Big Doin's At The Chinese Baptist Church [Paperback]

Perry Bradford-Wilson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1998

The first "Tales" book, Big Doin's At The Chinese Baptist Church is a humor novel that has been compared to the work of Garrison Keillor, Tom Bodett, Jean Shepherd and Patrick McManus. It contains three interrelated stories about Huckleberry Puhzz, all-American;

The first story is Big Doin's At The Chinese Baptist Church, in which we are introduced to Huck, his brother Bubba, and follow events as certain individuals attempt the daring theft of a neighboring community's statue of a doomed President. In the second story, The Return Of The Teapot Dome, Huck runs for mayor of McKinleyville, the town's black widow (and current mayor) stalks new prey, and the use of frying pans in disciplining children is strictly discouraged.  And in the third, The Marriage Proposal, Huck receives love letters from Hollywood and the whereabouts of the town's most notorious vandal (and Huck's former best friend) Hunsey Bourcarte are finally revealed. This is a book that will keep you laughing from the first page until the last!

A companion volume, Tales of Placerville: Booksellers to the Savage West, was published in October, 2011.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

The second book in this series, Tales of Placerville: Booksellers to the Savage West, was published in October, 2011.  It gives us a new perspective on the Puhzz family, and a new appreciation of the California gold rush!

From the Inside Flap

Big Doin's At The Chinese Baptist Church

"Wheel of Fortune, please tell me what to do," Huck said, and then he gave the massive disc a mad yank, letting his fate spin with the Wheel.  The flippers snapped on the pegs that bordered the Wheel's edge and then the click-click-click-click-clicks slowly diminished and it lost speed.  Huck watched the space below the big red arrow with anticipation.  With a soft bounce (that almost snapped the Wheel over to "Double Bonus Round") it settled on a space.  Huck read the result aloud to Whizzer.

"Lose Your Turn."

Although Huck had never been "fast on his feet," he figured you couldn't very well argue with the Wheel Of Fortune.  The jig was up.  The coppers had caught up with him.  And Vanna had spoken.  Oh, he wasn't just going to give himself up and do hard time in the joint.  No, he was going to negotiate.  He had seen it a hundred times on Law & Order and Court TV.  The accused gave up something, like a hostage, and then the D.A. gave him time off for good behavior or something like that.  Huck figured a little horse trading might lower the heat.

"Take the emu!" he cried out, still ducking behind the trailer door.

The Return of the Teapot Dome

Huck pulled his truck up in front of the Pump'n Munch and he left it sitting crookedly across two parking spaces.  He knew that the dark-colored-Chrysler, filled with hit men employed by his arch-nemesis Mayor Victoria Fletcher, would be arriving momentarily.  He cursed the moment he had been inspired to run for mayor.  He should have known this would be the outcome!  Politics was the domain of ruthless people, killers, lawyers, and real estate agents.  Small potatoes like him, an average Joe millworker on disability, were between-meal-snacks for these Machiavellian monsters.

The Marriage Proposal

"Life is a horizontal fall," Cherry said.

Hunsey laughed and spelled it out.  "That's good.  Did you think of that?"

"No.  Jean Cocteau said it."

"Jacques Cousteau?" he called out to Cherry from the top of the ladder.  "The old fish guy?"

"Never mind," she said.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 234 pages
• Publisher: Storyteller Press; First Edition Stated edition (December 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880053020
• ISBN-13: 978-1880053027
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,380,090 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Perry Bradford-Wilson lives in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Northern California with his wife Mary and daughter Alex. He spends most of his time writing. A former publisher of and columnist for "Comic Relief Magazine," Perry now concentrates on short stories and novels.

"Tales of McKinleyville: Big Doin's At The Chinese Baptist Church" is the first in a series of humor novels about small California towns.

"Tales of Placerville: Booksellers To The Savage West", the second book in the series, was published in October, 2011.

"Midnight in Never Land," co-written with Michael Norris, is a historical dark fantasy taking place aboard a 19th century Royal Navy vessel during the Napoleonic Wars. Chasing Napoleon's Admiral Villeneuve to the Caribbean, the Captain discovers a strange island where immortal beings come out to play... and feed... only at night. Equal parts historical epic, fantasy, horror, and literary pastiche, its a fun ride.

"Everyday P.O.W." is a non-fiction memoir by a World War II P.O.W., including his Stalag Luft 1 Journal, written while he was a prisoner there, edited by Perry.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Laughing from the first chapter, July 20, 2010

By 

Sandflight kitty cat (CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Big Doin's At The Chinese Baptist Church (Paperback)

On the very first page of "Big Doin's At The Chinese Baptist Church" the main character's brother gets a promotion at the gas station/food mart where he works. That in itself isn't funny, but the name of the place, The Pump 'N' Munch, was. Before I could assume that all of the humor was of equal calibre (funny, but a bit silly) there were very witty plays on small town politics, family dynamics, and even ancient Roman dictators. The rivalry between McKinleyville and its neighboring town of Centerton over a century-old statue of President William McKinley (the statue is in Centerton, not McKinleyville) leads to one of the craziest heist stories you'll ever read. Reminded me a lot of the old Lake Wobegon stories (when they were good).

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you're in the mood to laugh, sit down and enjoy this book, July 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Big Doin's At The Chinese Baptist Church (Paperback)

Here is a great comic novel about a small town and its weird characters. While keeping you laughing all the way, Wilson paints a colorful picture of Mckinleyville, an area of California seldom written about. We're looking forward to continuing adventers of Huck and Bubba.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Laughed all the way through. Am looking forward to more !!, May 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Big Doin's At The Chinese Baptist Church (Paperback)

This story addresses a segment of our population that is largely ignored in fiction. It is addressed with great hunmor and wisdom. You will be looking forward to greater adventures with Huck and Bubba when you finish "Big Doin's".