The King's Ransom: A Novel

Gabriela Rose #2

by Janet Evanovich

“Thriller master” ( Mystery and Suspense Magazine ) Janet Evanovich takes readers on a global hunt to track down missing masterpieces in this action-packed and steamy sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller The Recovery Agent .

Gabriela Rose, recovery agent extraordinaire, can find just about anything. Too bad she can’t seem to lose her gorgeous-but-infuriating ex-husband Rafer Jones. And now he needs her help. His cousin, Harley, is in trouble…big trouble.

As the president of a too-big-to-fail bank, he invested an astronomical amount of money in insuring some of the world’s most priceless artifacts at the urging of his board. It seemed like a low-risk, high-reward business move, so he jumped in with both feet. But recently, these insured pieces started going missing and worse, there’s no paper trail of Harley being directed to make these risky investments. Unless the artwork can be recovered soon, it looks like Harley is going to be heading to jail as the fall guy for an ingenious crime.

Gabriela knows what she must travel around the world with Rafer to find the missing works of art, keep Harley out of jail, and save both his skin and his bank. Along the way, she’ll encounter corruption, threats, murder, mysterious dark forces behind a global conspiracy to destroy the world’s wealth, and a nefarious villain who will stop at nothing to bring the world to the brink of ruin.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Adventure, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Humor

352 pages, Paperback

First published November 11, 2025

About the author

Janet Evanovich is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Stephanie Plum series, the Lizzy and Diesel series, twelve romance novels, the Alexandra Barnaby novels and Trouble Maker graphic novel, and How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author, as well as the Fox and O'Hare series with co-author Lee Goldberg.

Reviews

[PamG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Janet Evanovich returns with the second novel in the Gabriela Rose series, The King’s Ransom. This global action-adventure and mystery story is full of suspense, some humor, kidnappings, and much more. Gabriela is an expert at recovering lost treasures, stolen heirlooms, and missing assets. She’s often hired in suspected insurance fraud cases as well as by individuals and companies. But her latest job is brought to her by her ex-husband Rafer Janes and his cousin, Harley Patch. As president of a large private bank, Harley invested a significant amount of money in insuring many of the world’s priceless artifacts at the urging of his board. But recently, those insured pieces have been stolen and there’s no paper trail of Harley being directed to make the risky investments. He’s been suspended and unless the assets can be recovered soon, he is likely to go to jail. Harley and Rafer insist on accompanying her as the investigation takes her from New York City to London to Cairo to Florida to Italy.

Gabriela is reliable, curious, cool under pressure, weapons and martial arts trained, and driven to succeed. She has excellent reflexes and is tenacious. She also has an aptitude for searching and finding things and loves the thrill of exploring the unknown. Rafer owns a dive shop, tends to drink too much, and seems to lack ambition. While they still have a lot of chemistry, they also spend a lot of time bickering. Harley is social and great at chatting, but he’s not so great at thinking through the ramifications of his actions on a business level (such as insuring assets well beyond what the bank the cover if all are lost). Readers are also introduced to Ahmed El Ghaly working at the Egyptian embassy. Will he appear in future books?

Full of humor and vividly written, this novel grabbed my attention quickly. The premise is great and the story is over-the-top adventure. There’s plenty of action, danger, murder, and suspense in the story, and we get a little more character depth for Gabriela and Rafer in this novel. They’re becoming more dynamic characters in this second novel in the series. Readers also see how far into the grey line Gabriela and Rafer are willing to go to save Harley. There are also some romantic sparks between Gabriela and Rafer and there’s chemistry with her and Ahmed. I liked the ending with a thread that could be developed for the next book in the series.

Overall, this is an engaging, fast-paced, and entertaining action-adventure story full of murder, corruption, threats, kidnapping and a multi-layered global conspiracy. If you can just enjoy the over-the-top scenarios and not try to make them something more substantial, it’s an enjoyable read. Also, Gabriela is completely different from Stephanie Plum so readers should expect significant differences.

Atria Books and Janet Evanovich provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date is currently set for November 11, 2025.
---------------------------
My 4 star review is coming soon.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

A King's Ransom is the second book in the Gabriela Rose series written by Janet Evanovich. Built on humor and history, the story offers many great moments and curious characters. Evanovich, as always, offers a great wit while building suspense and mysterious shenanigans. I enjoy the series but I prefer the author's other series over this one. Will keep reading tho.

[Chris C - A Midlife Wife · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love a fun time while reading a book, this author has proven herself time and time again! I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read this one for review, as it has been years since I last read her stories.

Reading this book felt like old home week. The fun scenarios, fabulous character development, and the destinations are on point.

Loaded with fast-paced trips across the world in search of missing treasures, The King’s Ransom is a delightful read I could not put down!

I fell for the intrigue, the hilarious character interactions (especially with Ahmed), and the joy of a lighthearted story that was still full of bad guys and suspense. Plus, a little romance too. Evanovich delivers it all!

This one needs to be on your radar. I hope there is more to come from this team of characters.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been waiting for The King’s Ransom since I read the ARC for The Recovery Agent a couple of years ago. I’m happy to say that it was the worth the wait. Gabriella Rose kicks-ass in her latest adventure when she helps out her ex-husband’s cousin find out why he was the patsy in a stolen treasures scam. Gabriella’s mission takes her to exotic places, questioning scrupulously suspects, and torn between wanting to reconnect with her ex-husband or strangling him. The narrative pulsates with high energy, the action is exciting, and there’s a real feel for the exotic locations. Gabriella is the opposite of Evanovich’s famous creation in that she’s more assertive, confident, and willing to put herself on the line to complete her mission, but she’s just as good hearted and loyal to her cause and friends as Stephanie. I also must mention that Evanovich’s trademark laugh out scenes and knack for sizzling tension between the hero and heroine has carried over into her latest series. I’m a huge Stephanie Plum fan, but I’m just as much of a fan of Gabriella Rose. I’m looking forward to reading the next forward to reading the next Rose book as much as the next Plum book.

[Christopher Febles · Rating 4 out of 5]

The world’s premier treasure finder Gabriela Rose is back…and this time, it’s personal. Sorta. Her ex-husband Rafer shows up in her Soho (NYC) apartment with his goofy brother Harley, a stuffed shirt acting as a bank president. His job involves insuring priceless artifacts, including the Rosetta Stone and a golden Egyptian coffin. But when the artifacts disappear, he gets canned and finds himself on the run from some scary goons bent on recovering them. Somehow, he and Rafer get Gabs (she hates that) to seek out the loot and save his life, and it’s off on a globe-trotting adventure.

It's a James Bond-ian jaunt all over the world: London, Cairo, Milan, New York…and Florida. Gabriela knows it all intimately, and we experience both wonderful sights, sounds, and tastes. Each location seems to have a “fixer,” or friend that helps her navigate the seedier parts of town. My favorite was the Egyptian Uber driver, Jim.



The plot is an interesting one, as the source of the heist is continually in doubt. It’s a can full of red herrings: just when you think a museum curator knows which direction things are headed, something throw us off the trail. It meanders a bit, stuck in mostly conversations, but around two-thirds, it clicks. And it clicks in a fun way: a side character has a reveal, Gabriela figures it out, and she goes off and raids a…well, not a tomb, exactly.

And the side characters shine here. They’re colorful, interesting, funny, and even bad-ass in some cases. I can’t help comparing them to the characters in Stephanie Plum’s world, and while I like Trenton’s cast better, Gabriela’s team develops much in the same way. Not as funny, but quirky and crazy at times, and it’s a different setting and aim. I don’t think many of them will recur, however, since they’re all in different locales.

I might’ve liked a little more ass-kicking and tomb-raiding, however. Gabriela’s at her best when she’s climbing a fence, throat-punching a pack of thugs, or dashing through the streets with a relic in tow. Yes, investigating takes time, patience, and talking, but I was always relieved when she shot something out of the sky or karate-kicked a guy in the clavicle. That said, it’s a great ending: clever, shady, even a little funny.



Now, let’s be clear that this is a plot-driven series. There are nods toward the off-on spicy tension between Gabriela and Rafer, and we learn a little about their teen years in South Carolina. But otherwise, they take a backseat to the action and intrigue. But maybe it’s unfair, given this is only Book 2, and not told in first-person. So, I’m hoping I’ll get to know the Recovery Agent a little better the third time around.

(BTW: I wonder if Lorelei King read the audiobook...)

Gabriela Rose is another fun, spunky reason to love Evanovich’s writing. A good beach read, even if off-season.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for a complimentary advance ebook copy in exchange for an honest review. The King's Ransom will be released November 11, 2025.

[Jannelies (living between hope and fear) · Rating 3 out of 5]

After I finished this book, I rated it four stars. Now, a couple of days later, I decided to stick to three stars. This doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy the book – just that on hindsight, it could have done with a bit more even pacing throughout the story, a little less Gabriela swooning over her ex Rafer, and less, much less brand naming. I don’t care about brand names and I therefore cannot imagine how someone looks when dressed in certain brands.

But well, Gabriela, her ex Rafer and his nephew Harley, who is in big trouble when some very, very valuable items go missing that were insured by him, when more or less posing as a bank manager. That is, he is in fact the manager of the bank, but his job is in fact only trying to get more clients in by wooing them, not an actual job that has to do with banking. So he signed some papers and now they’re after him because either the bank will fold because of the pay outs they have to do, or he finds the stolen items. Enter Gabriela, who can find anything.

The story takes us to a lot of places and there is some background information about how the world of invaluable art works, and there are funny dialogues. All in all I was not disappointed, also because there were some twists and turns I didn’t see coming.

Thanks to Atria and Edelweiss for this review copy.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this author. I've read the whole Stephanie Plum series, and I love this new series with Gabriela and Rafer. Her books always have good suspense, but I really like the humor that's incorporated into the books. There are times in this one that I laughed out loud. I'm excited to see where this series continues!!

Thank you to Net Galley and Atria Books for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gabriela and Rafer have a history, much like Stephanie and Joe. Those bonds formed in youth can be very powerful even long after you have grown up. They make a nice couple, but nothing special. I didn't feel any fire and there was little sexual tension, beyond a mutual acknowledgment that, sure, they had a good thing once. Add Ahmed, mysterious Egyptian fixer who could be Ranger's brother from another mother, and the triangle is complete. Unfortunately, the whole story, while entertaining, lacked any umph. It was rather bland and borderline boring for the most part. I missed the thrill of the chase, the passion of the pursuit and most of all, I missed the over-the-top humor that I expected to find with any Janet Evanovich book.

Gabriela Rose, finder of all lost things. Wait, that's my title: Mommy - Finder of All Lost Things. But I digress. Back to the Review. Gabriela Rose is an expert at the recovery of lost or stolen items. She has just wrapped a job when sexy ex-husband Rafer Jones and his cousin Harley invade her New York home. Harley is a charming smoozer who smoozed his way to bank president of a bank catering to the very rich. At the insistence of a board member, he made some bad investments and now he is on the hook for substantial losses. While very charming, Harley isn't very smart.

Insuring priceless artifacts and art and having them stolen has put Harley at risk of going to jail hence the need for Gabriela's expertise to retrieve said stolen items. Tracking down the stolen items leads Gabriela, Rafer and Harley on an adventure around the world, but recovery is only a part of this puzzle. The how and the who behind the theft looms as a big factor in the recovery and Gabriela isn't the only person looking for one of the artifacts, a golden Egyptian coffin, which has attracted the attentions of a mysterious Egyptian named Ahmed. In the end Gabriela needs all the help she can get as these thieves are both smart and deadly.

My thanks to the Publisher, and Author, for providing a complimentary digital Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel via NetGalley. This is my fair, honest and personal review. All opinions are mine alone and were not biased in any way.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very entertaining. I’ve never read a book by Janet Evanovich before. This is the second book in the series. I didn’t read the first and was fine with it.
Gabriella Rose is a recovery agent for lost and stolen art. Her ex husband Rafer Jones needs her to help his cousin Harley who is in big trouble. Harley invested a hugh amount of money for his investment bank on precious art. The only problem is that artifacts have gone missing.
Rafer knows Gabs as he calls her can find things that have gone missing.
This is a fun packed adventure as Gabriella, Rafer and Harley take us on a global journey from New York to London to Eqypt and Italy.
Get ready for the sparks flying between Gabriella and Rafer. This is action packed adventure filled with humor, suspense and murder.
It is a light read but very engaging.
The characters are well developed. Gabriella is not only a recovery agent but a fashionista. Her outfits are adorable always looking the part.
A fun read.
I can’t wait to see what they come up with next.
Thank you to Goodreads for this advanced readers copy.

[Cynthia Messina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Huge Janet fan and I usually finish a book in one sitting. This one took 3days because it just wasn’t that interesting. The flesh out the scant plot the adjectives were ratcheted up and is it really important to know the designer brand of everything she wears from her shoes to her bras? The characters are not fully fleshed out which is usual for this author, but neither are they particularly likeable or relatable which is usually her strength. Go back to grounded characters, loveable screwups, humor, relatable families and leave the La Perla panties in the drawer.

[Tina Loves To Read · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a Cozy Mystery, and this is the Second book in the Recovery Agent series. I have not read the first book in this series before picking up this book. I read this book by listening to the audiobook, and I loved the narrator of this audiobook. I found this book a fun read, and I enjoyed getting to know these characters. But, I just wanted more I think because I loved the Plum series. This book read more like a first book in a series then a second book in a series.

[R L HERSKOWITZ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recovery Agent, Gabriela Rose, searches for stolen treasures with her ex-husband, Rafer Jones & his cousin, Harley.
The adventures take them from New York City to London, Egypt, Italy and Florida.
This is a fun story.

If you read The King’s Ransom, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Atria Books / Simon & Schuster for the advanced reader copy for my honest review.

Note I did not read the first Recovery Agent book so not sure if that would have made a difference. I did not start finding this book interesting till the last 100 pages. It was not for any specific reason, just the book did not capture my attention till later. Entertaining and readable, but I could put it down here and there. The book is fast paced and easy to follow, but at times felt underdeveloped. Gabriella and her ex-husband, Rafer's dynamic was the most entertaining storyline. The cousin was forgettable. Ahmed, now there is a character that should make a reappearance. This ended as a fun, quick read with some mystery and witty characters. Nothing more, nothing less - solid 3 stars.

[Heather~ Nature.books.and.coffee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used to read and LOVED the Stephanie Plum series so I was excited to read this one. This is the second book in her new Gabriela Rose series. The first book is THE RECOVERY AGENT. Gabriela is a recovery agent who is hired by individuals and companies to recover lost or stolen items.

I paired the physical book with the audiobook. The audiobook was so fantastic. This book is really fun…..and FUNNY. In this book, Gabriela is asked by her ex-husband Rafer to help his cousin Harley recover some art, and artifacts. Harley, who works at a bank, was urged to insure these artifacts, and so he did, but they are now missing. If they are not found, Harley could be headed to jail. Gabriela travels around the world to try to recover these artifacts.

Gabriela is entertaining, smart, and witty. There's plenty of action, mystery ,and shenanigans. It's fast paced and the narrator of the audiobook was great with making each character's voice their own. I really liked it. It was such a fun escape. I'll definitely be reading more in this series, and still want to get to more of the Stephanie Plum books that I haven't read yet.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m so happy I read the second book of this series. The first one kind of fell a little flat for me and I’m not sure why, but this one was so good! It is not as funny as the Stephanie Plum series, but I liked the characters and the plot. I definitely want to read the next book in the series.

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the free Kindle book. My review is voluntarily given, and my opinions are my own.

I really love this series and think this is the best book Janet Evanovich has written in several years. Loved everything about this and can't wait to read the next one. I have been reading her books since she started the Stephanie Plum series years ago, and as someone who loved those books so much that I actually bought them (I almost never buy books), I think I like this series more. Really hope there are tons more. So, basically, she will needs to write at least 5 a year, as she is already in her 80s lol.

[Jo Dervan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The King’s Ransom
Gabriela Rose, the insurance recovery agent, is back. Her ex-husband, Rafer, asked her to help his cousin, Harley. Harley had been appointed the president of a large private bank. Some members of the bank’s board of directors pressured him to insure some very pricey items. One of the items was the Rosetta Stone, a large artifact that was displayed at the British Museum. It was valued at seven hundred fifty million dollars. Other items included two Van Gogh paintings at the Museum D’Orsay valued at five hundred million dollars. Finally there was a solid gold sarcophagus valued at four hundred seventy five million dollars that had been touring museums in the US. Soon after the insurance policies were approved, all the items were stolen.
Harley was fired and fearful for his life if news if the thefts was disclosed to the public.
The search for these items took Gabriela and the men to London, Egypt, and Milan. While searching they had many dangerous encounters with people who were killers.
The author is skilled at writing exciting suspense novels that keeps the reader’s interest. This book is a good example of that skill. I enjoyed the descriptions of locations the trio visited. This is the second book in the Recovery Agent series featuring Gabriela.
I received this ARC from the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

[Dayle (the literary llama) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gabriella Rose and her ex-husband, Rafer, are back! The humor and fly-by-the-seat-of-their-pants adventure continues with a slew of new missing treasures to find, new allies and villians, and a romp across multiple continents. The charisma, chemistry, and competency are all on point. It's a compulsive one/two-day read (seriously, I sat on the beach all day and didn't leave until the last page) propelled by sleuthing and a cat/mouse chase with breakneck pacing.

Not overly deep but just enough to put you in the thick of it with quippy and amusing characters. It's a fast and furiously fun read. Fingers crossed that Janet Evanovich sticks with this series because it's fantastic.

* I received a free early copy from the publisher

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I own this book in a goodreads drawing.

A wastrel rich guy is in trouble after talking his way into becoming president of a bank. He was responsible for insuring museum artifacts, which were promptly stolen. The Recovery Agent is on the case.

Like something Aaron Spelling might produce.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wealthy, competent Stephanie Plum-esque character.

[Chanel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the first one in the series this one not so much

[Leslie Basney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just not feeling this series

[Birdie.Recommends · Rating 4 out of 5]

The King’s Ransom ended up being exactly the kind of palette cleanser I needed — fun, fast, and entertaining without asking for too much brainpower. I haven’t picked up a Janet Evanovich book in many years (I made it to book 18 in the Stephanie Plum series… which is now at 31!), so it felt like dipping back into an author I used to love.

Even though this is book two in the Gabriela Rose/Recovery Agent series, I read it completely as a standalone and had no issues jumping in. The plot moves quickly, the situations are over-the-top in that signature Evanovich way, and Gabriela is a capable, clever, get-things-done heroine who’s easy to root for.

My only surprise? For a light adventure, it’s a bit character heavy — more names and moving pieces than I expected for a breezy read. Not confusing, just… more crowded than the vibe suggested. But once I settled into the flow, it delivered exactly what I remembered from her earlier work: humor, hijinks, and pure entertainment.

[Bel lvndrgms3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second in the Gabriela Rose series is another fun adventure! This time her ex, Rafer calls in a favor - to help their friend Harley who’s run into some trouble. Valuable museum artifacts have gone missing and Harley’s company had insured them. Some dangerous people think he’s involved and are after him. Gabriela’s on the case which takes them to London and Egypt.

This is a fast-paced, plot driven storyline that’s easy to follow and get into. I enjoyed looking up the locations that the crew traveled to, and the new faces they encountered. I especially liked Jim, their taxi driver in Egypt. The silly banter between Gabriela and Rafer that sometimes gets flirtatious is also entertaining.

Once again Evanovich serves up a smart and strong FMC who takes no BS. If you’re up for an escapade that’s light and moves quickly, this fits the bill. Check it out!

Thanks to @atriabooks for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Curt Dunnam · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The King's Ransom” by Janet Evanovich is an enjoyable 4-star read! Recovery agent Gabriela Rose and her ex-husband Rafer set out on a globe-spanning treasure hunt to help her cousin Harley after he gets himself into trouble at work.

This is a fast-paced and entertaining story. It’s got all the elements you expect from Janet Evanovich: adventure, a touch of romance, and plenty of laughs. While I still prefer her Stephanie Plum books, this series is shaping up to be a great one to enjoy while I wait for the next Plum installment.

Thanks to Atria Books, Janet Evanovich, and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read this ARC and share my honest review.

[Jack Hance · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book and I like the Gabriela Rose character, actually a lot, and the finding lost treasures theme is a lot of fun. So why four stars, given that I’m generally very easy to give five? I’m tired of the Rafer Jones character, for one. He’s useless for the most part and the whole Gabs lusting after her ex thing is annoying. Another problem. I hope the author is getting product placement payments because otherwise Evanovich is WAY too focused on the brands of shoes and clothes Gabriela wears, especially that Lacy La Perla bra. Still, the story was mostly fun, even though tge way she finds the treasure is predictable.

[Michele Dancer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recovery Agent Gabriella Rose is hired to recover a trove of priceless artifacts, among them a golden pharoah's coffin and the Rosetta Stone. Rafer Jones, her roguish and handsome ex-husband becomes part of the hunt when his cousin Harley Patch is set up to be the fall guy for the crime. With some powerful and murderous people at their heels, the three set off for England, Egypt, and Italy to recover the treasures, clear Harley's name, and hopefully make it back home in one piece.
This second book in the series was almost absurdly fun to read. It has adventure, action, mystery, and humor to spare, glorious locales, and just bonkers characters, both main and supporting. I wish Jim was going to be in all future books (he won't be-it wouldn't make sense) and I definitely hope Ahmed is. Now if Evanovich would only write them faster.

[Natalie M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable and I will definitely keep going with the series.

Gabriela Rose is an adequate alternative to Stephanie Plum. Less dumb luck and stupidity, and a solid character to grow with in the future. Hopefully there’s not 3 years between books.

[Courtney (bookplaces) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars