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Gitmo
Retired smuggler Dixon Sweeney exits Raiford after eight long years behind bars, vowing “From here on out, things are gonna be different.”
And boy is he right: his wife has left him, emptied his safe deposit box, moved their entire house to Key West, and is shacking up with Sweeney’s former partner and Best Man. Worse yet, Buck Wiggins is after him for a sixty-five grand debt. But Sweeney’s broke! So Buck sends Gooch and Gunther Canseco, twin towers of steroidal ape stuff to tune Sweeney up each week until he pays Buck back.
And he thought life in prison sucked!
When a mysterious Cuban-American approaches Sweeney with an offer, Sweeney is forced to accept. The payoff? A cool half mil. The problem? The money is hidden inside a house in Cuba. Worse yet: on Guantanamo Naval Base, a.k.a. GITMO!
Strap on your seat belt and prepare for the ride of your life, as unlikely hero Dixon Sweeney and his beat-up Chris-Craft challenge the Gulf Stream, waterspouts, man-eating sharks, the crazy Canseco twins, the Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, the entire Cuban military and one super sexy senorita in this hilarious romp through the Florida Straits!
And boy is he right: his wife has left him, emptied his safe deposit box, moved their entire house to Key West, and is shacking up with Sweeney’s former partner and Best Man. Worse yet, Buck Wiggins is after him for a sixty-five grand debt. But Sweeney’s broke! So Buck sends Gooch and Gunther Canseco, twin towers of steroidal ape stuff to tune Sweeney up each week until he pays Buck back.
And he thought life in prison sucked!
When a mysterious Cuban-American approaches Sweeney with an offer, Sweeney is forced to accept. The payoff? A cool half mil. The problem? The money is hidden inside a house in Cuba. Worse yet: on Guantanamo Naval Base, a.k.a. GITMO!
Strap on your seat belt and prepare for the ride of your life, as unlikely hero Dixon Sweeney and his beat-up Chris-Craft challenge the Gulf Stream, waterspouts, man-eating sharks, the crazy Canseco twins, the Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, the entire Cuban military and one super sexy senorita in this hilarious romp through the Florida Straits!
320 pages, Paperback
First published December 14, 2011
6 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
About the author
Shawn Corridan
4 books15 followersShawn Corridan was raised on Florida's east coast and attended the University of Hawaii on a football scholarship. He also possesses the dubious distinction of being rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard...twice! On one of those occasions he was towed into the now notorious Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, also known as GITMO. Shawn is also an award-winning screenwriter (Winner, FinalDraft Big Break Screenwriting Contest) and WGA member. He is a long-time resident of Honolulu, Hawaii and Merritt Island, FL.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 4, 2014
GITMO is one of those books you just can't put down. Lots of twists and turns, the characters are well developed, you find yourself really rooting for them. Looking forward to the next Dixon Sweeney adventure!
July 9, 2017
After eight long years in Florida State Prison Dixon Sweeney is ready to turn over a new leaf and start living the good life. Unfortunately those plans don't quite work out.
Dixon's wife has cleaned out his savings and disappeared... taking the house with her! Now he lives in a run-down shed on his otherwise empty property and works as a costumed pirate captain on a glass-bottom tour boat "filled with shrieking, maniacal sixth-graders and their overworked teachers." Oh, the indignity.
Making matters worse is the local crime boss who holds Dixon responsible for $65,725, the cost of the boat that was confiscated when Dixon was arrested for illegaly smuggling Cuban refugees into Florida. Periodically he sends a couple of thugs to beat Dixon senseless as a reminder of the debt he owes.
Dixon Sweeney has just about given up when he is approached by a mysterious man with a connection to his past and an offer that Dixon would be wise to refuse. So, naturally Dixon accepts the offer.
He is to go to Cuba by boat, smuggle the man's granddaughter back to the States, and in return he will get a huge payday. And so the fun begins... at least for the reader. For Dixon Sweeney - not so much.
Gitmo is something of a comedy of errors (not hilariously funny but quite amusing at times). Most anything that can go wrong for Dixon Sweeney does - spectacularly. There is a great plot twist at the end that I never saw coming.
It's a bit of a sleeper hit. I went in with no expectations and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. This is a really fun, fast read. A great crime story, full of action once it gets going.
I think fans of Carl Hiaasen, Donald E. Westlake and Elmore Leonard might find this book appealing. To be clear: Gitmo by Shawn Corridan and Gary Waid doesn't have the flair of these writing greats but it shares a common sensibility.
***Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this title
Dixon's wife has cleaned out his savings and disappeared... taking the house with her! Now he lives in a run-down shed on his otherwise empty property and works as a costumed pirate captain on a glass-bottom tour boat "filled with shrieking, maniacal sixth-graders and their overworked teachers." Oh, the indignity.
Making matters worse is the local crime boss who holds Dixon responsible for $65,725, the cost of the boat that was confiscated when Dixon was arrested for illegaly smuggling Cuban refugees into Florida. Periodically he sends a couple of thugs to beat Dixon senseless as a reminder of the debt he owes.
Dixon Sweeney has just about given up when he is approached by a mysterious man with a connection to his past and an offer that Dixon would be wise to refuse. So, naturally Dixon accepts the offer.
He is to go to Cuba by boat, smuggle the man's granddaughter back to the States, and in return he will get a huge payday. And so the fun begins... at least for the reader. For Dixon Sweeney - not so much.
Gitmo is something of a comedy of errors (not hilariously funny but quite amusing at times). Most anything that can go wrong for Dixon Sweeney does - spectacularly. There is a great plot twist at the end that I never saw coming.
It's a bit of a sleeper hit. I went in with no expectations and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. This is a really fun, fast read. A great crime story, full of action once it gets going.
I think fans of Carl Hiaasen, Donald E. Westlake and Elmore Leonard might find this book appealing. To be clear: Gitmo by Shawn Corridan and Gary Waid doesn't have the flair of these writing greats but it shares a common sensibility.
***Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this title
September 2, 2020
Enjoyed reading about Cuban life...
The author has a refreshing way of letting the characters speak their personalities. The story held my attention throughout the book.
The author has a refreshing way of letting the characters speak their personalities. The story held my attention throughout the book.
December 2, 2014
Twists and surprises that keep your attention.
I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the writing and the overall story. There are also a few good laughs. Dixon gets out of prison only to face a bleak future, but with a modicum of a positive attitude. He is only hoping to live a clean life by his beloved sea. Things just don't seem to ever go his way though.....?
I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the writing and the overall story. There are also a few good laughs. Dixon gets out of prison only to face a bleak future, but with a modicum of a positive attitude. He is only hoping to live a clean life by his beloved sea. Things just don't seem to ever go his way though.....?
February 28, 2017
Excellent, As a Florida native can really relate to the story line.
Hope its made into a movie soon!
Hope its made into a movie soon!
September 20, 2014
What a wild ride. Fun fast read.
September 26, 2014
I thought it was a terrific, didn't want to put it down. Great characters and fun story that I could see being made into a movie. Hope there are more adventures!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews