A Cold Night for Alligators

by Nick Crowe

A thrilling Knopf New Face of Fiction debut, A Cold Night for Alligators takes the reader on a breathtaking ride through the seedy, sensual Florida Everglades, unravelling a mystery at the heart of which lies a devastating family secret.

Twenty-six-year-old Jasper hasn't seen or heard from his older brother, Coleman, in over ten years. Not since Coleman walked through the back gate one morning, leaving behind a distraught family concerned by his increasingly outlandish behaviour. Now Jasper's life has come to an impasse — he has settled into a rather stultifying existence as a corporate drone, living with a girlfriend he doesn't quite know how to break up with. Until a freak accident and strange phone call change everything. With little more to go on than a random phone call, Jasper follows his brother's trail southward into the Florida Everglades where a family mystery from his childhood may hold the key to Coleman's disappearance. Accompanied by brawny, devout Donny and the extremely eccentric Duane, Jasper embarks on a series of misadventures involving a gorgeous swamp moll, an estranged aunt and alligator poachers as he gets deeper into his search for his brother. All roads seem to lead to Uncle Rolly Lee, a rock-and-rolling swamp rat whose rather rough exterior belies an even rougher interior. Can Jasper uncover the secrets of the past and find his brother before he gets mired in the swamp and the machinations of Rolly Lee?
 
Populated with unforgettable characters and a suspense-filled story at its heart, A Cold Night for Alligators is a first novel about loss, hope and the ties that bind family together.


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Canada, Mental Illness

342 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2011

Reviews

[Alicia]

When I won A Cold Night For Alligators in a goodreads giveaway, I really didn't have a clue what to expect from the book. I wasn't even clear on what general genre or narrative style it laid claim to. I think I had a vague idea that it was going to be some sort of trendy, experimental, post-modern type of thing, along the lines of The New Bizarro Author Series. Turns out that it's actually a standard contemporary (read: dysfunctional) family drama with a bit of excellent mystery/crime mixed in, which was far preferable to reading about haunted vajays or whatever other (supposedly) shocking trend is big in post-modern lit right now. Point being, Cold Night is a perfectly accessible drama/mystery for even dumb little readers like me, so perhaps the marketing needs to make this a bit more clear? Something about the cover or the description or just something, I'm not sure what, gave me the impression that this would be a really inaccessible literary read, but that couldn't be further from the truth.

Cold Night tells the story of two canadian brothers, Jasper and Coleman, while detailing Coleman's painful deterioration into mental illness. Jasper's first-person narrative switches back and forth between his present - the late 1990s - and his past - flashbacks to his canadian childhood which are oriented around his experiences with the changing Coleman. The contents of the flashbacks are vividly painful as the reader watches Jasper's best friend (and brother) transform into a stranger, all in a very similar vein to Wally Lamb's beautiful I Know This Much Is True. Coleman disappeared as a teenager, and it is only after a life changing accident years later, falling under a Toronto subway which induces a months-long coma, that Jasper decides to go search for Coleman in southern Florida, where he was last sighted.

Cold Night was full of witty, colourful characters. Duane and Donny, the two buddies who accompanied Jasper on his road trip to Florida, were both incredibly well-developed and entertaining. Having known plenty of eccentric small-town canadians in my life, I could totally picture both their types - the slightly sexist yet still lovable Duane and the gentle giant Donny. Initially, I was a bit worried about Jasper as a character. In the first 75 pages or so, it's really difficult not to get tired of Jasper's douchey "I'm sooo sarcastic and sooo above it all" routine. I was a bit worried that he wouldn't evolve beyond that, but luckily he experiences immense growth as a character and manages to pull it off in a way that isn't trite or unbelievable. Aunt Val was lovely. I would have liked to see a bit more depth for Kim, or just something beyond Jasper's extremely one-sided view of her and their (ex)relationship - I found Jasper very condescending towards Kim. Kim certainly wasn't blameless, but even before the accident and her hooking up with Donny, Jasper seemed to have this irritating attitude of superiority towards her.

I didn't really like the fact that Melissa just fell into bed with Jasper. I just get tired of how every male lead, no matter how douchey or unattractive, has to have this beautiful, knockout, sexy woman just fall into bed with them without any effort - I was pleased that there were consequences at least, but I just find that trope tired and unbelievable, or I would at least like to see it play out with a woman who is described as "average-looking". In fact, Melissa could have used a bit more development too - I don't think her motivations in attaching herself to the horrendous Lee family were really examined. I think it was being implied that she had low self-esteem, causing her to sleep around with many of the male persuasion, which is actually another idea that I'm a bit tired of. Not every girl who sleeps with a lot of guys automatically has low self-esteem or hates herself - some girls just enjoy variety. Complaints about a few of the minor characters aside, most of the characters were highly enjoyable and well fleshed out.

The writing was stellar. The prose is crisp and modern, with lots of gritty evocative descriptions of things like bad coffee breath and commercialized american beer. The book does a nice job of dealing with existential dilemmas in an accessible way, rather than in a Jonathan Franzen Wes Anderson makes-you-want-to-slap-every-spoiled-character-out-of-their-self-absorbed-existentialism kind of way.

I think for me the real strength of Cold Night was as a study in North American regionalities. I love Canadian fiction, and I do my best to support Canadian authors (fuck cultural Americanization! and all that), and Nick Crowe did not disappoint with lots of canadian name-dropping, including ice fishing, mac's milk convenience and Timmins, Ontario. Rather than delving too much into Canadian identity, Cold Night focused more on portraying the relationship between Canadian/American regions, specifically hotspot vacay destination Florida and suburban Ontario. I found it very fascinating to explore the cultural and regional differences (yes, both redneck Virginians and redneck Floridians think Canadians are a "bunch of hippies and gaylords") and varying perceptions that Americans have of Canadians depending on their region, socioeconomic class, etc.

To finish off, a quick comment about the cover. Since my copy was an uncorrected ARC, it just had a picture of the author's face on the cover (which was bad enough because it meant that I could not stop picturing Nick Crowe as Jasper), but if the retail cover is to be that green/yellow thing displayed above, I really don't think it will do the book justice. With the kindergarden colours and animal cartoon, it looks very juvenile, almost like a children's book or YA. I know I shouldn't judge a book on the cover and all that, but the sad truth is that many people do. I think a more adult-looking cover, something befitting a mystery or crime novel, would have a lot more readers picking the book up or at least having their interest sparked. Sadly, covers are very important these days, perhaps more than they should be, but hey, whatever gets people picking up a book, right?

[Jean-marcel]

The book's title instantly made me think of the song "It's a Cold Night for Alligators", performed by the Texan rock 'n' roll legend Roky Erickson, who has had a most interesting solo career since the demise of the 13th Floor Elevators, but is also known for being a very odd man with diagnosed schizophrenia who once got in trouble for stealing his neighbours' mail and occasionally believes himself to be an alien or at least in contact with aliens. His songs are usually either kind of sweet and about ladies, or they're loud and a little bit weird and about old monster movies or working in the Kremlin with two-headed dogs. There was no direct reference to Roky in this book, but it is certainly steeped in the warm, sweaty miasma of southern rock, and one of the characters does indeed believe that he is in communication with extraterestrials, so I don't entirely think its a coincidence.

Jasper lives in the house that belonged to his parents, in a small Ontario town not far from Toronto. He has a crappy corporate job, and no real friends. He seems to have been coasting through his own life ever since the night, ten years before, his crazy brother walked out of the family house, never to be seen again by anyone. Then, one day, on the way home from work, a man who hears voices in his head pushes Jasper onto the subway tracks, and he gets run over.

Jasper survives the ordeal, but he loses seven months of his life to a coma (inexplicable, really, since the book doesn't even mention any sort of head trauma), loses his girlfriend to another man (meh, she's pretty obnoxious anyway), and begins his journey on a path of discovery and revelation. The novel maintains a rather lighthearted tone during the first half; even Jasper's recollections of his brother Coleman withdrawing further and further from his family into a world that only he can see are tempered with a sort of easy-going breezy style with a tendency toward flippancy. Jasper recounts, at various stages, his family's trips to Fort Myers, Florida, when the two brothers were children, and how these littel vacations basically shaped the destiny of the entire family. Crowe reveals these glimpses of the past a very little bit at a time, parallel to the contemporary narrative, and we gradually get to see why Coleman changed, what happened to their aunt Val, and why they never returned to Florida after one fateful summer. But now, Jasper thinks he may be receiving mysterious phone calls from his brother, and he can hear the sound of alligators in the background, which makes him think of Fort Myers. He wonders, though he can barely believe his own assertions, whether Coleman might be down there. When his former girlfriend's new guy and his best friend decide to go down south for a couple of fishing derbies, Jasper takes the opportunity to ride with them and return to the place of his childhood summers.

Much of the hilarity of the novel comes from the situations described early on. Jasper is not in great shape after having been comatose for months, and he finds that Kim, his ex, still lives in his house...with her new man. It's all right though; Donny turns out to be a really gentle, nice guy, despite his hulking build and highschool affinity for brawls, and, as it happens, Jasper's only true friend and confidante in this whole situation. Donny's best buddy, Duane, is your stereotypical wild-eyed Canadian hick who lives on cheap booze, cheaper food and has a mouth that's twice the size of his limbs. The three of them take a road trip to Florida and have a few funny adventures on the way. I particularly enjoyed the bit with the pickled eggs. Yuck...

There's an aura of heady intoxication in the air once they get to Florida. They visit Jasper's aunt Val, who decided that final year that she'd not come back to Canada, and instead live with the mad and bad rock 'n' roll redneck Rolly Lee. Rolly's an interesting guy; I found myself wishing I could attend his parties and really wanting to like him, because I did see how he was a romantic sort and why many would admire a man like him. Hell, I'm under no illusions that the lifestyle is healthy or grand, and yet, there's just something about it, coupled with the atmosphere of swamps and wild men and bare-chested rock 'n' roll glee that's extremely exciting. Maybe, too, being a Canadian myself, and having spent some time in the US south (though not Florida), I could feel the alluring whiff of that deep rebel spirit, like the best moonshine that you know will make you feel like shit in the morning but which you've just got to have anyway.

Indeed, Crowe not only shows the allure of the rebel way, but also the seedier side. He does this really well, in fact, and when it turns out that Rolly Lee is actually the scummiest person you could possibly imagine: a murderer, an abuser of children, and a complete coward, I was unaccountably sad, and I had to admit to myself that while he'd always made Jasper feel more than a little uneasy, I wanted him to turn out to be an all right sort in the end. We get to see the ignorance blatantly on display in some parts of rural USA, especially toward anything that doesn't smack of their own culture or kind. We see the dirtiness, the slovenly way some of these people live, the carelessness about things that many people in other "civilised" places think is so very important. But we also see the beauty, both natural and human, and we understand why someone coming from the cold and comparative (though really it ain't all that bad!) desolation of North Bay, Ontario, would want to stay there.

Jasper's the narrator for all these happenings, and this is good. For one thing, sometimes he's a bit of a blank. He does pathetic things at times, and while you know that on some level he acknowledges this, he never says much about it, which leaves us to draw our own conclusions. I like this approach; I like that Crowe basically shows us everything, but doesn't pontificate at all on what's right and what's wrong, nor on the reasons people do the things they do. Everybody in this book, in fact, with the exception of Donny I suppose, comes out the other end seeming like an idiot, an arsehole or just plain wrong about everything, but it seems that's just the way it had to be, and despite nobody really looking too good by the book's conclusion, I didn't feel this was very cynical writing. Don't expect big long character-motivated conversations, either. Jasper simply isn't into that, and this is his story, really; everybody else, especially his fellow Canadian travellers, are just along for the ride. In this novel, the things that aren't said are just important as the discourse that takes place.

This is Crowe's first book, and at times it might show a little. Some elements don't seem altogether sensible; a few sentences don't flow very well or contain redundant clauses. I suppose some women I know might call this a "guys' book", too, and while I don't think that's fair or exactly right, I should point out that there's a lot of boozing, swearing and general male carousing, and that most of the women are, well, easy first, a pain in the neck second, if you get my drift. I enjoyed it though; I'd read another one of his books, especially if it smelled like a dive rock bar in the middle of a swampy summer.

P.S.: There are three entirely unconnected characters introduced named Ron within the first fifty pages!

[Tina]

This was my second book I won through giveaways and I am very thankful for the speedy delivery. The beginning was slow but I was fascinated with the details of Jasper's life after the subway accident and with his flash backs into his childhood, with his brother and family vacations in Florida. I don't know what was wrong with the female characters in this book, they annoyed me except for his mother. I enjoyed Jasper's journey down south with Duane's absurd behavior but of course Duane could not top the horrible Rolly Lee. I like the fact that Jasper still had hope after ten years that he would find his brother Coleman but I don't understand why he just watched his brother walk away without trying to stop him.

[Andrea]

I received Nick Crowe's debut novel “A Cold Night for Alligators” book for free through Goodreads First Reads giveaways. This a story about twenty-six year old Jasper and the relationships between himself, his family, his girlfriend and two new acquaintances Donny and Duane. Relations with his girlfriend Kim are strained to begin with, however through her Jasper meets born again ex-football player Donny and his friend Duane. Duane is the drinking, swearing and sometimes drug-taking friend of Donny.

After suffering a serious accident in Ontario, Jasper finds himself on extended leave from a boring job. During months of rehab and drifting emotionally, he spends considerable time reflecting on his childhood. After receiving a mysterious phone call, Jasper finally abandons the idea of returning to his job and impulsively joins Donny and Duane on a road trip that eventually ends up in Florida. As the trip unfolds, so do Jasper's childhood memories. There is a mystery at the heart Jasper's family that no one talks about. Why did his older brother Coleman disappearance almost 10 years ago, and is it linked to the reason the family stopped going on annual vacations to Florida more than sixteen years ago? As Jasper, Donny and Duane travel down the interstate, Jasper relieves memories of his childhood, his brother Coleman, and the events leading up to Coleman’s disappearance 10 years ago. Jasper tells himself this trip will be his last visit to Florida. It is an attempt to create some closure surrounding Colman’s disappearance and to allow Jasper to get on with a life that seems to be on perpetual hold. Once Jasper gets to Florida however, questions begin to arise about Coleman’s disappearance, and the possible involvement of their aunt’s husband, Rolly Lee.

I found the first few chapters a little awkward setting up the premise of the story, but I soon became engaged. Towards the end I found the theme of this being the last time Jasper would return to Florida a little repetitive. While I enjoyed the story, I did not identify with the Jasper character. I was more intrigued by the quirkiness of the other characters because they seemed to have more life. But ultimately, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, and look forward to further offerings from Nick Crowe. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mysteries and stories involving family tensions and relationships.

[Maddy]

A bit of a weird one. The tone was sort of noir (in terms of the casual misogyny of the characters and general focus on the criminal underclass) but not consistently. It was set in the 1990s for no discernible reason (except, I guess, no cellphones? But there's a car phone) and didn't really have much 90s culture going on.

At first it seems to be a bit of a loveletter to Canadian and American rural redneck culture - look how fun! So much drinking and shenanigans! It turns out the rednecks are generally pretty bad people (in a murder their in-laws way) but I kept thinking about their politics. It was the 90s, maybe they just didn't vote but we all know these characters should be very racist and eventually become MAGA dudes.

The "hit by subway" set up also didn't seem to go anywhere. The main character's leg hurt or not as needed for the plot. The big brother didn't really seem that mentally ill, like maybe he just had a hobby making spaceships out of junk and didn't communicate because he's a teenager?! Why the alligators never seem to eat him is unclear.

All that negativity aside, it wasn't terrible. Some interesting scenery, made me laugh in a few places, made me appreciate the ecology of Florida (if not the people there).

[Phil]

Give it a chance and this book will surprise you.

[Maya]

Won from GR First Reads program.

Full disclosure: this being a debut release, and by a Canadian author, I really wanted to like it. In the final analysis, the aspects I liked did outweigh the aspects that didn't appeal to me and I would give the second novel by this author a look.

Pro:
- Eye catching cover, intriguing title
- Gives a poignant sense of the 'survivor's guilt' the protagonist felt as a child observing the encroaching mental illness of his brother and being powerless to do anything to delay or stop the moment when things reach crisis level; where Wally Lamb's protagonist in a somewhat similar situation turned to longterm anger as a response ("I Know This Much is True"), this protagonist's response has been to feel emotionally adrift, unable to connect to work, a partner, his parents, and his realization that he will have to deal with it one way or another makes his road trip to Florida of interest to the reader. I liked his determination to break past the wall, and his dogged loyalty to the parents and brother he was unable to help past their grief.
- Thought the 'big disclosure' was going to go in a certain direction, and was surprised when it was something else
- Liked it that the ending wasn't of the Disney, saccharine type, and remained open-ended

Con:
- Seems like 'beer' is the most frequently used word. It is such a rare page without a mention (or six) that it comes as a shock when the protagonist buys a coffee late in the book.
- Repeated' jewelled' eyes, and seems every character character encountered is afflicted with dark circles under eyes
- There is a moment in the story when the protagonist, in his words, tries to see if rudeness will be enough to make a female character leave him alone. There were moments when I wondered if a similar technique was being applied to the reader, in terms of the amount of 'seediness' (as mentioned on cover blurb) is willing to put up with to get on with the story. There are countless instances of, let's say, hygiene & grooming challenge, with special interest in forms of bad breath. A reader could be forgiven for wondering if the author got kickbacks from the tourism bureau of some other southern American state for the excellent job of making Florida seem like a terrible place to go on vacation
- Didn't understand some of the logistics in the final big confrontation. For those who've read the book - could you please tell me how the second person in the boat came to be there at that strategic moment? Where did the bone come from, and why, again, at that strategic moment? How did the residents of the house know that Jasper and Donny were coming and that it was them?
- Didn't understand Jasper's, Aunt Val's, and police officer's so casually dismissing what the cousin did, nor the girlfriend's actions. Any insights from other Goodreaders?

Overall: story of touching issues, personal growth, with vivid (at times a little too much so) description

[Lindsay]

This was my first FIRST READS GIVEAWAY and I am truly thrilled! It's always nice to win anything, but to win a book is plain bliss!
I was a little worried that I was too excited, and had built the book up so much it would only be a disappointment. Luckily, that was not the case. I truly enjoyed this book! I won't bother rehashing the storyline as the general plot has already been laid out at the top of this page.
Not what I would classically call a mystery novel, I really enjoyed the bread crumb trail of clues through past and present. I found the writing style to be fluid and creative, with vivid descriptions to bring even the mundane to life. Thank you, Nicholas Crowe, for not being predictable.
I'm afraid I did not relate with the female characters of this story, as they all tended to fit awkwardly. I'm a sucker for a strong female lead, myself. I found them to be a little empty, and frankly, a little annoying. Thankfully there weren't many female roles, but instead, a cast of well created characters, heroes and villains alike. It took me a few chapters to warm up to our lead, Jasper, though by the end I was truly rooting for him. Duane, however, was my favourite character, by far! Laugh out loud comedic relief to an engrossing tale.

[Janice]

I enjoyed this debut effort by Nick Crowe. I was pulled into the story right away and my attention was held to the end. My favorite part was the quirky characters brought to life by this novel.

The story is a mystery with teeth. Jasper watched as his brother walked out of the house, into the woods, and disappeared. Years later, spurred by a near death accident and a phone call, Jasper goes on a search for his brother. It takes him deep into the swamps of Florida amidst estranged family members, homeless people and alligators.

I didn't find the story predictable, though it was perhaps a bit unrealistic. How many lives does Jasper have?

I will read this author again. I like his style.

[Kim]

This book had a good idea, but just couldn't deliver. The characters were flat, unbelievable and not very likable. The main character wakes from a 7 month coma to find his girlfriend living in his house with a new guy, and not only is it okay with him, he lets them stay and moves into the guest bedroom. Really? think not.
The book describes the uncle as charasmatic, not once did the book come close to showing us that. The plot was annoying, it plugged along at a snail's pace, the author kept going back and forth between the present and the past, trying to build mystery and suspense. He failed. I knew a third way into the book what happend in the past, so the back and fourth just became annoying and made the pace all that much slower. My advice ...skip this one.

[Diane S ☔]

3.5 This book and its characters reminded me a bit of Carl Hiasson. At turns poignant, such as when Jasper is talking about his brother and his mental illness which ends up tearing his family apart and at times laugh out loud funny. Just loved the characters, especially Duannie, all the alligator lore and their trek from Canada to the everglades to attempt to find the brother who disappeared many years earlier. Also liked that the ending wasn't tied up in a nice bow, though I do have some questions whose answers are not apparent. All in all an enjoyable read. Will definitely read more from this author. ARC from NetGalley.

[Jan]

A great read: a mystery, a travelogue, a love story. Our main character, Jasper, is a Canadian traveling to the Florida Everglades in search of his lost brother, Coleman. Nick Crowe fills his book with unforgettable incidents (a perfect example, Jasper gets pushed under a subway in Toronto at the beginning of book) and characters (Rolly Lee, the consummate southern good old boy villian, and Duane, the fisherman up-for-anything new pal, come to mind). What is great about this adventure story is how it manages to be so Canadian in feel and at the same time so much a sweaty Floridian experience. Settings, characters, story line... terrific!

[Suzanne Fox]

Though its plot hinges on crime, actual and attempted, Crowe's novel is about the process, and perils, of reconnecting with the past. The voice is smart and clever, but the sardonic tone doesn't mean that there isn't a real emotional payoff at the end (there is). I was slightly skeptical before reading--the "Florida is zany" fiction category is pretty crowded. (Not that I'm saying Florida isn't zany. I live here, and it surely is.) But Crowe's novel won me over, and I'm interested to see what he writes next.

[Darah]

Won through the goodreads giveaway. Enjoyed. On the surface, slightly cliched and predictable but it had its moments, especially with the dialogue, made the characters more original and the plot had surprises. Loved the different view of Floridia - as a cheap, humid, southern, tourist state instead of a magical perfect Disney-land.
And the alligators, have to love the alligators.

[Tammy]

This book is one about finding yourself and learning to live your life, I think. It is quite sad in many ways, seeing how some people live and the direction their lives go in. It also shows the others feel that their life is fated to be this way or that and feel as though they don't have much choice in where they end up.

[Jean-Paul Adriaansen]

Recuperating from a terrible accident, Jasper decides to go in search for his long lost brother. Together with the boyfriend of his ex girlfriend and a goofy guy, more drunk or doped than sober, they travel from Canada to the swamps of Florida. Some old family members might be able to give some clues ... but are they willing to do so? History has his secrets.
Captivating, funny, intriguing.

[Saoirse]

Like others who have reviewed this book, I had no idea what to expect. I thoroughly enjoyed every page. The writing style, if not the subject matter, reminded me of Dick Francis. The main character, sincere and humble, was likeable and the narrative flowed smoothly as it transitioned from past to present. This is a well crafted story, mostly plausible and completely engaging.

[David]

Looked forward to this. I won a copy, and then got copies of the galleys on two days in a row.

I was hoping for something that was a little Carl Hiasson in it's outlook, and it's under performing for me so far (I'm over 50 pages in). I'm taking a day off from it to clear my head.

[Lynn]

Not a very compelling start and I almost set it aside for a more interesting read.By mid book I was curious about the outcome and saw it through. I wouldn't consider adding it to my bookshelf with the intention of reading it again but would pass it along to someone else to critique.

[Jean Darroch]

I had recieved this book for free from Goodreads and when i recieved it i wasn't really interested in reading it but i thought i should give it a chance, was i ever surprised it was well written and kept me in suspense until the end. I would recommend this book to others

[Allison]

Quite good - almost really good. I loved the relationship between the narrator and his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend. By the end, I was quite perplexed and annoyed by the aunt's blindness about Rolly Lee's character - it's not like it was ever in dispute. Duaner was a great character.

[Sandra]

Loved this book! It is set in the Florida EWverglades, which I have been through myself and find it facinating. I could see something like this book happening and I love the tale it brought to life. I strogly recommend you read this one :)

[Veronica]

Wasn't sure what exactly to expect with this one. The story and pacing was well done but had the feel that the entire time I was subjected to Jasper's stunted thoughts.

For a debut novel, I enjoyed. Characters were colorful and very believable. Well done, Nick!

[Irene]

I really enjoyed this book. It is very well written and I thought the characters were funny, quirky, endearing and others annoying. A very compelling story that kept me in suspense until the end. Highly recommend this book. Very well done Nick!

[Suzanne]

Compelling story. Interesting perspective of a Canadian visiting the Florida Everglades. A bit redundant toward the end, but overall a good read.

[Amanda]

I won this book on First-Reads and am waiting to receive it.

[Sheena]

Excellent book, so interesting. Was hard to put down

[Paula]

Great book for a first time Toronto novelist. I found the story very interesting,funny and enjoyable. Would highly recommend.

[Harry Annan]

Excellent story. Well told & love the descriptions of Florida and wild characters. A great new Canadian author.

[Mommann]

Quirky story with quirkier characters.