Mike Baron was one of the top comic book scripters for many
years and these days is a very popular, critically acclaimed mystery and horror
novelist. His latest book, FLORIDA MAN, is a bit of a departure. There’s crime
in it, but it’s not really a crime novel. It’s more a wild, fast-paced comedy
that manages to be dark, profane (it even says so right on the cover), very
well-written, and very funny.
The title character is Gary Duba, a perpetually down on his luck Florida redneck who lives up to all the stereotypes, right down to the trailer house in which he lives (held down by giant chains called House Suspenders by Gary, who believes he’s invented the perfect hurricane protection system). Needing money to bail out his girlfriend, who’s gotten arrested for fighting with a Waffle House manager, he sets out to sell one of his prized baseball cards, and when that doesn’t work, he takes on some work for a sleazy attorney that makes him an unofficial private detective. (This isn’t a private eye novel, either.)
Of course things go wrong, and Gary runs into a multitude of characters who are just as colorful and eccentric as he is, and wild adventures pile up . . . until the plot takes an abrupt turn that would seem to indicate Gary’s luck has finally changed for the better. Some things never change, though, including Gary’s devil-may-care approach to life.
FLORIDA MAN is filled with sex, drugs, violence, politically incorrect humor, and gators. The best way to describe it is this: FLORIDA MAN is a hoot. I had a great time reading it and give it a high recommendation.
The title character is Gary Duba, a perpetually down on his luck Florida redneck who lives up to all the stereotypes, right down to the trailer house in which he lives (held down by giant chains called House Suspenders by Gary, who believes he’s invented the perfect hurricane protection system). Needing money to bail out his girlfriend, who’s gotten arrested for fighting with a Waffle House manager, he sets out to sell one of his prized baseball cards, and when that doesn’t work, he takes on some work for a sleazy attorney that makes him an unofficial private detective. (This isn’t a private eye novel, either.)
Of course things go wrong, and Gary runs into a multitude of characters who are just as colorful and eccentric as he is, and wild adventures pile up . . . until the plot takes an abrupt turn that would seem to indicate Gary’s luck has finally changed for the better. Some things never change, though, including Gary’s devil-may-care approach to life.
FLORIDA MAN is filled with sex, drugs, violence, politically incorrect humor, and gators. The best way to describe it is this: FLORIDA MAN is a hoot. I had a great time reading it and give it a high recommendation.
2 comments:
I loved Mike Baron's work on Nexus and Punisher. I was unaware that he was writing novels now. I need to check them out. Thanks for the heads up!
Bill Crider would have loved this one!
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