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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
FULL SCOOP = FULL LISTENING ENJOYMENT, May 22, 2006
Beaumont, South Carolina is a hot spot again - boiling and bubbling with romance, comedy, and mayhem. Is it something in the air, something in the water? No, simply the combined talents of Evanovich and Hughes who put their imaginations, wits, and abilities to write crackling dialogue to work and, presto - Full Scoop.
A bit zany? Yes. But thoroughly entertaining. What eye candy is for the orbs, this book is brain candy for the mind. Nothing deep, nothing disturbing, just mischief enough to entertain.
Lorelei King delivers the narrative with charm and a voice that makes for mighty pleasant listening.
Many will remember recently married Max Holt and Jamie-Swift Holt. They'd very much like to produce an heir or heiress but there's little privacy in their antebellum mansion which has workmen all but hanging from the ceilings. However, rather than a Max and Jamie story this plot primarily concerns Maggie Davenport, a pediatrician with problems.
A former boyfriend of Maggie's has just escaped from jail and pops back into her life after over a dozen years. There's quite a bit about her past that Maggie doesn't want everyone to know, but what to do?
Help is on the way with the entrance of FBI agent Zack Madden. Of course, there are a few secondary plots adding to the potpourri of goings-on in Beaumont, even the romantic yearnings of a hound dog called Fleas.
Relax and listen - you can't help but smile.
- Gail Cooke
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Superficial and full of holes, July 7, 2006
In all honesty, this book was severely lacking in just about every area. It wasn't horrible. I didn't mind reading it, but there were just so many problems with the story as a whole, so many poorly developed aspects that kept it from being a truly good read. The story was very two-dimensional, lacking development and depth. It was just very superficial.
The characters have very little depth or exploration. The authors give you some basic history, but fail to really explore them. They mention things but then never really tell you about them. An example is Maggie's pregnancy. You know that the antagonist got her pregnant at a young age, and you're told that there was some sort of cover-up to get her out of town so no one would know. But they never give you any details. You have no idea exactly how old she was, and you're not told anything at all about this cover-up. Where did she go? What did she do? How did she handle it all? Why did she make up a husband? It would have been nice to have these details and it would have given another dimension to Maggie's character.
Zack's was in a similar state. You know his FBI step-father was killed by the antagonist but you learn little else, other than that Zack was greatly affected by the slaying. I wanted to know how old Zack was when his mother married his step-father, what their relationship was like, how he dealt with the man's death, etc. Again, knowing all this would have made the character more full-bodied. The authors just failed to give these characters any depth at all.
The romance between them was poorly developed as well. It seemed extremely forced, with very little emotion involved. It was like, hey, let's kiss; hey, let's have sex; hey, I think I might have feelings for you. I wasn't feeling the chemistry between them at all. I had a really hard time believing that these two characters were in love.
There were also some minor areas where issues bothered me. One was that Zack, as an FBI Agent, was allowed to participate in the case at all. He was personally connected (his father being killed by the antagonist 14 years earlier). I had a hard time buying that that would be allowed. Also, Destiny, who had roles in the other books, is done a serious injustice in this book. She's paired off and engaged with hardly a whisper. A little more on that would have been nice.
As for the good points...well, I enjoyed the cameos of Max and Jamie. Fleas the hound dog and Butterbean the goat were great. And the actual plot wasn't too bad. But none of that could overcome the holes in the book. I was rather disappointed overall once I finished.
Rating: 2 / 5
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
lighthearted regional romantic police procedural, April 4, 2006
As a teen Maggie Davenport fell in love with Carl Lee Stanton, who used her and deserted her. Maggie used her relationship with this bad boy as the impetus to turn herself around and make something of herself while also raising their child Mel with love. Meanwhile Maggie becomes a doctor while Carl Lee robbed a bank and killed an FBI Agent.
Life is good until Maggie learns that Carl Lee escaped from prison and is most likely heading to Beaumont, South Carolina to collect his hidden loot and to probably punish Maggie. To protect her and her now thirteen year old daughter, the FBI sends tired agent Zack Madden, who appreciate the opportunity to go after Carl Lee. The assignment should be easy as Zack appreciates the eccentricity of the townsfolk, but two things hamper him. First he is extremely attracted to the pediatrician he is to protect and second an Elvis impersonation convention has swamped the town with strangers.
The latest Beaumont mystery is as always "Full" of zany characters that cause havoc on the lead protagonists. Some consciously do so for instance the reporter seeking the FULL SCOOP on Maggie's past; others are in the cards just ask psychic Destiny; and finally those who unintended bring Maggie and Zack together like her killer teenage boyfriend and the Elvis crowd. Readers who enjoy a lighthearted regional romantic police procedural will want to read this tale and its full line of predecessors.
Harriet Klausner
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