Oyster Blues

by Michael McClelland

When a waitress from an Appalachicola oyster bar heads south to Miami, she suddenly finds herself embroiled in a zany mystery set in Florida involving a man, the mob, a boat, guns, oysters, and a mysterious coffin. A first novel. Reprint.

Genres: Mystery, Humor, Fiction, Crime

368 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 1, 2002

Reviews

[Bill Riggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oyster Blues is a fun and entertaining read.
Florida? Check.
Quirky characters? Check.
Offbeat crime adventure? Check.
It ticks off all the boxes that make Carl Hiaasen so popular. Unfortunately, it seems strained. Trying too hard to be Hiaasen. But still, all in all it was amusing and there are far worse books out there.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Soft 3 stars on this one.

[Plum-crazy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read a couple of authors now who've been compared to Carl Hiaasen but McClelland is the first that hasn't disappointed me & I got just what I'd hoped for -
an amusing tale full of quirky characters with plenty of misunderstandings, mistakes & mishaps that made me smile.

I really liked the lead characters of "Happy" Harry Harper & Jane Ellen Ashley, (especially the fact they were both book lovers!) & had my fingers crossed that things would end well for them.

Unlike other books I've read of a similar ilk which have often been very muddled & disjointed, "Oyster Blues" had a coherent storyline & despite all the wacky things that happened & the coincidences it all made sense me!

Overall it kept me entertained, which was all I asked of it...

[Kathy Duffy Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was ok.

There were a whole lot of interesting characters who were all doing strange things. Everybody gets what they deserve in the end (is that a spoiler? durn.) I like a happy ending sometimes.

Is Florida really that cracked?

[Pj Anderer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Randomly picked this up in the airport. I enjoyed it, nothing groundbreaking, but very entertaining. In the vein of a Elmore Leonard Florida story. Liked it enough to read his other book once I was able to track it down.

[Karen Burnsed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Couldn't finish

[Franco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny crime novel. entertaininbg.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

this author is going to be a great addition to the South Florida wacko genre, ala Carl Hiaasen, Tim Dorsey, Dave Barry. in this book he nails down the weird and the funny perfectly, but he has a little work to do left I'm tying up the plot at the end and some on character consistency through the book. Luckily I've already read his next book and I know that he gets better. I'm keeping him on my list of fun easy books to read.

[Neck_cannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really great book filled with hysterical situations. I'm not one for comedy but this one really tickled me. It could be that the characters were one step away from being depraved or psychotic, I don't know. But it all added up to being one wild and highly adventurous ride. A great love story, a great laugh or two and some intense pistol wielding scenarios.

[Frances Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in 2009, although I can't remember what prompted me to read it. It was okay; quirky, funny characters, but not terribly memorable. Here I am in 2012 trying to catch up my Goodreads lists and I can remember almost nothing about it. I can't give more than 3 stars to a book that isn't more memorable than that.

[Debe]

I just can't seem to finish this book, I have started it 3 times. I don't know why as it seems interesting and I love books set in Florida, my favorite are Carl Hiaasen, Tom Corcoran and Tim Dorsey. I will give it my best effort to finsh sometime soon....

[Bookie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delightful giggle

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mildly amusing story that may have been much better if Carl Hiaasen had written it.

[Andrew Carter · Rating 2 out of 5]

An attempt to write a comical story which did not work for me.

[Kristine Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun!

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laugh out loud funny!

[Isobel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and quick read, especially for Floridians. Upon reflection, it seems to follow the same plot/structure as most Hiassen books, but is amusing.

[Maddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy layered plots and mysteries so this book was awesome. I even enjoyed the villains. I guess Agatha Christie had me at murder mystery. :) So it's only natural I love mysteries now.

[Jill · Rating 1 out of 5]

A Carl Hiassen wants be. Not as well written or humorous.

[Tim Hoog · Rating 5 out of 5]

a good paced story that was reminiscent of Hiasson. Not sure why he only wrote 2 novels... Wish he was writing more... Liked his style and stories.

[Laura Barrett-Bache · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, but not nearly as fun as Tattoo Blues!