This was a great book to read during these cold months. Most of it takes place on the made up Island of Alualu, which is somewhere in Micronesia. The story is that a pilot named Tucker Case who is a bit down on his luck, to say the least, gets hired to be a pilot for two missionaries on Alualu. Tuck takes a very round about way of getting there by going through the island of Truk and a very long boat ride. The boat is piloted by Kimi, man who cross dresses and Kimi's pet fruit bad Roberto.

Our 3 friends somehow manage to get to Alualu and find out the island's natives worship an old WWII pilot named Vincent. Cargo cults were somewhat common during and after the war, but these people have taken it to the extreme. Tuck's employers are medical people who are "caring for" the natives and have a lot of high tech equipment, including a Learjet. Tuck's job is to make periodic flights to Japan with Beth, the Sky Priestess, her briefcase and a cooler. They stop at an airport, Beth delivers the cooler and they are back home.

Back on the island, the natives, known as the Shark People, have a somewhat banished cannibal, a chief who loves coffee and cigarettes and a whole cast of characters who love People Magazine. Beth, the Sky Priestess, makes periodic appearances in full show biz regalia to choose of the natives for an honor. She and her doctor husband (these are the missionaries) are apparently doing something in the name of Vincent to care for the Shark People. The truth is a little more bizarre, but you have to read the book to find out.

Tuck finds out the real deal and doesn't like it, so he escapes the island and a month later winds up in Honolulu. He and his buddy Jake wind up pulling one of the great airplane stealing stunts I've ever read to try to save the Shark People. And I forget to mention the cosmetics queen, who saves Tucks butt at the end.

This is another Moore classic with a bunch of nuts who kept me laughing. By far my favorite character is Roberto, the fruit bat. Don't be surprised if he talks and in different accents. As Christopher Moore says, when in doubt, assume I made it up.