Author: Dave Barry
Genre: Humorous Fiction
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: May 2, 2023
Available for Pre-order Now!
My Review:
Ohmygosh! I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard while reading a book! I could not put this book down! Thank you Dave Barry for erasing the stress of daily life... at least for a while.
My Rating:
About the Author:
Available for Pre-order Now!
About the Book:
Pulitzer Prize–winning New York Times bestselling author and actual Florida Man Dave Barry returns with a Florida caper full of oddballs and more twists and turns than a snake slithering away from a gator.
Jesse Braddock is trapped in a tiny cabin deep in the Everglades with her infant daughter and her ex-boyfriend, a wannabe reality TV star who turned out to be a lot prettier on the outside than on the inside. Broke and desperate for a way out, Jesse stumbles across a long-lost treasure, which could solve all her problems—if she can figure out how to keep it. The problem is, some very bad men are also looking for the treasure, and they know Jesse has it.
Meanwhile, Ken Bortle of Bortle Brothers Bait and Beer has hatched a scheme to lure tourists to his failing store by making viral videos of the “Everglades Melon Monster.” The Monster is in fact an unemployed alcoholic newspaperman named Phil wearing a Dora the Explorer costume head. Incredibly, this plan actually works, inspiring a horde of TikTokers to swarm into the swamp in search of the monster at the same time villains are on the hunt for Jesse’s treasure. Amid this mayhem, a presidential hopeful arrives in the Everglades to start his campaign. Needless to say, it does not go as planned. In fact, nothing in this story goes as planned. This is, after all, Florida.
Jesse Braddock is trapped in a tiny cabin deep in the Everglades with her infant daughter and her ex-boyfriend, a wannabe reality TV star who turned out to be a lot prettier on the outside than on the inside. Broke and desperate for a way out, Jesse stumbles across a long-lost treasure, which could solve all her problems—if she can figure out how to keep it. The problem is, some very bad men are also looking for the treasure, and they know Jesse has it.
Meanwhile, Ken Bortle of Bortle Brothers Bait and Beer has hatched a scheme to lure tourists to his failing store by making viral videos of the “Everglades Melon Monster.” The Monster is in fact an unemployed alcoholic newspaperman named Phil wearing a Dora the Explorer costume head. Incredibly, this plan actually works, inspiring a horde of TikTokers to swarm into the swamp in search of the monster at the same time villains are on the hunt for Jesse’s treasure. Amid this mayhem, a presidential hopeful arrives in the Everglades to start his campaign. Needless to say, it does not go as planned. In fact, nothing in this story goes as planned. This is, after all, Florida.
My Review:
Ohmygosh! I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard while reading a book! I could not put this book down! Thank you Dave Barry for erasing the stress of daily life... at least for a while.
Perhaps it's because I have lived in South Florida for most of my life. Or perhaps it's because Dave Barry is such an amazing humorist. Whatever it was, I had this laugh-out-loud movie playing in my head while I read all the crazy antics on page after page. Yes, there was a bit of drama too. And there was some scary stuff mixed in with the funny stuff. Even the acknowledgements at the end of the book had me laughing.
I was sipping a glass of wine when I read about Buddy, the wild boar, and ended up with the wine coming out my nose I laughed so hard.
Great characters, some of which you may find unbelievable unless, like me, you are from Florida. Yep! I've met a few just like them.
I highly recommend this book to all of my Florida friends. And even if you're not from Florida, you really need to read this book if you need a bit of escape from reality. Loved it!!
I received an ARC from the author and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts, opinions and ratings are my own.
About the Author:
The New York Times has pronounced Dave Barry "the funniest man in America." But of course that could have been on a slow news day when there wasn't much else fit to print. True, his bestselling collections of columns are legendary, but it is his wholly original books that reveal him as an American icon. Dave Barry Slept Here was his version of American history. Dave Barry Does Japan was a contribution to international peace and understanding from which Japan has not yet fully recovered. Dave Barry's Complete Guide to Guys is among the best-read volumes in rehab centers and prisons. Raised in a suburb of New York, educated in a suburb of Philadelphia, he lives now in a suburb of Miami. He is not, as he often puts it so poetically, making this up.
Dave’s most recent books are “Best. State. Ever.: A Florida Man Defends His Homeland,” and “Lessons From Lucy: The Simple Joys of an Old, Happy Dog.” His next book, “A Field Guide To The Jewish People,” which he co-wrote with his friends Adam Mansbach and Alan Zweibel, will be published September 24. Dave is not Jewish, but Adam and Alan are, so it’s kosher.
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