Sign in with Facebook
Battle Axe
by
Bill Cokas (Goodreads Author)
When his father plays the sax, he blows crowds away. But when Dorsey Duquesne picks up a guitar, he simply blows. Though he’s a wealthy software entrepreneur, music just isn’t in his blood—and neither is his father’s DNA. When his mother Cherry reveals (at his father’s funeral, of all places) he was adopted at birth, Dorsey’s tin ear suddenly makes sense. But it also leave...more
Kindle Edition, 262 pages
Published
March 8th 2012
by CreateSpace
(first published March 2nd 2012)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
52)
Part of me found the character of Dorsey and his reaction (dare I say overreaction) to discovering he had been adopted at birth as humorous. Although I was amused, I also understood his response. Much of Battle Axe is the same, with humor, seriousness, and suspense, sometimes in the mix at the same time. Other examples of this are the character and actions of Brock, the night watchmen in a small German village, and Ruby, the one-eyed private detective.
Although a fun story, Battle Axe suffered fr...more
Although a fun story, Battle Axe suffered fr...more
Very few books I’ve ever read made me laugh out loud. The only two I can recall right now are Catch-22 and Confederacy of Dunces, plus maybe one or two of Dave Barry’s frothy fictional concoctions. Despite a stubborn streak of dry humor, I’m a pretty reserved guy overall. So it carries no shame that Battle Axe, by Bill Cokas, didn’t cause me to guffaw openly. What it did do a couple of times throughout the festivities is force me to stop and marvel at the way the guy can really string words and...more
When 40 year old Dorsey Duquesne finds out his is adopted, he is desperate to find his birth mother. Left reeling with the sudden news, he soon finds himself deep in a mess of secrets and lies, and the farther he pushes, the farther from the truth he gets. As he alienates himself from his family and friends, they join together to uncover the deception of his newly-found "mother."
This is a story that carries you away, quickly. The first chapter introduces us to all the major characters, covers tw...more
This is a story that carries you away, quickly. The first chapter introduces us to all the major characters, covers tw...more
Battle Axe follows the plight of Dorsey Duquesne as he tries to ascertain who his "real" mother is. At the same time his birth mother's life partner is trying to seek him out in order to exploit the wealth he has built up through software he developed. There are several characters conducting their own investigations for their own reasons which allows for a collection of information from various angles that pieces together the whole picture.
Battle Axe contained good writing with many things to li...more
Battle Axe contained good writing with many things to li...more
Bill Cokas contacted me and asked if I would be interested in reading his two novels. I agreed and am so very glad that I did. Battle Axe is the tale of Dorsey Duquense who as a forty year old married man with a young child, learns at his falther's funeral he was adopted. Dorsey is a successful software developer who moonlights as a musician, his father had been a successful sideman. He decides to search out his roots.
Dorsey's quest introduces his cohorts, his adoptive mother, his family, the PI...more
Dorsey's quest introduces his cohorts, his adoptive mother, his family, the PI...more
Dorsey Duquesne is the son of famed musician Roy Duquesne and his wife, Cherry. Then, Dorsey finds that he is not their natural son, but was adopted just as they left Germany when Roy's military service concluded in 1965.But is Dorsey's mother the woman who claims to be "Elsa"? And what about Dorsey's weatherbeaten teddy bear Franz and Brock who does nightwatchman tours in Germany with an old battle axe from medieval times? "Battle Axe" is a rivetting, suspenseful tale fillled with first-rate ch...more
Battle Axe is much more assured and consistent than Ring of Fire.. The travel made sense (as did the arrangements) and the storytelling was all at a higher level than RofF. The characters felt complete, as did the story. A satisfying read.
The characters have more depth and thus are more convincing that in RofF, but they still feel a bit archetypal. In fairness, I recently re-read Tourist Season (Hiaasen's first) right after Star Island (among the recent) and I recognized similarities. Reading Da...more
The characters have more depth and thus are more convincing that in RofF, but they still feel a bit archetypal. In fairness, I recently re-read Tourist Season (Hiaasen's first) right after Star Island (among the recent) and I recognized similarities. Reading Da...more
Two deaths generate the plot for this inventive novel. In Germany, Johanna dies; in North Carolina, Roy dies. Roy's son Dorsey learns on the day his father dies that he is adopted. Johanna is Dorsey's birth mother, although he does not know it. Johanna's partner Mitzi sets out to get her hands on Dorsey's money by passing herself off as his birth mother. As the plot unfolds, a host of colorful characters doubt her claim and seek to unravel the truth. I guessed how this quest might end for Mitzi,...more
I rarely give a book 5 stars but a 4 for me is very close to "It was amazing"-not many books are amazing! Given I am an adoptee, this book was a real treasure for me because the main character is also, but I would hope to never go through what he did in finding my birth mother! I am not great at writing reviews, but let's just say I was excited to see what would happen next. I was pleased to find another author that I can enjoy. It's a 'fun' book to read to see where the character goes to find h...more
Battle Axe is a fun, wacky read. The main character, Dorsey, definitely comes across as man who hasn't quite grown up yet. This is evident in his behavior, his way of thinking and in some cases his way of speaking (there are some wisecracks that are a bit cringeworthy). While Dorsey, is entertaining, I found the other characters to be a zany, like-able bunch that really added to the story.
In terms of the story, I found it to be a little slow at the beginning, but then it picked up speed and I g...more
In terms of the story, I found it to be a little slow at the beginning, but then it picked up speed and I g...more
I really enjoyed the puzzle in the center of all the quirky characters and oddball situations they got themselves into - think Carl Hiassan with a dash of Christopher Moore! I have never been adopted, though all of us never having gone through the process might have believed that we were at one time or another, but this story is more about what makes up a family rather than just focusing that aspect.
It is a fun romp throughout the South (including North Carolina where its set) and Germany. There...more
It is a fun romp throughout the South (including North Carolina where its set) and Germany. There...more
This book is a bit uneven and some of it prompted a big "huh?" of disbelief (as when a dog of unknown size pulls an unconscious man out of a swimming pool in an undisclosed manner). Nevertheless, I found myself hooked and anxious to find out the outcome. Part of its charm is that I had no idea how things were going to come out and would have never imagined all the crazy twists and turns the story would take. Another thing I appreciated was that it was pretty clean without explicit sex. Although...more
I thought this was pretty good. I picked it up because it was recommended for fans of Carl Hiaassen, and I while I can definitely see some similarity in writing style, I felt that the characters in this book weren't quite as lovably quirky as Hiaasen's usually are. One of the things I like best about Hiaassen is that he develops his characters through awesome dialog, and I think that's the thing I missed most here ... there are a lot of characters, and I don't feel like I really knew a lot about...more
Sep 22, 2012
Lance Charnes
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Readers who like their bad behavior sprinkled with satire
Shelves:
fiction-mystery-intrigue,
fiction-satire
Battle Axe is, at its warped little heart, the story of a man searching for his mother. That amiable lost-boy Dorsey’s main choices are his whiskey-soaked adoptive mother Cherry and German sociopath Mitzi reminds us we're firmly in tongue-in-cheek territory. The novel is a gentle satire full of crossed wires, revealed secrets and assumed identities that will provide you with more than a few chuckles along the way.
Cokas’ sophomore effort is more assured than his first novel (Ring of Fire). He’s f...more
Cokas’ sophomore effort is more assured than his first novel (Ring of Fire). He’s f...more
The story revolves around a very juvenile 40 year old Dorsey Duquesne, who is having a bit of an identity crisis, after his father dies and his mother drops the bomb that he was adopted. What ensues is an entirely different sort of midlife crisis as he goes searching for his "real" mother, who in a twist of fate just so happens to be looking for him. But is she the real deal or an imposter just looking to cash in on his fortune?
It took me a little while to get into the book, but after the first...more
It took me a little while to get into the book, but after the first...more
Just prior to my move and injury I was approached on Goodreads by Bill Cokas to read and review one of his books. I chose Battle Axe as it sounded fairly interesting. When Cokas introduced himself to me, he said he’d approached me as I liked Carl Hiaasen and he considered his books to be in a similar vein.
Similar, yes, but Cokas still has a ways to go till he reaches the dizzying heights of Hiaasen.
From the back cover: When his father plays the sax, he blows crowds away. But when Dorsey Duquesne...more
Similar, yes, but Cokas still has a ways to go till he reaches the dizzying heights of Hiaasen.
From the back cover: When his father plays the sax, he blows crowds away. But when Dorsey Duquesne...more
Writing comedy is hard, and writing farce is particularly difficult. You must be completely over the top or completely restrained, because anything in the middle falls flat. Battle Axe is a farce of the restrained variety, and Cokas' pulls off the tale of too many people trying to solve the same mystery with subtle humor and a great deal of heart.
Bill has written a well constructed novel that bears comparison with the great Carl Hiaasen. The story has humour and decent characters and although I guessed the ending Bill created a sufficiently satisfying conclusion to keep me glued to the end. I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes a funny whodunit style story - well done Bill.
Wow! I really liked this book. A long book, but it kept me interested throughout. Good character development. The author did a great job intertwining the lives of the characters and left me wanting to know what came next! There were twists and turns throughout.
Enjoyed Battle Axe and its characters. Dorsey might be the main character but since he is rather predictable, is far from the most interesting. Would love to see more with Brock or Ruby in future books.
Bill Cokas really outdid himself! More complex and touching than Ring of Fire. The characters seemed more human, and although Dorsey's transformation happened very suddenly, and just in time for the end, you really felt for him the whole time.
good book, a little technical in the beginning as i was not familiar with the musical instrument jargon. but a good story, and well written, good plot!
Interesting choice to make a "bad guy" (woman actually) the lead character, and I liked the way her "badness" was revealed in parts.
I liked this book, but I didn't feel a real sense of suspense until the last quarter of the book. The whole lead-up and ending were really great and hard to put down. I wish the whole book had been like that!
The main problem I think I had was that I didn't really like any of the characters in the book. I'm not sure if that was intentional or not, and they all improved by the end, but for the first 2/3 of the book, almost all the major characters were fairly unpleasant.
That being said, it was a g...more
The main problem I think I had was that I didn't really like any of the characters in the book. I'm not sure if that was intentional or not, and they all improved by the end, but for the first 2/3 of the book, almost all the major characters were fairly unpleasant.
That being said, it was a g...more
This mystery had some great moments, and some unbelievable coincidences, but that is what those mystery books are for. I would gladly read another by Mr. Cokas when I am in the mood for some light reading.
A really unique plot with several twists that I didn't see coming!
Fun, easy read.
May 08, 2013
Emilie
marked it as to-read
Apr 03, 2013
BookishDreamer
marked it as to-read
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goodreads Author ...: Building up reviews? | 15 | 124 | May 25, 2012 11:00am |
I write suspenseful tales about "real" people (that means slightly weird and definitely flawed) with an offbeat, humorous slant in a travel-inspired setting.
Some of my earliest and fondest memories involve travel--more specifically, escaping into books, whether devouring the latest Beverly Cleary or biking to the library to spend a few hours with Stephen King. A childhood subscription to the Weekl...more
More about Bill Cokas...
Some of my earliest and fondest memories involve travel--more specifically, escaping into books, whether devouring the latest Beverly Cleary or biking to the library to spend a few hours with Stephen King. A childhood subscription to the Weekl...more
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
