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kathydavie's review against another edition
4.0
Second in the Knight and Moon comic romantic suspense series and revolving around a mismatched trio of characters.
My Take
It’s obvious. It’s silly. It’s James Bond action at its funniest with a crazy billionaire who connects the dots when half of them are missing and a cousin who firmly believes in Bigfoot.
Using third person omniscient point-of-view, we learn the thoughts, feelings, and actions of all the important characters as the narrator roams freely through the story.
It’s a tale to read when you don’t want to think too hard before you laugh.
The Story
An old friend and mentor of Emerson’s has lost his island. It’s disappeared. Now, islands just don’t do that, and Emerson’s interest is piqued.
It’s a journey of adventure, action, and daring escapes through lava tubes, boiling fields, and a forklift as they track down how an entire island can go missing, not only physically but on every official map put out by the U.S. government.
The Characters
After losing her job in Curious Minds, 1, Riley Moon has become Emerson’s somewhat reluctant assistant. Her father is a sheriff back in Texas who, along with her brothers, is fascinated by NASCAR.
Emerson Knight is something of a crackpot, an immensely rich and brilliant nutjob with an interest in the metaphysical who loves to investigate. Vernon is Emerson’s cousin in semi-permanent residence in his own monster RV on the Mysterioso Manor estate. He’s also the host of a conspiracy blog, Mysterioso. Aunt Myra is Vernon’s mom, and she keeps house…and Emerson. Also living on the estate are a zooful of animals including Mr. Manfrengensen, a thieving monkey.
Wayan Bagus is a Buddhist monk who had been one of Emerson’s mentors.
Professor Marion White, a vulcanologist, teaches at George Mason University. Another friend, Milton, is a forensic photographer with the medical examiner’s office in D.C.
The missing include…
…Zachary, Taylor, and Adam Brolowski, the Bro Brothers, are into extreme sports and have a YouTube channel. Emma and Joshua Bullfinch, Margo Tanner, and Richard are hikers.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is…
…in charge of mapping the world. Among other things. Cheryl Rhoads is the administrator. James is in charge of surveying national parks.
The National Park Service
Bart Young is the director. Eugene Spiro is the chief scientist. Tim “Tin Man” Mann is publicly in charge of protecting park resources for the Pacific West Region. The Rough Riders are a secret organization of elite rangers who are to protect secrets hidden inside national parks. Miles Bemmer. Berta is a mechanical engineer working for Young.
Yellowstone National Park
Beth is a guide. Dan works at the Physical Resources and Climate Science Branch. Bob Smith and Jim Jones appear to be deputy rangers under Francis Scully the deputy chief ranger.
Hawaii
Alani Yakomura was Vernon’s first girlfriend and is an astronomer at the Keek Observatory. Steven Yakomura is her dad and a helicopter pilot.
Jolene and Mary Beth went to high school with Vernon back in Harrisonburg.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a gorgeous blue-violet with the author’s name large and in a gray-shaded yellow centered at the top, the series information in a pale lilac in the middle, and the medium-sized title in white at the bottom. Framing the series info and the title are a pair of palm trees in silhouette, leaning in towards the pale sliver of moon.
The title is all about that mad, despotic director and his henchmen, for they all have Dangerous Minds.
My Take
It’s obvious. It’s silly. It’s James Bond action at its funniest with a crazy billionaire who connects the dots when half of them are missing and a cousin who firmly believes in Bigfoot.
”What choice do I have but to be myself? Everyone else was already taken.”It’s Riley who’s the straight man in all this while Evanovich pulls in memes from television and movies as they go after a group of the baddest bad guys.
Using third person omniscient point-of-view, we learn the thoughts, feelings, and actions of all the important characters as the narrator roams freely through the story.
It’s a tale to read when you don’t want to think too hard before you laugh.
The Story
An old friend and mentor of Emerson’s has lost his island. It’s disappeared. Now, islands just don’t do that, and Emerson’s interest is piqued.
It’s a journey of adventure, action, and daring escapes through lava tubes, boiling fields, and a forklift as they track down how an entire island can go missing, not only physically but on every official map put out by the U.S. government.
The Characters
After losing her job in Curious Minds, 1, Riley Moon has become Emerson’s somewhat reluctant assistant. Her father is a sheriff back in Texas who, along with her brothers, is fascinated by NASCAR.
Emerson Knight is something of a crackpot, an immensely rich and brilliant nutjob with an interest in the metaphysical who loves to investigate. Vernon is Emerson’s cousin in semi-permanent residence in his own monster RV on the Mysterioso Manor estate. He’s also the host of a conspiracy blog, Mysterioso. Aunt Myra is Vernon’s mom, and she keeps house…and Emerson. Also living on the estate are a zooful of animals including Mr. Manfrengensen, a thieving monkey.
Wayan Bagus is a Buddhist monk who had been one of Emerson’s mentors.
Professor Marion White, a vulcanologist, teaches at George Mason University. Another friend, Milton, is a forensic photographer with the medical examiner’s office in D.C.
The missing include…
…Zachary, Taylor, and Adam Brolowski, the Bro Brothers, are into extreme sports and have a YouTube channel. Emma and Joshua Bullfinch, Margo Tanner, and Richard are hikers.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is…
…in charge of mapping the world. Among other things. Cheryl Rhoads is the administrator. James is in charge of surveying national parks.
The National Park Service
Bart Young is the director. Eugene Spiro is the chief scientist. Tim “Tin Man” Mann is publicly in charge of protecting park resources for the Pacific West Region. The Rough Riders are a secret organization of elite rangers who are to protect secrets hidden inside national parks. Miles Bemmer. Berta is a mechanical engineer working for Young.
Yellowstone National Park
Beth is a guide. Dan works at the Physical Resources and Climate Science Branch. Bob Smith and Jim Jones appear to be deputy rangers under Francis Scully the deputy chief ranger.
Hawaii
Alani Yakomura was Vernon’s first girlfriend and is an astronomer at the Keek Observatory. Steven Yakomura is her dad and a helicopter pilot.
Jolene and Mary Beth went to high school with Vernon back in Harrisonburg.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a gorgeous blue-violet with the author’s name large and in a gray-shaded yellow centered at the top, the series information in a pale lilac in the middle, and the medium-sized title in white at the bottom. Framing the series info and the title are a pair of palm trees in silhouette, leaning in towards the pale sliver of moon.
The title is all about that mad, despotic director and his henchmen, for they all have Dangerous Minds.
suzsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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
4.25
mediaman55's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.25
holly_keimig's review against another edition
4.0
The description of this book was probably written just for me. There are mantle plumes, volcanoes, National Parks, and a mystery with a smidgen of romance mixed in. In this book, Riley and Emerson track down some rogue park employees that are trying to take over the world. I had a bit of trouble believing the mantle plume theory and lava collection processes but otherwise thoroughly enjoyed the book. Can't wait for the next installment!
chill01469's review against another edition
4.0
A totally fun adventure with many laugh-out-loud moments.
mintlovesbooks's review against another edition
2.0
When Buddhist monk Wayan Bagus loses the island he's been living on, he turns to the eccentric Emerson Knight for help. Knight then enlists his cousin Vernon and assistant Riley Moon to help solve the mystery. In the process, they also uncover a conspiracy so secret, some would do anything to keep it under wraps. Can they solve this seemingly impossible case?
Dangerous Minds is a funny and entertaining novel that almost feels like it could be the plot for an action-adventure movie at some points. The characters are hilarious!
However, the plot and many of the characters were somewhat realistic and unbelievable. It did make the book entertaining, but at the same time, it took me out of the immersion of the book. A mystery or an adventure doesn't have to be totally believable for it to be enjoyable for me, but it was a bit too ridiculous for my tastes.
If you're looking for a realistic mystery, this book isn't for you. However, if you're looking for a fun, Fast and the Furious kind of book, this might be up your alley.
You don't need to have read the first book in the series to enjoy this book. You should be aware that there is some violence in this book, but I didn't find it to be too graphic or explicit.
For more of my reviews, please visit:
Dangerous Minds is a funny and entertaining novel that almost feels like it could be the plot for an action-adventure movie at some points. The characters are hilarious!
However, the plot and many of the characters were somewhat realistic and unbelievable. It did make the book entertaining, but at the same time, it took me out of the immersion of the book. A mystery or an adventure doesn't have to be totally believable for it to be enjoyable for me, but it was a bit too ridiculous for my tastes.
If you're looking for a realistic mystery, this book isn't for you. However, if you're looking for a fun, Fast and the Furious kind of book, this might be up your alley.
You don't need to have read the first book in the series to enjoy this book. You should be aware that there is some violence in this book, but I didn't find it to be too graphic or explicit.
For more of my reviews, please visit:
katzreads's review against another edition
3.0
It was okay, but not as good as I wanted it to be. I fear I was expecting too much from Janet Evanovich. I truly love the Stephanie Plum books, but the characters in this one just aren't as clearly defined or as engaging. Perhaps it's just that I have read so many of the Stephanie Plum books that I feel like I know them, and this is the first "Knight and Moon" book I have read. I would read another, but we'll see. The fact that it took me 11 days to finish it speaks volumes. . .I usually finish an Evanovich book in two or three days (at most).
maw539's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
In true Evanovich style, this book was full of wacky characters and an even wackier mystery to solve. While this was fun for the first 100 pages I found myself growing bored reading Dangerous Minds. While all the elements were there, it just didn't quite come together for me.