pigs and the patrols of bad guys, while Riley put her mind toward her own rescue. The final confrontation was a nail-biter as Emerson faced off against a man who was ready to destroy the planet. Emerson was impressive and Riley was right there to back him up.
I loved each member of our intrepid team. Wayan was an intriguing mix of Buddhist philosophy and wicked sense of humor, and the nuggets of peace and wisdom were an interesting contrast to his martial arts abilities. Vernon is Emerson’s redneck cousin who lives in an RV on the grounds of Emerson’s mansion and writes a conspiracy blog. Vernon believes that he is God’s gift to women and his conversation is innuendo-filled. He’s always ready to join in on Emerson’s adventures. I thoroughly enjoyed the friendship between Vernon and Wayan and the contrasts between them. I loved the pairing of Emerson and Riley. Emerson’s version of flirting is both awkward and adorable, and Riley is certainly receptive. There is also the contrast between her practicality and his “anything goes, anything is possible” philosophy. Seeing her try to keep Emerson grounded is pretty funny.
Fun light read. Janet Evanovich is entertaining.
Like an Indiana Jones movie.
This was an interesting story. Knight & Moon are together again in this mystery. There were some chuckles and a few goose bumps as I read it.
I loved this book! This new series is going to be better than either of Evanovich’s others and that’s saying something. There is a somewhat more serious tone here but you never lose the humor and the characters are definitely going to be worth keeping up with.
When I’m ready for smiles, giggles and guffaws encased in an intriguing mystery, Janet Evanovich is my go-to author. Just picture sitting on your sofa listening to or reading this book and you just burst out laughing and your spouse looks at you like you have suddenly gone nuts. That is the way it is through this entire book. The characters are busy investigating a very serious mystery and you are sitting there with a huge smile on your face. It is a thoroughly enjoyable read. If you like Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series, then you’ll love this one as well.
Emerson Knight, gazillionaire, takes eccentric to a whole new level. He’s brilliant and loves solving impossible, improbable puzzles. So, a whole island going missing and megalomaniacs seeking world domination and/or destruction are right down his alley. Oh, and by the way, add that he is romance cover gorgeous and charming as well!
Riley Moon has multiple degrees from Harvard and she can also shoot, rope and ride with the best of them. She’s strong and resourceful – and attractive as well. Riley works for Emerson Knight because he caused her to lose her last job – and he pays her REALLY well. She always has really good intentions, but somehow she always gets caught up in the force of nature that is Emerson Knight and can’t manage to escape.
Emerson once studied under Wayan Bagus who is a monk, so when he shows up at Emerson’s home asking for help because his island has disappeared, Emerson dives right in and investigates. The investigation takes us to Yellowstone and Hawaii and includes a secret government organization bent on ruling the world.
I hope you’ll give this book a try because I think you will like it.
I love all her books. They are all very entertaining.
Laugh out loud entertaining mystery in true Evanovich style. Excellent narration by Lorelei King. Emerson Knight, eccentric billionaire nerd (think Sheldon Cooper of Big Bang Theory) is looking for a missing island and drags his assistant Riley along for the wild adventure. Very entertaining.
Evanovich does it again! At first, I wasn’t impressed with this book, but a very few pages in I was hooked, and what a ride! Definitely a book suited for our current political time.
This Riley & Moon book is chock full of wacky characters and one big crazy scenario – that a clandestine group, working within the National Park System, is out to gain control of the entire world. It’s a fast-paced and crazy ride to the finish.
She is one of my favorite authors! Again she doesn’t disappoint!
Love this series
I have read almost all of Janet Evanovich’s books and loved them, but this one was terrible. It was not like her writing at all. I read less than 20% of the book before I quit.
I love all of her books!!! So good!!
Ready for more