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Tuesday, June 07, 2011

Wahoo Rhapsody, reviewed


In what will surely become a series, author Shaun Morey has written a fun first novel in Wahoo Rhapsody, full of many memorable characters, outrageous situations, and funny dialogue. The setting is Cabo San Lucas, off the coast of Mexico. The main character is the eccentric Atticus Fish, a filthy-rich American expatriate who owns a fishing boat left in the capable hands of old friend Captain Winston (who once saved Atticus's life). Unfortunately, the first mate (Weevil) decides he wants to secretly run marijuana for a Mexican drug lord. As if that's not bad enough, he then decides to rip off said drug dealer. Having a bumbling grad student on the crew isn't helping matters for Weevil, either. There are too many characters and plot lines to list here, but the chapters are short, the story barrels along at a fast pace, all the plots are entwined, and everything comes together for the big finale.

Other reviewers have compared Morey to Carl Hiaasen, and I agree, but fans of Tim Dorsey, Christopher Moore, Bill Fitzhugh should also give this novel a look. AmazonEncore (the program that identifies exceptional yet overlooked books and works with the authors to re-introduce their books to readers) has made a wise decision publishing this novel, as it looks like they can have a successful series on their hands. I'm definitely looking forward to the next one, and Morey has created a great pool of characters to draw from as needed.