Review of "Is Fat Bob Dead Yet?: A Novel" by Stephen Dobyns

This comical romp has a cast of wacky characters who get involved in robbery, murder and mayhem.

Connor Raposo is a handsome, tanned, twentysomething man of Portuguese ancestry who feels an obligation to his 'clan', namely his mob-connected brother Vasco and his Uncle Didi. After stints as a schoolteacher and a Detroit casino worker, Connor is now working for Uncle Didi in Rhode Island.



Didi - who prides himself on inventing creative frauds - is running a charity scam out of a Winnebago, which is convenient for moving 'the business' every few weeks. Didi's latest con involves calling people to exhort donations for bogus charities like Orphans from Outer Space; Organ-Grinder-Monkey Retirement Ranch; Prom Queens Anonymous (for former pageant winners gone to seed); Free Beagles from Nicotine Addiction (for beagles used in smoking experiments); and Holy Sisters of the Blessed Little Feet.





Didi's employees, Eartha and Vaughn - hired because they sound like famous singers - call people to cajole, wheedle, and gently bully them into giving money.....preferably cash.....to the non-existent causes. Connor, who's the worst liar in the world, can't make the phone calls so he's the 'bag man.' Connor collects contributions from donors' homes or from the post office box where they send their donations.





One day Connor is on a personal errand in nearby New London, Connecticut - where he's picking up his Bruno Magli shoes from a repair shop - when he sees a horrific accident. A 'Fat Bob' Harley Davidson motorcycle crashes into a truck, and the bike rider is shredded and decapitated. The victim is assumed to be the bike's owner - a man called 'Fat Bob' for his girth and his collection of Fat Bob motorcycles. However, the owner had lent his bike to an acquaintance.....who's now toast.


Fat Bob motorcycle



Connor, who can't extricate his car from the accident scene until the cops clear the street, starts an idle conversation with a fellow onlooker.....who introduces himself as Sal Nicoletti. Sal - who has lifts in his shoes; an Elvis-style pompadour; a Rolex watch; an array of gold chains; several large rings; and a pricey pen - seems like a shady guy. Nevertheless, Connor gives Sal a ride home, and is immediately mesmerized by the dandy's gorgeous sexy wife. This infatuation leads to a scene with cuticle scissors that will be imprinted on my mind for a long time. 😃





Meanwhile, two New London detectives - Benny Vikström and Manny Streeter - look into the fatal motorcycle-truck collision.....and discover it was deliberate murder. The cops proceed to investigate, but their progress is hampered by their ongoing low-key feud. This stems from the time Vikström made fun of Streeter's at-home karaoke set-up - complete with a stage, a bar, and little round tables. Vikström and Streeter's constant passive-aggressive antics are funny, but got a bit old.





As things turn out, the wrong biker was killed in the crash and flashy Sal Nicoletti - who's actually in the witness protection program - is implicated in the murder. All this sets up a complicated scenario involving Fat Bob - who goes on the run; Fat Bob's estranged wife, who's selling off his beloved bikes for spite; a mentally ill homeless man who thinks he has a giant lizard tail; a murderous thug named Chucky and his henchmen, one of whom is thinking of abandoning the profession....and wonders if there's a 'Murderers Anonymous'; two FBI agents who have little use for Vikström and Streeter; a red-haired man who's out for revenge; a 'nice girl' who takes a shine to Connor; Manny Streeter's beagle-loving wife, who gets a call from Didi's scam artists; and more.



Connor unwittingly puts himself in the center of the maelstrom and his life is seriously endangered, thanks in part to his rapscallion brother Vasco.....who's an informant for gangsters. The story is replete with conspiracies and unintended consequences, and provides plenty of laughs.

One of the most amusing characters in the story is Vaughn, Didi's youthful cohort who claims he IS an orphan from outer space. Vaughn speaks almost entirely in malapropisms, saying things like: "I'm having a nervous shakedown"; "I need medical resistance"; "I'm suffering from cardinal arrest"; "Damp weather's hard on my sciences"; "What do you think about gerbil warming?"; "What are you incinerating"; "Inflammable language scares me"; and so on.



The book is entertaining, but the jokes are repetitive and the plethora of 'villains' make it hard to remember who's who. Still, the story is funny and I'd recommend it to readers who enjoy zany mysteries. 

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "Precious and Grace: A No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Novel" by Alexander McCall Smith

In this 17th book in the 'No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency' series, Mma Ramotswe has her hands full with three cases. The book can be read as a standalone but it's more fun to follow the characters' arcs through the series.


Mma Ramotswe (right) and Mma Makutski (from the television series)

*****

The newest client of the "The Number 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" is Susan Peters, a Canadian woman who was born and raised in Botswana.



Susan is nostalgic for her early life in the beautiful African country and - producing an old photo - asks Mma Ramotswe to find her childhood home and former nanny, called Rosie.





Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi put a piece in the newspaper asking Rosie to come forward and (of course) several candidates quickly show up. Mma Makutsi - acerbic and skeptical as always - thinks they're all phonies but Mma Ramotswe believes one woman might be the real deal. Inquiries, a house visit, and many cups of tea eventually help resolve the situation - which is a little different than it first appears.



Meanwhile Mr. Polopetsi, a chemistry teacher and part-time detective for the agency, has inadvertently involved himself in a Ponzi scheme. The naive, good-hearted man has convinced several acquaintances to invest in a shady plan to buy and sell cattle, with the promise of 25% profit.





When Mma Ramotswe and Mma Potokwane (director of the orphan farm) confront Mr. Polopetsi with the truth, he's crushed. But Mma Ramotswe tries to make things right - and keep Mr. Polopetsi out of prison.

Mma Ramotswe has one additional concern. Fanwell, who works as a mechanic for Mr. JLB Matekoni, has been adopted by a stray dog. The pooch, named 'Zebra' by Mma Ramotswe's foster children, needs a permanent home.....but where? Mma Ramotswe attempts to work it out.





As usual with this series, Mma Ramotswe uses her intelligence, insight, and compassion to solve problems and Mma Makutsi acts as kind of a Greek chorus - voicing her own quirky views. Some occurrences in the story lead Mma Ramotswe to ponder forgiveness.....a worthy act. However, when Mma Ramotswe avers she'd let criminals off with a warning, I'm taken aback. Perhaps Mma Ramotswe doesn't believe Botswana harbors murderers, rapists, or the like.



This story isn't as humorous as some other entries in the series but one 'problem' did make me laugh. Over time, Mma Makutsi has promoted herself from secretary, to assistant detective, to associate detective, to partner, and finally to 'Co-Director" of the agency 😊. This leaves Mma Ramotswe with a dilemma. Can she still ask Mma Makutsi to take dictation, make phone calls, type letters, and so on? Mma Ramotswe frets about this continually, but the issue remains unresolved. I'm curious to see how it plays out.



The stories in Alexander McCall Smith's series' are always enjoyable. This book is recommended to people who like cozies, especially fans of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "Eight Lives: A Biomedical Mystery" by Susan Hurley

Autoimmune diseases that afflict the human race include Crohn's Disease, Diabetes, Fibromyalgia, Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, Psoriasis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Scleroderma, and more than seventy others. These conditions cause great suffering, use a vast array of medical resources, and cost millions of dollars in research and therapy.


Patient with Multiple Sclerosis

Drugs called monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are used to treat autoimmune illnesses and some cancers, with specific types for each disease. The 'Holy Grail' would be a mAb effective against ALL autoimmune conditions, and Dr. David Tran - the main character in this book - has invented one. It only needs to pass human trials to be worth billions.



David, whose given name is Dung (pronounced Yoong) Tran, is a Vietnamese-Australian who was spirited to the island continent with his mother Mai and sister Natalie after the Vietnam War. The trio escaped to Hong Kong, then traveled to Australia.







The little family struggled financially until David was taken under the wing of a wealthy, do-gooder Australian family named the Southcotts, whose son Miles was little David's contemporary. The Southcotts raised Miles and David in their home like brothers, and helped support Mai and Natalie, who lived in a rented house.





As young men Miles and David both studied medicine, and Miles is now a hospital administrator while David - who's brilliant and ambitious - does biomedical research.



David's miraculous mAb, nicknamed EIGHT, is "a master switch for the immune system." EIGHT is being manufactured by a company called SuperMab, whose boss is a n'er do well called Charlie Cunningham. Charlie's successful businessman father CC gave Charlie the job, hoping to make an entrepreneur out of his dilettante gambler playboy son.....and good luck with that!!



As the story opens Charlie and David are being interviewed for a TV segment announcing the upcoming human trials of EIGHT, and Charlie brags about how profitable the medicine will be. This presentation makes several people uncomfortable, including David and other researchers, who know that human trials can fail miserably. In any case, David dies tragically before the trials begin.



The story is told by a rotating array of characters, who talk about Dave's demise from their individual points of view. The narrators include:

Rosa: an Italian-Australian graduate student who works in David's lab and hopes to get a doctorate. Rosa, who also studies mAbs, is anxious about the human trials of EIGHT because of possible reactions to the drug. Rosa was raised by an aunt and uncle who adhere strongly to their Italian culture, and she wants to make them proud.

Ly (Natalie): David's sister, who runs a nail salon with her mother, Mai. Ly tries to make sure her mother never 'feels shame', which is important in Vietnamese culture - but not that easy in their overall circumstances. This causes some of the story's drama. Ly and Mai often speak Vietnamese, which makes a fun addition to the novel.

Miles: David's 'brother from another mother.' Miles was wary when David first became part of the Southcott household, but soon accepted the smart little boy in his midst. In fact Miles - who was a professional tennis player in his youth - would have flunked out of school if not for David's tutoring and academic assistance.



Foxy: A public relations honcho who's been CC's 'fixer' for decades. When CC's son Charlie - the Superlab supervisor - messes up, it's Foxy's job to rush in and engineer a rescue. Foxy will cajole, bribe, pay off, blackmail, etc. - whatever it takes - to put things right.



Abigail: David's beautiful blonde Australian girlfriend who's a vegan and a committed animal activist. Abigail studied chimpanzees in Rwanda and is averse to using animals for medical experiments. Having a boyfriend who's a medical researcher is problematical for Abigail.



As the storytellers slowly dribble out their tales, it feels like the layers of an onion are being removed one by one, revealing the truth about David and his wonder drug. All this leads to a spectacular ending that I certainly didn't predict.

The author, Susan Hurley, has worked in medical research and the pharmaceutical industry for more than thirty years. In the author's note, Hurley writes that the drug EIGHT was inspired by a real monoclonal antibody called TGN1412 and the consequences of it's human trials.

Among other things I studied microbiology in graduate school, and I enjoyed the explanation of the medical research. The biomedical lingo isn't too complicated though, and - since it's smoothly incorporated into the story and sufficiently explained - should be comprehensible to most readers. 

I also liked the novel's plot, which melds very well with the science. I'd strongly recommend the book to fans of medical thrillers and mysteries.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Susan Hurley) and the publisher (Affirm Press) for a copy of the book.

Rating: 4 stars