- Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
- Publisher: Ballantine Books; New title edition (Oct 26 2004)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0345439422
- ISBN-13: 978-0345439420
- Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 2.4 x 17.4 cm
- Shipping Weight: 181 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,712,413 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
After two less-than-stellar outings (The Tutor; Last of the Dixie Heroes), Abrahams is once again at the top of his game in this wildly inventive, captivating caper. Make that several capers-this novel's multiple plot threads and unlikely assortment of characters carom off each other like so many carnival bumper cars. In typical fashion, Abrahams places a gaggle of ordinary folks in what gradually become distinctly unordinary scenarios, with an ever-so-creepy edge. In Arizona, divorc‚e Helen MacIsaac (Mackie) takes up stripping to make ends meet. Meanwhile, her 17-year-old daughter, Lianne, hooks up with a wrangler at nearby Ocotillo Ranch, the site of her dad's latest get-rich-quick scheme. Back east, Nick Loeb, a writer whose latest crime caper isn't up to snuff ("of course, that was only the opinion of Publishers Weekly") finds an unlikely muse in Mary Jane Krupsha, an amateur critic on Amazon.com. Suggesting that Loeb get some on-the-job experience, she takes him to the Mexican border town of Agua Fria, where her ex-husband is captain of detectives. And where do you suppose Mackie is honing her ecdysiast routine? In Agua Fria, of course, at a boate called Buckaroo's, which boasts "a towering sign with two red nipples in the os." Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the wrangler is enlisting Lianne's aid with a proposed bank hold-up in-of course-the busy burg of Agua Fria. And we haven't mentioned Mr. Samsonov, the owner of Buckaroo's, who's friendly with some nice Russian mafiya fellows, and who's taken a shine to dancer Red (aka Mackie). The author's up-to-the-minute pop-culture references lend an easygoing immediacy, and his wry humor is spot on-when one character wants to borrow a cell phone, he's answered, "Mind waiting a bit? Off-peak starts in three minutes." Off-peak, however, need not be a concern to readers of this bravura thrillfest.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From AudioFile
Maybe it's the open Arizona sky that encourages people's improbable American dreams. Divorced Helen MacIsaac (Mackie) just wants to pay some bills foisted upon her by her no-good ex-husband. Little does she realize that putting her talent as a dancer to work in a border-town topless club will place her and her beautiful 17-year-old daughter in the way of Buck Samsonov, a mad Russian emigrant living an old West land baron's dream. Money fuels this Wild West show as reader Laural Merlington maneuvers the frenetic plot. She brings to life the dreamers who reach for the stars but most times come away with a handful of cactus thorns. R.O. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
Mackie dreaded the mail. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt
Mackie dreaded the mail. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Mildly amusing,
By A Customer
This review is from: Their Wildest Dreams (Hardcover)
Well, this is not Dostoevsky, no need to use your brains when you read this piece of work. Mildly amusing. Poorly developed charachters. The portrayal of Mr. Samsonov is way over the top,where did he dig up such a character? All in all, readable but mind numbing.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fast, Fun and Clever!,
By
This review is from: Their Wildest Dreams (Hardcover)
The pace of this book is much quicker than Mr. Abrahams' previous efforts. Additionally, he does a masterful job of injecting subtle, self-deprecating humor into the main character, Nick Loeb. I thought the author's utilization of Amazon.com's book review feature was particularly clever. The dialog is sharp and realistic, with many surprises along the steadily developing plot. I have read several of this author's previous books, enjoying The Fan and The Tutor. I found Revolution #9, The Perfect Crime and Lights Out to be a bit slow and tedious. This novel is definitely Mr. Abrahams' most entertaining effort to date.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Character rich increasingly fast paced novel,
By
This review is from: Their Wildest Dreams (Hardcover)
Several stories of varied characters converge in a literally explosive climax in this extraordinarily well written novel. On the Mexican US border outside of Tucson, lives Mackie Larkin, a divorced housewife who dreams of owning a dance studio but after a failed real estate deal, desperately needs money just to make ends meet. Her daughter, Lianne falls for an older man who works at the same ranch her father does. Nicholas Loeb is a mystery writer who travels to rural Arizona to get hands on experience in law enforcement. Buck Samsonov is a crime lord who runs a couple of strip joints in the region. All their paths converge in this very clever crime novel. The question is who will be on top in the end.After a slow start the plot becomes increasingly fast paced once we get to know each of the characters and their separate problems. Alternate chapters are used initially to reveal the individual characters. Part of the change in momentum occurs when the characters' lives converge making the separation by chapter no longer necessary. The characters, a major strength of the work, are all original creations. The conclusion is a bit problematic and unrealistic. However, this one is well written and very much worthy of a reader's time.
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