by Tim Dorsey
I've often wondered what it's like in the head of someone with ADHD. After reading this book, I'm pretty sure I have a good idea of it now. Dorsey manages to keep a dozen characters bouncing in a fast paced murder caper and it's a lot like reading a Guy Richie movie. All these seemingly unrelated characters come together like a row of dominoes by the last chapter in a way that seems natural.
A trio of mentally unstable ex-con con-artists force a dishonest dentist into an insurance scam. When the money goes missing, it starts murderous road trip from Tampa to Key West. Two essentially nice guys get unwittingly tied up in the fall out. Along the way, there is a Rube Goldberg style murder, murder using a can of Fix-a-Flat as a murder weapon, and a macaw blown through a plate glass window by a cannon.
While the manic fast pace of the book is off-putting to start, within 50 pages it hits a groove. Practically every character manages to kill some other character by the end and many of them are endearingly loathsome. The twists and turns are engaging and even though it ends on a cliff-hanger, it doesn't feel like a cheat. My brain needs a break but I'll be picking the sequel, Hammerhead Motel soon.
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