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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Mafia princess Angelina Amaro has only ever loved one man-and that lone affair was never consummated. Why not? Because her would-be lover, Sal Martucci, fled into the Witness Protection Program . after ratting out Angelina's father. When Sal is discovered working as a bartender in Key West, the wildly dysfunctional Amaro clan heads south-one member with love on her mind, the others with murder in their hearts. "Nearly impossible to put down," wrote The Cleveland Plain Dealer. "[The book's] laugh-out-loud wit recall[s] the best of Carl Hiaasen [and] its quirky characters and tough-mindedness are like Elmore Leonard's."
About the Author
Laurence Shames hasn?t done a real day?s work in thirty years. Instead, he?s written eight Key West novels, ghosted three bestsellers, and penned several books of non-fiction, as well as assorted screenplays, essays, and criticism. His writing has been translated into many languages he cannot read. Formerly the ?Ethics? columnist for Esquire, he lives in Southern California.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback
What's in a name? Personally I think not a huge amount unless it's called something like `Virgin Heat' and has pictures of cherries on the front! This is what greeted me when I got my copy of Laurence Shames book. I am not a retiring person, but it did feel a little awkward reading this book as I cannot think what people thought I was reading!
Turns out it was nothing more than below par crime comedy. Shame's writes in a similar style to Tim Dorsey and Carl Hiaasen, but this book just does not work. Split into three major acts the book starts off well, but loses its momentum for the final two thirds. A tale about aging Mafia bosses, men on the run and a woman in love should work and there was a lot of scope for some caper action. Unfortunately, any sense of urgency is lost and to be honest I was bored by the end of the book. In many ways this is down to the unlikable characters on offer, with the love interest in particular being an unlikable man.
Overall, I felt very disappointed with this book. It lacked any comedic or decent crime elements to make it worth reading. I could see a glimmer of talent as Shames does paint Key West well. If he plans to use unlikable characters in the future he needs to make the book amusing to make them readable.
Turns out it was nothing more than below par crime comedy. Shame's writes in a similar style to Tim Dorsey and Carl Hiaasen, but this book just does not work. Split into three major acts the book starts off well, but loses its momentum for the final two thirds. A tale about aging Mafia bosses, men on the run and a woman in love should work and there was a lot of scope for some caper action. Unfortunately, any sense of urgency is lost and to be honest I was bored by the end of the book. In many ways this is down to the unlikable characters on offer, with the love interest in particular being an unlikable man.
Overall, I felt very disappointed with this book. It lacked any comedic or decent crime elements to make it worth reading. I could see a glimmer of talent as Shames does paint Key West well. If he plans to use unlikable characters in the future he needs to make the book amusing to make them readable.
Format:Paperback
I read this book, hoping for something along the lines of Janet Evanovich and her sassy private detective. Unfortunately it didn't do much for me.
The heroine is madly in love with the fantasy of a man she hadn't seen for 10 years. When she finally tracks him down he's wary of her. By the time he decides he loves her, she's changed her mind!
Add to that the fact that he was responsible for her father getting sent to jail and that he's a pretty unreliable character, it's quite a relief when she walks away from him.
Other mafia style dealing is going on in the background, but it all adds up to a rather frustrating read.
The heroine is madly in love with the fantasy of a man she hadn't seen for 10 years. When she finally tracks him down he's wary of her. By the time he decides he loves her, she's changed her mind!
Add to that the fact that he was responsible for her father getting sent to jail and that he's a pretty unreliable character, it's quite a relief when she walks away from him.
Other mafia style dealing is going on in the background, but it all adds up to a rather frustrating read.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
10 reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Hilarious mob family muddles through a family crisis
24 Dec 2002
Format:Library Binding
How does a slightly dysfunctional mob family from New York deal with the sudden and unexplained disappearance of the adult daughter of the boss?
Fantastic (and almost unbelievable) as the various pieces of this quite entertaining tale might be, they fall into place with hilarious effect, and somehow seem to make perfect sense.
Though this novel is more story than plot, the story is told very well. Characterizations are keenly shaped. The dialogue is strong and carries the story well. Shames has an evocative eye for detail, too.
This book carried me along with sustained and increasing interest, many laughs, and a satisfying climax and denouement that left me with a smile for days.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
I Fell In Love With This Book
28 Jun 2000
Format:Paperback
This is the rare crime novel that is truly funny, charming, and eccentric without being absurd.
The plot is neatly turned, the characters well-drawn, and the dialogue extraordinarily deft--I don't know if this is how Mafia people talk, but it's certainly how they should talk.
Unlike many humorous writers, Shames seems to treat his characters with true affection. I look forward to reading more by this writer.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Smart, But With Heart
17 April 2000
Format:Paperback
I loved this book; the voice was original, the characters engaging, the language wonderful. It's satirical without being snide, and it is a great balancing act of humor and realism. He captures the crazy essence of Key West. I'll read more by this author in hopes he can keep up to this standard.
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