2008 Woodie Awards
Lakeland Book Looks:
"Tricky Business"
Mara Carpenter
Issue date: 12/10/03 Section: Arts & Entertainment
- Page 1 of 1
Pulitzer Prize-winning Columnist Dave Barry is back with a second novel, "Tricky Business." In a humorous triangle of murder, drugs, and gambling, Barry creates some memorable characters.
The Extravaganza of the Seas is a "198 foot, 5,000 ton cash machine"-basically, a sailing casino. Because it sails over international waters, the casino on the Extravaganza isn't regulated by the government, so many sticky characters are involved with its operation and entertainment-the public doesn't know how sticky until one fateful night.
A local crook from Florida named Bobby Kemp, who operates a bogus fast-seafood joint in which he fries all sorts of nasty comestibles claiming they are conch fritters, owns the Extravaganza, but he isn't the boss. Lou Tarant is the head of a local crime organization that forces Kemp into what he calls his 'protection'. In other words, Kemp only poses as a puppet owner of the ship for Tarant's illegal purposes-if he refuses to comply with Tarant he will be killed.
Many odd characters are employed on the Extravaganza. Tina, the operator of a roulette table, is a beautiful, blond, well- endowed woman with a farting problem. At the buffet, an anti-social chef, called "Emeril" by the ships band, serves inedibles, like Kemp's conch fritters, made from unknown substances, and Emeril refuses to reveal what they are. The Contusions are the Extravaganza's house band; the members have a little pot problem.
The Extravaganza doesn't only have comical workers; it entertains some pretty interesting people. Arnie and Phil are two elderly gentlemen who live in a retirement home that Arnie refers to as "The Old Farts Senile Dying Center." The two men are lively and full of mischief like the men in "Grumpy Old Men." They add belly- shaking humor to the novel and a sense of fulfillment from seeing some elderly people that are full of life.
A tropical storm called Hector is causing havoc off the coast of Florida the day that sinister secrets are revealed aboard the Extravaganza. The real owner, Bobby Kemp, has hatched a plot to overthrow Tarant's control of the secret drug trafficking taking place on the ship. Despite weather warnings, employees are forced to work, and some crazy customers (Arnie and Phil) are brave enough to set sail.
The Contusions, Arnie, Phil, and two cocktail waitresses (Mara and Fay) find themselves caught in the violence of Kemp's hijacking of the ship's control. Kemp's plans are muddled when these unsuspecting participants get involved, but who will win? And will Tropical Storm Hector decide everyone's fate? To find out, read Dave Barry's "Tricky Business."
While some may find Barry's Humor entertaining, others will be offended by his graphic sexuality. Many of the characters are chauvinistic males and the descriptions of women are often debasing. While I found the novel humorous, some feminists may be offended by Barry's portrayal of women, even if it is for comical effect. In addition, this novel contains scenes of a graphic sexual nature.
The Extravaganza of the Seas is a "198 foot, 5,000 ton cash machine"-basically, a sailing casino. Because it sails over international waters, the casino on the Extravaganza isn't regulated by the government, so many sticky characters are involved with its operation and entertainment-the public doesn't know how sticky until one fateful night.
A local crook from Florida named Bobby Kemp, who operates a bogus fast-seafood joint in which he fries all sorts of nasty comestibles claiming they are conch fritters, owns the Extravaganza, but he isn't the boss. Lou Tarant is the head of a local crime organization that forces Kemp into what he calls his 'protection'. In other words, Kemp only poses as a puppet owner of the ship for Tarant's illegal purposes-if he refuses to comply with Tarant he will be killed.
Many odd characters are employed on the Extravaganza. Tina, the operator of a roulette table, is a beautiful, blond, well- endowed woman with a farting problem. At the buffet, an anti-social chef, called "Emeril" by the ships band, serves inedibles, like Kemp's conch fritters, made from unknown substances, and Emeril refuses to reveal what they are. The Contusions are the Extravaganza's house band; the members have a little pot problem.
The Extravaganza doesn't only have comical workers; it entertains some pretty interesting people. Arnie and Phil are two elderly gentlemen who live in a retirement home that Arnie refers to as "The Old Farts Senile Dying Center." The two men are lively and full of mischief like the men in "Grumpy Old Men." They add belly- shaking humor to the novel and a sense of fulfillment from seeing some elderly people that are full of life.
A tropical storm called Hector is causing havoc off the coast of Florida the day that sinister secrets are revealed aboard the Extravaganza. The real owner, Bobby Kemp, has hatched a plot to overthrow Tarant's control of the secret drug trafficking taking place on the ship. Despite weather warnings, employees are forced to work, and some crazy customers (Arnie and Phil) are brave enough to set sail.
The Contusions, Arnie, Phil, and two cocktail waitresses (Mara and Fay) find themselves caught in the violence of Kemp's hijacking of the ship's control. Kemp's plans are muddled when these unsuspecting participants get involved, but who will win? And will Tropical Storm Hector decide everyone's fate? To find out, read Dave Barry's "Tricky Business."
While some may find Barry's Humor entertaining, others will be offended by his graphic sexuality. Many of the characters are chauvinistic males and the descriptions of women are often debasing. While I found the novel humorous, some feminists may be offended by Barry's portrayal of women, even if it is for comical effect. In addition, this novel contains scenes of a graphic sexual nature.