In the Slick of the Cricket: The True Story Behind the JAWS Epic

by Russell Drumm

A portrait of Captain Frank Mundus, a real-life slayer of the great white shark, details his ingenious methods, anger at Peter Benchley for never acknowledging him as the source of the "Jaws" story, and other tales of his forty years at sea

Genres: Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1998

Reviews

[Bobbi]

I had read this book before, but in these lazy, hazy days of summer, I thought it was time for another trip aboard the Cricket, a charter fishing boat captained by the crusty Frank Mundus. The author is a local newspaperman who enjoys deep sea fishing, and his book is the story of Frank Mundus' career in running charters out of Montauk, and a recounting of the exciting tales he has to tell. Mundus is a larger-than-life character: physically imposing, he's the poster boy for a tobacco-chewing, hard-drinking, colorful boat captain. Actually, he claims he was the poster boy for Peter Benchley's Jaws story, but he complains that Benchley never acknowledged him as the source of the story.

The book is brimming over with wonderful stories of fighting big fish, terrifying storms, and the "idiots" who have chartered the boat over the years. Drumm is a great storyteller, providing such rich detail that I could almost feel the deck rolling beneath my feet, feel the salt spray on my face, and smell the chum as it was ladled out.

Wrestling a 4,500 pound shark is waaay beyond any adventure I care to embark upon, but the descriptions are so vivid (and frightening!) that you're practically in the boat. Dead whales are a favorite food of sharks, it seems, so Mundus prowls their floating carcasses, looking for the big whites. And he finds them. Descriptions of a man walking on a whale carcass, miles out at sea, while sharks circle and/or tear huge chunks of flesh from the whale are not for the fainthearted. There's even an episode where a shark was fed melons and cookies from a whale!

If you hanker for a good seafaring yarn, this is the book for you.

[Stanley]

An excellent book for anyone who loves the movie "Jaws" and fishing in general. An especially intriguing look into the world of "Monsta fishing" (aka catching gigantic sharks) and a historical account of the east coast fishing culture of the late 50's and 60's.

This book will give any wannabe, day-dreamer journalist an enjoyable "tag-along" with an excellent story teller. Drumm clearly landed himself a "hands-on/on the job" project with this one and I can easily see him tossing ladles of chum over the side of The Cricket, wondering what he was possibly thinking when he signed on for a boat ride a modern-day Ahab.

[Aaron]

Such a fun book. Non fiction that is thoroughly entertaining. Great writing.

[Matthew]

Amazing, the real life Jaws Story.