Who's on first?
I give up, who's on first."
"Right."
"No, who's on first."
"Right. Who is on first..."
Neal is almost finished with his Master's thesis on Thomas Smollett, two weeks away from his wedding, and in post-coital bliss (but dangerous when his girl-friend brings up the "baby" issue) in the hot tub when he gets a call from his mentor who has an "errand." It should be simple for this quasi PI, but nothing is ever simple.
Nate Silverstein, a retired vaudeville comedian, claims to have been the origin for that classic Abbott and Costello routine. (If you have never seen the piece, you must have grown up in an Eskimo igloo. Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sShMA8... and watch it. If it doesn't crack you up, you have no sense of humor and won't like this book.)
Anyway, Neal (the fixer who works for the Friends of the Bank) is asked to bring Nate back from Las Vegas to his home in Florida. Neal’s job is not to ask why -- ostensibly it’s just because his daughter is worried about him. There follows a series of comic misadventures as Nate tricks Neal to avoid having to return (there’s a good reason that Neal doesn’t know about.)
Winslow not only delivers a marvelously entertaining story but also pays homage to the burlesque-hall days of comics. I have to say that this is perhaps one book that begs to be heard. Joe Barrett is brilliant at narrating this book. The rhythm of the one-liners and sarcasm and irony are delivered perfectly. The scene with the state trooper is marvelous.
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