Name: You, Me, and the Sunken Treasure
ISBN: 9783963244797

Georgette Kaplan

You, Me, and the Sunken Treasure

Jude Silberfeld

Even in the direst circumstances, Easy Nevada remains obnoxious, and there’s something reassuring about that. If you’re not French, you probably haven’t heard of Jean-Paul Belmondo. He was one of the most famous French actors when I was a child. He acted in fantastic movies, like Breathless, but he was at his best in comedic action movies. Stunts and bad puns. That’s who Nevada reminds me of. Also, since we’re on French stuff, Jacques speaks the strangest French I’ve read. I had to google some of his retorts to understand what he meant.

I won’t even try to give a synopsis of what happens in this book. It picks up where Candice Cushing and the Lost Tomb of Cleopatra ended and really can’t be read as a standalone. These are not spin-offs, it’s a real series with episodes that need to be read in order. It’s already hard enough to keep up. Anyway, Easy’s former boss took Candice and she needs to rescue her. On the way, Nevada meets new people and reconnects with some she hasn’t seen in a while, there’s plenty of grumbling, banter, and pew-pew-you’re-dead stuff that leaves a lot of dead bodies but honestly, who’s counting?

I absolutely loved the first book in the series, Easy Nevada and the Pyramid’s Curse. It was full of energy and wit, it was funny sarcastic and all over the place in a good way. I enjoyed the second book but not as much. I was hoping for the same high as with the first one but some of it fell flat, even though I convinced myself that I was still having fun. If you read the review I wrote then, I don’t think you’ll detect any of the unease I felt at times and yet that’s what I remember most. And now, with this third book, I’m ready to be done with Nevada. It’s getting to the point where I can’t stand her. Candice Cushing definitely deserves better, by the way. I can’t swear, however, that if there’s a fourth book, I won’t want to read it. As aggravating as she is, Nevada is also addictive. In the meantime, I think I’ll listen to book 1 narrated by Abby Craden.

I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Megan Cooper

3.5
With the third and final installment in the Cushing-Nevada Chronicles, Ms Kaplan provides fans of the series a satisfying end to what is one of the wildest and craziest action adventures (it's absolutely bonkers at times) I've read in awhile. 

I read the first two books back to back and the writing was fast, funny and frenetic - the whole series is like an old time serial where the leads go from one impossible cliff hanger to an even more impossible cliffhanger as they chase (and are chased) around Africa and the Middle East in search of treasure. Easy Nevada, pillager of hidden treasures, is perhaps the most obnoxious character I've come across but she made me laugh my ass off and Candice as the earnest, forthright and brilliant archaeologist is a perfect foil. I was desperate to know what happened next - after Candice is abducted by the big bad and his cold as ice henchman, leaving Easy wounded and alone in the middle of the Sahara. 

You, Me and the Sunken Treasure picks up where the last book left off and Easy manages to get herself into more than a few hot spots - and is her typical snarky badass self as she extricates herself and continues on her desperate quest to find Candice. I can't even summarize what happens because it's pretty much nuts. Nuts - but fun. As with the previous two books, check your disbelief at the door and just allow yourself to be pulled along - too much thought will ruin your enjoyment. This is a Saturday afternoon at the matinee with a big bucket of extra buttered popcorn and some M&Ms mixed in. 

As much as I enjoyed the conclusion to Easy and Candice's adventures, I did feel that some of the momentum of the fast-paced adventure and dialogue flagged a bit. I didn't reread the two previous books before delving into this one and I wonder if that may be why - the first two were a roller coaster ride, and taking a year or two before reading the third left me trying to remember all that had gone before (and a lot went on in the first books). It may also have been because Easy and Candice are separated for most of the book - and the dialogue and chemistry between the two was outstanding in the first two books. Easy's one liners and smug declarations were so groaningly bad ... but so damned funny when Candice was the recipient and gave as good as she got from Easy. 

Overall - the series is a total blast with an extremely original energy and humour. Even better, the series is encapsulated in three books with a satisfying ending, even if it is a bit bonkers at times. What can I say - I like bonkers. 

If you haven't - read the first two books as this is not a standalone and you won't have a freaking clue what the heck is going on.

You, Me, and the Sunken Treasure

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