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Tricky Business
The Extravaganza of the Seas is a five-thousand-ton cash cow, a top-heavy tub whose sole function is to carry gamblers three miles from the Florida coast, take their money, then bring them back so they can find more money. In the middle of a tropical storm one night, these characters are among the passengers it carries: Fay Benton, a single mom and cocktail waitress desperate for something to go right for once; Johnny and the Contusions, a ship's band with so little talent they are . . . well, the ship's band; Arnold and Phil, two refugees from the Beaux Arts Senior Center; Lou Tarant, a wide, bald man who has killed nine people, though none recently; and an assortment of uglies whose job it is to facilitate the ship's true business, which is money-laundering or drug-smuggling or . . . something.
287 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 2002
200 people are currently reading
1690 people want to read
About the author
Dave Barry
152 books2,240 followersDave Barry is a humor writer. For 25 years he was a syndicated columnist whose work appeared in more than 500 newspapers in the United States and abroad. In 1988 he won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. Many people are still trying to figure out how this happened.
Dave has also written many books, virtually none of which contain useful information. Two of his books were used as the basis for the CBS TV sitcom "Dave's World," in which Harry Anderson played a much taller version of Dave.
Dave plays lead guitar in a literary rock band called the Rock Bottom Remainders, whose other members include Stephen King, Amy Tan, Ridley Pearson and Mitch Albom. They are not musically skilled, but they are extremely loud. Dave has also made many TV appearances, including one on the David Letterman show where he proved that it is possible to set fire to a pair of men's underpants with a Barbie doll.
In his spare time, Dave is a candidate for president of the United States. If elected, his highest priority will be to seek the death penalty for whoever is responsible for making Americans install low-flow toilets.
Dave lives in Miami, Florida, with his wife, Michelle, a sportswriter. He has a son, Rob, and a daughter, Sophie, neither of whom thinks he's funny.
Dave has also written many books, virtually none of which contain useful information. Two of his books were used as the basis for the CBS TV sitcom "Dave's World," in which Harry Anderson played a much taller version of Dave.
Dave plays lead guitar in a literary rock band called the Rock Bottom Remainders, whose other members include Stephen King, Amy Tan, Ridley Pearson and Mitch Albom. They are not musically skilled, but they are extremely loud. Dave has also made many TV appearances, including one on the David Letterman show where he proved that it is possible to set fire to a pair of men's underpants with a Barbie doll.
In his spare time, Dave is a candidate for president of the United States. If elected, his highest priority will be to seek the death penalty for whoever is responsible for making Americans install low-flow toilets.
Dave lives in Miami, Florida, with his wife, Michelle, a sportswriter. He has a son, Rob, and a daughter, Sophie, neither of whom thinks he's funny.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 397 reviews
June 7, 2024
Why I chose to read this book:
1. if I find any book by my favorite humorist, Dave Barry, I'm reading it; and,
2. June 2024 is my self-declared "Humor Month"!
Praises:
1. Barry's special brand of humor comes through this story, even in the Epilogue, Dedication, and Acknowledgements;
2. Barry showcases an interesting array of characters, but I especially got a hoot reading about the two senior citizens featured, Arnie and Phil, and their conversations and shenanigans; and,
3. I reveled in the simple, fast-paced action plot.
Niggles:
1. this story contained more intense violence than I expected from this author; and,
2. excessive discussions about vomiting and farting abound!
Overall Thoughts:
Right from the onset, Barry warns the reader of the "unsavory language" included throughout this book. But then again, bad guys don't talk pretty!
I did get some chuckles out of this story, but no out-and-out guffaws that most books by Barry produce from me.
Recommended for true-blue Dave Barry fans!
1. if I find any book by my favorite humorist, Dave Barry, I'm reading it; and,
2. June 2024 is my self-declared "Humor Month"!
Praises:
1. Barry's special brand of humor comes through this story, even in the Epilogue, Dedication, and Acknowledgements;
2. Barry showcases an interesting array of characters, but I especially got a hoot reading about the two senior citizens featured, Arnie and Phil, and their conversations and shenanigans; and,
3. I reveled in the simple, fast-paced action plot.
Niggles:
1. this story contained more intense violence than I expected from this author; and,
2. excessive discussions about vomiting and farting abound!
Overall Thoughts:
Right from the onset, Barry warns the reader of the "unsavory language" included throughout this book. But then again, bad guys don't talk pretty!
I did get some chuckles out of this story, but no out-and-out guffaws that most books by Barry produce from me.
Recommended for true-blue Dave Barry fans!
January 9, 2018
I have been a fan of Dave Barry since I first read his humorous columns. This is the first book that I have read by him. It is about a gambling cruise boat that picks up people in Florida and takes them beyond the 3 mile coastal limit where gambling is legal. But there is more than gambling going on, including drugs and money laundering. The people in this book are just what you would expect from Dave Barry-- misfits, criminals and some downright wacky. There are some laugh out lines in this book. Be prepared for belly laughs. I read it in 2 days.
I borrowed this book from a friend.
I borrowed this book from a friend.
November 24, 2022
Dumb and Dumber meets the Mafia in a story that fails miserably where humor is concerned. Having laughed out loud through ALL of "Insane City", reading this was drudgery. Underwhelming is the best description I can provide.
Here's the recipe: a sleazy business man buys a Miami casino ship that's a front for organized crime; add an equally stupid cover band called Johnny and the Contusions and a crew of miscreants who plan to rip off drug money, its about as predictable as they come. I chuckled a couple of times and had to do everything I could to stop yawning.
This is one of Dave's earlier books so its obvious his humor has evolved. Regardless this will be the last book written by him I'll bother with. And no, I don't recommend it...obviously :)
Here's the recipe: a sleazy business man buys a Miami casino ship that's a front for organized crime; add an equally stupid cover band called Johnny and the Contusions and a crew of miscreants who plan to rip off drug money, its about as predictable as they come. I chuckled a couple of times and had to do everything I could to stop yawning.
This is one of Dave's earlier books so its obvious his humor has evolved. Regardless this will be the last book written by him I'll bother with. And no, I don't recommend it...obviously :)
June 4, 2023
Dave Barry’s 2002 novel “Tricky Business” is Carl Hiaasen as directed by Mel Brooks. How and why this was never made into a movie is beyond me. It has summer blockbuster comedy written all over it.
I decided to cast this movie-that-was-never-made, so bear with me. (Also keep in mind that this movie would have been made about 20 years ago, so the actors I cast would all be 20 years younger.)
The story is set on a Florida gambling casino boat called the Extravaganza of the Sea, owned by a sleazy Florida businessman, Bobby Kemp (played by Bob Odenkirk). Despite the fact that a tropical storm is soon to make landfall and all forecasts are calling for hurricane-like conditions, the boat is going out. What nobody on board knows is that the boat is a mafia front for a Florida mob boss named Lou Tarant (played by Al Pacino), a walking Italian stereotype who loves golf, blow jobs, and bilking Floridians out of hard-earned money (not necessarily in that order).
Wally (Adam Sandler) is the lead singer of the boat’s house-band, Johnny and the Contusions, comprised of Johnny (Paul Rudd), Ted (Seth Rogan), and Jaque (Brendan Fraser). What they lack in talent, they make up for in stupidity. Wally—-who, in his 30s and still living with his mom (Rhea Perlman), is having a mid-life crisis—-is secretly in love with Fay, the new cocktail waitress (played by Jennifer Aniston).
Eddie, the captain of the boat (Harrison Ford) is a recovering alcoholic and womanizer who wants to turn his life around for his wife, Luz, and their newborn son.
Arnie (Mel Brooks) and Phil (Carl Reiner) snuck out of the assisted living center where they live to play the slot machines and drink mixed drinks.
Frank (Samuel L. Jackson) is the leader of the crew of dope-smugglers who are supposed to make the drop alongside the Extravaganza, resulting in a huge pay-out for everyone. Tark (Danny McBride), a white supremacist who hates Frank, has plans of his own.
Craziness (and a lot of gunfire) ensues, and everybody’s lives aboard the Extravaganza will intertwine in madcap, slapstick ways.
Seriously, this book is great. It’s action-packed, hilarious, and there’s even a few tear-jerker scenes. It’s Dave Barry at the top of his game. It’s also another reminder of why I detest Florida.
I decided to cast this movie-that-was-never-made, so bear with me. (Also keep in mind that this movie would have been made about 20 years ago, so the actors I cast would all be 20 years younger.)
The story is set on a Florida gambling casino boat called the Extravaganza of the Sea, owned by a sleazy Florida businessman, Bobby Kemp (played by Bob Odenkirk). Despite the fact that a tropical storm is soon to make landfall and all forecasts are calling for hurricane-like conditions, the boat is going out. What nobody on board knows is that the boat is a mafia front for a Florida mob boss named Lou Tarant (played by Al Pacino), a walking Italian stereotype who loves golf, blow jobs, and bilking Floridians out of hard-earned money (not necessarily in that order).
Wally (Adam Sandler) is the lead singer of the boat’s house-band, Johnny and the Contusions, comprised of Johnny (Paul Rudd), Ted (Seth Rogan), and Jaque (Brendan Fraser). What they lack in talent, they make up for in stupidity. Wally—-who, in his 30s and still living with his mom (Rhea Perlman), is having a mid-life crisis—-is secretly in love with Fay, the new cocktail waitress (played by Jennifer Aniston).
Eddie, the captain of the boat (Harrison Ford) is a recovering alcoholic and womanizer who wants to turn his life around for his wife, Luz, and their newborn son.
Arnie (Mel Brooks) and Phil (Carl Reiner) snuck out of the assisted living center where they live to play the slot machines and drink mixed drinks.
Frank (Samuel L. Jackson) is the leader of the crew of dope-smugglers who are supposed to make the drop alongside the Extravaganza, resulting in a huge pay-out for everyone. Tark (Danny McBride), a white supremacist who hates Frank, has plans of his own.
Craziness (and a lot of gunfire) ensues, and everybody’s lives aboard the Extravaganza will intertwine in madcap, slapstick ways.
Seriously, this book is great. It’s action-packed, hilarious, and there’s even a few tear-jerker scenes. It’s Dave Barry at the top of his game. It’s also another reminder of why I detest Florida.
April 7, 2022
It was a dark and stormy night!
(Not a cliche - it really was).
Take a cruise ship,
Turn it into a floating casino,
Sail it into international water where gambling is legal,
Pilot it with a barely qualified captain,
Use the gambling for money laundering and/or drug smuggling,
Have a non talented band for entertainment,
Employ a chef who recycles the buffet continuously,
Take two senior citizens from the Old Farts Senile Dying Center,
Add gangsters that don't like other gangsters,
A solo mother who is a cocktail waitress and undercover coast guard,
All reported by the NewsPlex Nine TV channel,
Throw in Tropical Storm Hector!
And there you have another crazy Dave Barry story.
Enjoy!
(Not a cliche - it really was).
Take a cruise ship,
Turn it into a floating casino,
Sail it into international water where gambling is legal,
Pilot it with a barely qualified captain,
Use the gambling for money laundering and/or drug smuggling,
Have a non talented band for entertainment,
Employ a chef who recycles the buffet continuously,
Take two senior citizens from the Old Farts Senile Dying Center,
Add gangsters that don't like other gangsters,
A solo mother who is a cocktail waitress and undercover coast guard,
All reported by the NewsPlex Nine TV channel,
Throw in Tropical Storm Hector!
And there you have another crazy Dave Barry story.
Enjoy!
June 8, 2015
Some laugh out loud humor with a decent plot and ending. 8 of 10 stars
January 3, 2009
It’s warped. It pokes outrageous fun at the stupidity in all of us—especially the ‘us’ who live in Florida (not me—those other people), and it uses adult language like I hear it used in the street all the time. It also has all the good stuff we like in a novel: murder, sex, drugs, violence, hijacking, corrupt government officials, inept authorities, and my favorite subject these days, senior citizens on a casino boat. Isn’t that everyone’s favorite subject?
The litany bizarre characters is long and stereotypes galore—all doing amazingly inept things. There is a running gag involving news reporters and a hurricane. It is actually laugh out loud funny. I rarely laugh out loud, period—so that is saying a lot. I am one of those cerebral kind of guys who can sit in a movie and internalize everything that is supposed to be funny without ever laughing. This book pulled it out of me. The murder plot was so convoluted, I didn’t care who did what to whom. Everyone was so busy getting everything wrong and doing it in a spectacular way, I thought I was reading my autobiography (except for the senior citizens on a casino boat stuff).
This is wit and satire at its best. Dave may have justly won the Pulitzer for his endless columns but the novel cranks him up to manic speed in a way he can’t let fly in his short prose. Atta boy Dave. It’s lunacy at its finest, and a damn good time. Although, when I reach social security age I will not allow myself on a casino boat.
The litany bizarre characters is long and stereotypes galore—all doing amazingly inept things. There is a running gag involving news reporters and a hurricane. It is actually laugh out loud funny. I rarely laugh out loud, period—so that is saying a lot. I am one of those cerebral kind of guys who can sit in a movie and internalize everything that is supposed to be funny without ever laughing. This book pulled it out of me. The murder plot was so convoluted, I didn’t care who did what to whom. Everyone was so busy getting everything wrong and doing it in a spectacular way, I thought I was reading my autobiography (except for the senior citizens on a casino boat stuff).
This is wit and satire at its best. Dave may have justly won the Pulitzer for his endless columns but the novel cranks him up to manic speed in a way he can’t let fly in his short prose. Atta boy Dave. It’s lunacy at its finest, and a damn good time. Although, when I reach social security age I will not allow myself on a casino boat.
July 23, 2015
I love Dave Barry, both as a hillarious columnist and as a fiction writer. This book starts out very funny, formulaic but funny. Ok, it is a familair formula (similar to another Florida humorist Carl Hiassen, whom I also follow and enjoy): bad rich developers, bad drug dealers, washed out pothead band, "heart of gold" poor waitresses and immigrants - so far so good. A pair of octogenarians and a few local newscasters - just hilarious. (The reader of audiobook - marvelous - with great NY accents for the folks in the retirement home).
So why only 3 stars? I so did not expect scenes of horrible violence, graphic and drawn out. The person who had to swallow his own blood to avoid suffocation! Uggh! TMI! Too many gory details!
Now, I do not mind a few fart jokes, or a bunch of corpses, all cleanly and quickly shot by guns. But detailed torture - no, thank you!
So take your pick: humor or violence.
So why only 3 stars? I so did not expect scenes of horrible violence, graphic and drawn out. The person who had to swallow his own blood to avoid suffocation! Uggh! TMI! Too many gory details!
Now, I do not mind a few fart jokes, or a bunch of corpses, all cleanly and quickly shot by guns. But detailed torture - no, thank you!
So take your pick: humor or violence.
July 1, 2020
ReedIII Quick Review: This book pokes fun at a wacky collection of characters. It is sweet, outrageous adult humor full of wit and satire. The crazy comical individual stories intertwine beautifully.
July 29, 2014
I don't know why this scores less than Big Trouble, because Tricky Business is definitely funnier than the latter. Not only that, it's smarter and more imaginative. Unfortunately, the surprise factor of Big Trouble had worn off. Still, the gags are hilarious and if you tell them to your friends, you'll get laugh out loud laughs. Just like Big Trouble, this book is funniest in the first few chapters, after which the plot thickens and the jokes dry up. For such a good book there's quite a few pages dedicated to flatulence and barfing jokes. If you can get past that, then definitely pick up this book to read.
April 6, 2011
Dave Barry's humorous suspense tale about a diverse group who come together on a gambling cruise during a tropical storm. Wacky characters and silly plot twist make this good entertainment.
October 13, 2024
This short story by Dave Berry has it all.
Adventure, shootouts on the high seas, and high-stakes drug dealings.
The story begins with a few men in a retirement home who like to break out and go on a gambling cruise beyond the three-mile mark. While out the booze flows freely, almost, and the stakes average.
Add to this a large storm brewing out over the ocean and you have the makings of a tale to be told for years. Or until another story takes our attention away.
Some characters on board may keep you laughing at some and some will pull for them to make it out alive and find their true calling.
Overall, it is another fine story for one of Florida's storytellers.
Adventure, shootouts on the high seas, and high-stakes drug dealings.
The story begins with a few men in a retirement home who like to break out and go on a gambling cruise beyond the three-mile mark. While out the booze flows freely, almost, and the stakes average.
Add to this a large storm brewing out over the ocean and you have the makings of a tale to be told for years. Or until another story takes our attention away.
Some characters on board may keep you laughing at some and some will pull for them to make it out alive and find their true calling.
Overall, it is another fine story for one of Florida's storytellers.
September 4, 2017
So I've read a bit of Dave Barry's nonfiction work, but not a whole lot. However, this book was kind of a let down. The plot centers around a casino boat that's a front for a drug operation, and how a routine deal is complicated by, among other things, a tropical storm. The cast of characters include the various criminals involved, a pair of retired men, a cocktail waitress, and the ship's band. Nothing about the characters or the criminals are particularly original or clever, and the same can be said of the plot.
Of course, the book is meant to be a skewer of crime novels, but it ends up more like a bad parody. The humor relies on fart, puke and boob jokes, as well as little in-jokes people who aren't Floridians would get. There's also a running gag with a local news station that gets old pretty quick.
I kind of wondered if Barry wrote the book hoping for a movie option, since it plays out more like a "Hangover" type of low-brow comedy, particularly towards the end, where points of view switch almost every 3 sentences, and is told from just about everyone on board, instead of being limited to the main cast.
There is one plot twist I didn't see coming, and it's revealed pretty well, but then it goes back to silliness. The book isn't terrible, but definitely not one to be cherished and re-read.
Of course, the book is meant to be a skewer of crime novels, but it ends up more like a bad parody. The humor relies on fart, puke and boob jokes, as well as little in-jokes people who aren't Floridians would get. There's also a running gag with a local news station that gets old pretty quick.
I kind of wondered if Barry wrote the book hoping for a movie option, since it plays out more like a "Hangover" type of low-brow comedy, particularly towards the end, where points of view switch almost every 3 sentences, and is told from just about everyone on board, instead of being limited to the main cast.
There is one plot twist I didn't see coming, and it's revealed pretty well, but then it goes back to silliness. The book isn't terrible, but definitely not one to be cherished and re-read.
June 26, 2008
As should be apparent from my book list, I am a great fan of Barry's writing. I am not, however, a fan of this book.
I think this was a bit of a stumble in his follow-up to his first work of fiction, Big Trouble.
First, the good. Barry has a knack for creating entertaining characters and for writing individual scenes of great comedy. The book has a running joke of the news coverage of a hurricane in South Florida which is hilarious and spot-on.
Now the bad. The book as a whole is just not very good. The premise has elements of the zaniness that made Big Trouble entertaining, but seems more forced than the first book. Also, Barry dips a little deeper into writing what I would term "adult themes and language," in this book. I am someone who enjoys his brand of (often adolescent) humor, but felt these elements were unnecessary to the story and detracted from my reading experience.
Despite the negative review, though, I do look forward to reading his next attempt.
I think this was a bit of a stumble in his follow-up to his first work of fiction, Big Trouble.
First, the good. Barry has a knack for creating entertaining characters and for writing individual scenes of great comedy. The book has a running joke of the news coverage of a hurricane in South Florida which is hilarious and spot-on.
Now the bad. The book as a whole is just not very good. The premise has elements of the zaniness that made Big Trouble entertaining, but seems more forced than the first book. Also, Barry dips a little deeper into writing what I would term "adult themes and language," in this book. I am someone who enjoys his brand of (often adolescent) humor, but felt these elements were unnecessary to the story and detracted from my reading experience.
Despite the negative review, though, I do look forward to reading his next attempt.
July 6, 2017
I read this after seeing it pop up on a "you might like" list and recognizing Barry from the "Peter and the Starcatchers" series.
Now, reviewing the reviews more thoroughly, looks like I should've picked a different Barry novel to start with. This did make me laugh out loud at times, and it was a quick read, and fine. However it wasn't brilliant and witty like Peter & the Starcatchers, and I felt like it was written primarily for guys who'd like to fantasize about being crime bosses but also relate to the underdog (although there's a badass woman heroine snuck in). I didn't mind the violence or language, Barry was really (and cleverly) clear about that at the beginning of the book and besides, it's kind of part of the show in this particular novel.
Anyway, if you need a good beach book and you like crime novels, ensemble books, or bumbling and slightly unlikeable underdogs check it out. If you're ready to curl up and be lost in a meaningful story, skip it.
Now, reviewing the reviews more thoroughly, looks like I should've picked a different Barry novel to start with. This did make me laugh out loud at times, and it was a quick read, and fine. However it wasn't brilliant and witty like Peter & the Starcatchers, and I felt like it was written primarily for guys who'd like to fantasize about being crime bosses but also relate to the underdog (although there's a badass woman heroine snuck in). I didn't mind the violence or language, Barry was really (and cleverly) clear about that at the beginning of the book and besides, it's kind of part of the show in this particular novel.
Anyway, if you need a good beach book and you like crime novels, ensemble books, or bumbling and slightly unlikeable underdogs check it out. If you're ready to curl up and be lost in a meaningful story, skip it.
September 12, 2015
I was very disappointed by this, after reading 2 Dave Barry novels that were clever, intriguing, and full of fun.
In this one, Barry seems to substitute violence, including fairly graphic scenes of torture, for humor.
I do not find this a winning strategy.
The excessive violence- Ok, mostly toward the Bad Guys- and especially the torture really turned me off. I was not expecting grimdark here.
The plot is OK. The senior citizens who save the day are great. The use of farting as a plot device was... interesting. All endedd well except for the Bad Guys, who met gruesome fates.
Parts of the plot were silly, and without the violence might have made a much more fun novel.
I really do not recommend this one. Barry has written some fabulous southern Florida funny crime novels- read them instead.
In this one, Barry seems to substitute violence, including fairly graphic scenes of torture, for humor.
I do not find this a winning strategy.
The excessive violence- Ok, mostly toward the Bad Guys- and especially the torture really turned me off. I was not expecting grimdark here.
The plot is OK. The senior citizens who save the day are great. The use of farting as a plot device was... interesting. All endedd well except for the Bad Guys, who met gruesome fates.
Parts of the plot were silly, and without the violence might have made a much more fun novel.
I really do not recommend this one. Barry has written some fabulous southern Florida funny crime novels- read them instead.
November 29, 2022
A corrupt rich guy buys a gambling ship. Bad idea, as it's run by the mob, which soon takes over the guy's entire life. He is trying to get out from under. Meanwhile, a guy is playing on the ship's band, trying to grow up, but not having much luck. A couple of senior citizens sneak out of the old age home to have a good time on the gambling ship. And a single mother/cocktail waitress wants out of the grind. The Captain needs the work, but is not happy being in charge of a mob boat.
They're all hoping the sip doesn't set sail during a big storm, but it does, because it's true business isn't gambling.
It's a humorous soap opera, but not enough pratfalls to make it into a movie.
They're all hoping the sip doesn't set sail during a big storm, but it does, because it's true business isn't gambling.
It's a humorous soap opera, but not enough pratfalls to make it into a movie.
April 13, 2022
Now THIS is a comedy novel. How do I know? There was a scene where 5 men were simultaneously vomiting, and the smell of each other's vomit perpetuated the vomit cycle. There was also a female character known primarily for the smell of her farts. The plot itself was decent, but overall it felt like the book version of a very forgettable big screen comedy.
September 3, 2020
Funny crime novel set on a Miami casino boat. It takes about 70 pages for the story to get interesting, but then it becomes action-packed with plenty of humorous scenes.
December 17, 2024
I was raised on a steady diet of Dave Barry columns and read most of his non-fiction writing. Towards the end of his career, he evidently wanted to try something different and produced a number of novels. This is the second of those novels I have read, after Big Trouble.
The vibe, as with Big Trouble, is a bouncy and lighthearted crime story, set in Florida, heavily flavored with the type of humor that readers of Barry's column will know well, and featuring characters who are about as thin as the pages the novel is printed on. In this case, the plot revolves around a planned exchange of drugs and money that is supposed to occur on a two-bit casino ship operating off the coast, which goes forward in spite of calamitously bad weather. Our characters include those who are supposed to make the drop/exchange, those who happen to be on the casino ship either as passengers or those who work on it, and the band hired for entertainment.
Many reviewers cite Carl Hiaasen as a point of comparison, and I would add Elmore Leonard as well, though I don't think Barry's books can match either author. Barry's humor is so forcefully inserted into the story, I guess because longtime readers of Barry will expect these books to be funny in his trademark style, that it tends to distract from the overall mood. It's just too in-your-face. There is an entire character whose main trait is that she has flatulence. A lot.
And that's how it is for most of the characters in the book. They get more or less one note to play. The smart ass senior citizen; the boat captain wants to protect his kid; the nice but loser-ish band member; the band member who has sex a lot; the waitress with a heart of gold; the greedy ship owner. I don't exactly expect richly drawn characters from this kind of book, since that's not what it's about really. But the plot is also pretty simple, and is just a mechanism to put the characters in humorous situations, and violent situations that are played for humor.
I remember Barry once writing about how all tourist guidebooks describe cities as "teeming." In the same way, all reviews of this book are required to describe it as "breezy." It does generate a very easy-going feel. You could read it in a couple of days no problem, chuckling a little here and there, and then grabbing a nap in your hammock. It's a very adequate time-filler. If it's on the bookshelf at your rental cottage, you could do a lot worse. But that's about the best I can muster to say. It hits a certain level of competence and levels off, adding up to a little less than the sum of its parts.
The vibe, as with Big Trouble, is a bouncy and lighthearted crime story, set in Florida, heavily flavored with the type of humor that readers of Barry's column will know well, and featuring characters who are about as thin as the pages the novel is printed on. In this case, the plot revolves around a planned exchange of drugs and money that is supposed to occur on a two-bit casino ship operating off the coast, which goes forward in spite of calamitously bad weather. Our characters include those who are supposed to make the drop/exchange, those who happen to be on the casino ship either as passengers or those who work on it, and the band hired for entertainment.
Many reviewers cite Carl Hiaasen as a point of comparison, and I would add Elmore Leonard as well, though I don't think Barry's books can match either author. Barry's humor is so forcefully inserted into the story, I guess because longtime readers of Barry will expect these books to be funny in his trademark style, that it tends to distract from the overall mood. It's just too in-your-face. There is an entire character whose main trait is that she has flatulence. A lot.
And that's how it is for most of the characters in the book. They get more or less one note to play. The smart ass senior citizen; the boat captain wants to protect his kid; the nice but loser-ish band member; the band member who has sex a lot; the waitress with a heart of gold; the greedy ship owner. I don't exactly expect richly drawn characters from this kind of book, since that's not what it's about really. But the plot is also pretty simple, and is just a mechanism to put the characters in humorous situations, and violent situations that are played for humor.
I remember Barry once writing about how all tourist guidebooks describe cities as "teeming." In the same way, all reviews of this book are required to describe it as "breezy." It does generate a very easy-going feel. You could read it in a couple of days no problem, chuckling a little here and there, and then grabbing a nap in your hammock. It's a very adequate time-filler. If it's on the bookshelf at your rental cottage, you could do a lot worse. But that's about the best I can muster to say. It hits a certain level of competence and levels off, adding up to a little less than the sum of its parts.
January 17, 2019
This book is hilarious.
October 16, 2019
Lots of suspension of disbelief. Also a few laugh out loud places.
July 4, 2021
Not as side-splitting as Insane City but still good for many good laughs.
July 15, 2024
I wanted to love this, as I usually love all things by Dave Barry, but this one was a little too on the "incredibly gory and graphic" side for me.
December 1, 2025
Although some of the characters were entertaining;Barry's brand of juvenile humor failed miserably. Murder, mutilation and mayhem do not belong in a humorous novel. The ending had its good points but the marriage between a stoner guitar player and an undercover detective is highly unlikely. Barry is immature. Risky Business might appeal to a high school drop out.
January 14, 2025
Laugh out loud funny.
February 21, 2021
This was my first Dave Barry book, and it will be my last. I was promised funny. I was promised belly laughs. I got none. In fact, I decided to force myself to finish this book, and when it was over, I threw it on the floor. 200 pages of absolutely nothing, then 70 pages of what could be considered action. Not one ounce of true laughter. A few smiles of amusement over the two older gentlemen characters, but more than anything I found myself scowling, flipping ahead to see how many frigging pages were left in the chapter I was reading. So much of this book had me asking "why is this necessary to discuss for 8 pages?" And some of the scenes were just STUPID. Not to mention the one particular description of torturing a man which was downright disgusting and had no significance to the plot. I am pissed I forced myself to finish this book, and wish I had stopped after page 50, like I had originally considered. One star. Not even. Holy crap.
April 27, 2013
I'm not normally a fan of violence in movies or books, but this was really funny and clever. What happens to the Newsplex-9 team is about as close to slapstick as you can get in a book. It's my first Dave Barry book, but it won't be the last!
June 30, 2015
Typical Barry
Reasonably enjoyable due to Barry's humor. The humor does become repetitious after a while and there is one scene which is unnecessarily violent and gory that doesn't fit the rest of the book.
Reasonably enjoyable due to Barry's humor. The humor does become repetitious after a while and there is one scene which is unnecessarily violent and gory that doesn't fit the rest of the book.
January 25, 2024
This book by Dave Berry was loaded with humor. There were several times when I laughed out loud at the Antics in the ridiculous situations.
It starts out taking place in a senior nursing home that is your fairly basic nursing home. This part reminded me of my dad and my older brother, so it's kind of sad, but the author makes humor out of it anyway. These two old farts who are pretty good friends like to go out at night and gamble on a gambling boat that goes out past the 3 Mile international line in florida. They bribe one of the workers to drive them there in the business's van by giving him their pills. They found out they think better and feel better if they don't take them anyway.
This gambling boat is a drug operation that takes in Coke from dealers based out of the Bahamas.
I liked this one scene where it's explained how the owner of the boat, Bobby Kemp, worked his way up to owning a gambling boat.
Bobby Kemp was a rag to riches story. He got his first big break when he found out how much he could make by "replacing" airbags that had been deployed.
".. a new bag from the factory could cost $1,000 or more. But Bobby Kemp had realized that he did not need to pay the factory: he could get air bags for free! All he had to do was remove them from unattended cars. This enabled him to sell them to customers for as little as $500, and still make an excellent profit. In short order, Kemp was The Unofficial airbag king of Miami-Dade county.
Demand was so great for his bargain airbags that he could no longer steal them fast enough. And so, again using his entrepreneurial brain, he came with up with the idea of replacing deployed airbags with... pretend airbags. He simply repacked the customer's old airbag canister with whatever random trash he had around the shop - wadded up newspaper, McDonald's bags, whatever- sealed the canister back up, and reinstalled it in the car, as good as new, except that it no longer contained an actual airbag.
Business continued to boom, and soon Kemp was employing a staff of illegal immigrants, paying sub minimum wage, to do the actual work. Occasionally this led to Quality Control problems, most notably when one of his workers, having run out of trash, repacked the driver's side airbag canister on a Lexus LS-400 with dirt. This particular batch of dirt happened to contain some kind of prolific egg-laying insect, and a week later, while the car's owner was inching home in heavy Rush Hour traffic, her steering wheel suddenly popped open and dumped a massive amount of wriggling larvae into her lap, causing her to leap, screaming, from the car, in the middle of South Dixie highway."
Bobby Kemp goes on to start a restaurant selling conch fritters, without the Conch in them.
business takes off on this fried bread batter business and he buys more restaurants. With money piling up he looks for another business to go into, and he finds a gambling boat for sale by the owner. He soon finds out why the owner wanted to sell the boat, and for such a good price; he was in up to his eyeballs in the drug business.
Our two old-age pensioners are involved in the Fiasco that takes place on this boat one night, and they are briefly famous for their role in bringing the boat back on their own, after the captain was shot by one of the thugs.
This is a great book, recommended to me by my little bro. Thanks Kevin!
It starts out taking place in a senior nursing home that is your fairly basic nursing home. This part reminded me of my dad and my older brother, so it's kind of sad, but the author makes humor out of it anyway. These two old farts who are pretty good friends like to go out at night and gamble on a gambling boat that goes out past the 3 Mile international line in florida. They bribe one of the workers to drive them there in the business's van by giving him their pills. They found out they think better and feel better if they don't take them anyway.
This gambling boat is a drug operation that takes in Coke from dealers based out of the Bahamas.
I liked this one scene where it's explained how the owner of the boat, Bobby Kemp, worked his way up to owning a gambling boat.
Bobby Kemp was a rag to riches story. He got his first big break when he found out how much he could make by "replacing" airbags that had been deployed.
".. a new bag from the factory could cost $1,000 or more. But Bobby Kemp had realized that he did not need to pay the factory: he could get air bags for free! All he had to do was remove them from unattended cars. This enabled him to sell them to customers for as little as $500, and still make an excellent profit. In short order, Kemp was The Unofficial airbag king of Miami-Dade county.
Demand was so great for his bargain airbags that he could no longer steal them fast enough. And so, again using his entrepreneurial brain, he came with up with the idea of replacing deployed airbags with... pretend airbags. He simply repacked the customer's old airbag canister with whatever random trash he had around the shop - wadded up newspaper, McDonald's bags, whatever- sealed the canister back up, and reinstalled it in the car, as good as new, except that it no longer contained an actual airbag.
Business continued to boom, and soon Kemp was employing a staff of illegal immigrants, paying sub minimum wage, to do the actual work. Occasionally this led to Quality Control problems, most notably when one of his workers, having run out of trash, repacked the driver's side airbag canister on a Lexus LS-400 with dirt. This particular batch of dirt happened to contain some kind of prolific egg-laying insect, and a week later, while the car's owner was inching home in heavy Rush Hour traffic, her steering wheel suddenly popped open and dumped a massive amount of wriggling larvae into her lap, causing her to leap, screaming, from the car, in the middle of South Dixie highway."
Bobby Kemp goes on to start a restaurant selling conch fritters, without the Conch in them.
business takes off on this fried bread batter business and he buys more restaurants. With money piling up he looks for another business to go into, and he finds a gambling boat for sale by the owner. He soon finds out why the owner wanted to sell the boat, and for such a good price; he was in up to his eyeballs in the drug business.
Our two old-age pensioners are involved in the Fiasco that takes place on this boat one night, and they are briefly famous for their role in bringing the boat back on their own, after the captain was shot by one of the thugs.
This is a great book, recommended to me by my little bro. Thanks Kevin!
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