by Corson Hirschfeld, (Forge Books, Hardcover, ISBN 0-765-30011-7)
Back in Honolulu, where he was known around the University as the Sex Doctor . . . Digger Fitz had little preparation for what awaited him in the town of Golden Leaf, in the hills of east Kentucky . . . there will be umpteen confrontations . . . before the EZ Zees Motel goes up in flames, Chez Pancakes becomes flat as a you-know-what, the readers’ sides stop splitting, and Carl Hiaasen gets over his jealous pique.
Hirschfeld . . . . .is a very funny writer with a well-developed sadistic streak, unlimited imagination when it comes to sexcapades, and the ability to relate historical events in full-farce regalia.
-Kirkus Reviews. Starred Review.
**
Following his well-received debut, Aloha, Mr. Lucky, Hirschfeld delivers another uproarious novel of eccentrics and fanatics. A bus loaded with 436 southern timber rattlesnakes crashes in eastern Kentucky, releasing its cargo into foreign territory. Quiet and deadly, they become the leitmotiv in the operatic events unfolding in McAfee County. . . . The skillful juggling of multiple viewpoints, as well as the vivid characters, make this an amusing and enjoyable book.
-Publishers Weekly.
**
Hawaiian archaeologist Digger Fitz, whom we first met in Aloha, Mr. Lucky, takes center stage accompanied by a whole new cast of oddball characters in Hirschfeld’s second offbeat mystery. . . . Deserving of its numerous comparisons to the works of Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiassen, this is a fun read and an intriguing whodunit.
-Carrie Bissey, Booklist
**
Hirschfeld fills his crime novel with offbeat characters, fast-paced action and frothy dialogue. Rightly compared to Dutch (Elmore) Leonard and Carl Hiassen, Hirschfeld takes irreverent swipes at some of the region’s quirks and stereotypes while keeping his foot pressed down on the story’s gas pedal. Pushing at the confines of the category, Hirschfeld creates a heady brew of action and fun.
-City Beat.
**
Only Corson Hirschfeld could make me root for rattlesnakes. Of course, he gave lots of other choices . . . Jesus Bob, the drug freakazoid, and his sister, Rita Rae, sexual acrobat and auctioneer. And the eastern Kentucky vegetarian sheriff who dresses like Johnny Cash and collects arrowheads . . . a fake Frenchman who wears a sunbonnet and cotton granny dress . . . General Ben, the camo-clad town barber, and Col. B.J. Butz, whose ‘prodigious, fabric-hungry behind’ earns him an automatic and obvious nickname. . . . Arriving from Honolulu is retired archaeologist Digger Fitz, who appeared in Mr. Hirschfeld’s wonderful and loony first novel, Aloha, Mr. Lucky. Digger’s niece, a herpetologist grad student with a nasty case of PMS, is the love interest. Eeeuuu . . . always, there are the snakes. On the road. Among the militia. In purses, boxes and bags. Minding their own business. Drug free and sober. No wonder I found myself on the side of the snakes. They’re the good guys.
---Laura Pulfer, The Cincinati Enquirer.
