Bahamarama

I put Morris up on the shelf with Hiaasen, Dorsey, White and Corcoran. Welcome to the Florida club. I found the hero, ex-pro running back Zack, and his voodoo sidekick very entertaining, and can't wait to read more. The palm tree farm hang-out is just the right amount of pro-eco-Florida to make it poetic. Loved Jamaica Me Dead too. Put me down for advance purchase on next book.

Devotees of the Florida mystery writer genre cannot get enough of the weird characters, ridiculous circumstances, bosomy babes, gallons of alcohol, guns of every description, and broken teeth galore. Welcome Bob Morris to the fold. His first novel after tons of work in the "real world" of journalism. He told me that this is the first of a trilogy. It'll be interesting to see if Chasteen, an ex-Dolphin who still believes he can blitz, his protagonist, Barbara, the femme fatale, Boggy, his DR Indian helper (think Igor to Dr. Frankenstein) and Yellow Bird, appear in his next effort. [Hey, Bob! Bring Nixon back!] Other reviewers have outlined the story. But readers want to know, how does Morris compare with others in his class? First off, this is a light read. Start to finish - Tampa to Detroit and back. The plot is simple, bordering on simplistic. The parallel plots don't seem to sufficiently crisscross or intermesh. As a result, the reader isn't sufficiently distracted away from solving the mystery. Having said all that, Morris is one helluva wordsmith when it comes to imagining. His characters are quickly but very succinctly constructed. The tableaus are so clearly worded that you can smell the smoke, taste the salty air, and, yes, feel the pain! [By the way, Bob, if Chasteen was a blitzing linebacker, how come he still had teeth?] So, reader, go ahead. Scour all the Florida writers' works. See if you can find "Barbecued breast of duck with peanut-whipped potatoes" or "The Faith in Jesus Victory Tabernacle Church" in any of their works. Great first book, Bob Morris! Five for five on this one!

So Bob Morris has written a book? What could it be? I have been reading his stuff for years. Could be a travelogue. He knows more about the world between Georgia and the Equator than just about anyone. Could be about the environment. He genuinely loves the real Florida, the one that existed before air conditioners, more than the Sierra Club could ever pretend to. Could be a love story; it is dedicated to his bride and sons, after all. Could be a mystery. He is a somewhat devious devil. Could be a comedy. He is one of the funniest people you will ever meet. Could be a collaboration with Julia Child, as I understand that when he appears at a book signing, he will make a batch of conch fritters for you. Whatever it might turn out to be, I expected it to be a great read. And so it is. The setting begins in a Florida prison and follows the release of Zach Chasteen, a former Miami Dolphin, to the Bahamas, the real Bahamas, not Nassau. The plot is a convoluted(gotta have convolutions to make a mystery) tale of money, drugs, various family issues, and some amazing coincidences. The conflict is, or course, good versus evil, within the context of the plot, setting and characters. The theme is loyalty. Zach struggles to be loyal to his love Barbara. Zach's business partner and confidante. Boggy, turns out to be steadfastly loyal to Zach, Zach's misconceptions notwithstanding. The narrative is riveting. The setting and the action captivate the reader. Morris knows the place and the time and the people. The outcome is a brilliant story, told by a writer who has mastered his craft. Trust me, it is worth the read. It compels one to complete the task without interruption. I shall not presume to abstract the plot, as most reviewers persist in doing. Let me simply answer the initial question I posed. Bahamarama is a comedy, and the punchline is 10-9=1. Read it to find out why. You will not regret the time spent. And when the movie is made, we can have coffee and discuss whether it is "as good as the book." If so, it will be a movie worth watching.

Ex Miami Dolpin's Linebacker Zack Chasteen, who also used to be a charter boat skipper has spent his time in a white coller type prison, doing the time I might add for a crime he didn't do, dreaming of the Bahamas and Barbara. However the limo his lover has sent for him abandons him and all of a sudden he's on his own. He thumbs a ride home only to be confronted by bad guys. He kills one and escapes, finally getting to the Bahamas only to find that Barbara's ex-fiance has been murdered and she has been kidnapped. With the help of his buddy Boogy, Nixon, a boy claiming to be a guide and local police inspector Lynfield Pederson, he sets out to find his lady love even as a hurricane is charging toward the islands. This superbly plotted novel full of colorful characters and twists in turns kept me going through a long night. I couldn't sleep, because of the flu, and I couldn't have asked for a better companion then this book. Carl Hiaasen and Lawrence Shames et al have a new member in the zany Florida Characters Club. Did I say that right? Did I make sense? I think I did and I'll be waiting for the next effort by Mr. Morris.

It must be something about the Florida climate that spawns good mystery writers, Bob Morris being the latest. His first mystery opens with the protagonist's release from Federal Prison Camp/Baypoint, a home away from home for white collar types-- not exactly what we would expect for the makings of a sympathetic character. We soon learn, however, that Zack Chasteen was wrongly convicted and indeed is a most likeable mystery solver. He dresses well, eats and drinks even better and is in general a laid-back dude, even when he has to kill to protect himself. This very well-written novel has an intricate, byzantine plot. Things are not as they seem here. While I anticipated some of the events, Mr. Morris and Zack were usually miles ahead of me. I would call this novel "slick", and that is not a pejorative term. It goes down as easily as a fine piece of Key lime pie. Actually, I wish Mr. Morris had included recipes for all that wondrously exotic food he discusses. A friend and fellow-reader thinks the writer may have been too hard on Lesbians. (I don't want to give away the plot.) I didn't think so. Perhaps Mr. Morris can give the religious right a hard time next time. I look forward to reading Mr. Morris' next novel.