Clearing Customs [Paperback]

Martha Egan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2009

In 1988, long before the Patriot Act made outrageous invasions of Americans' privacy an everyday occurrence, Albuquerque importer Beverly Parmentier finds herself under surveillance. Is her Latin American folk art import business, a one-person foreign aid program, truly suspicious? Or does this feisty female provide a handy excuse for arrogant customs agents to have some federally-funded fun at taxpayer expense? Clearing Customs is a fast-paced, wild ride across borders, with Beverly and her pals creatively confounding the twisted agendas of thugs in high places.

". . . anybody who loves [Carl] Hiaasen will have a ball reading Egan's fast-paced, chile-flavored, and always entertaining mystery."--Bob Shacochis, author of Easy in the Islands and The Next New World

Editorial Reviews

Review

"... a witty, smart and provocative take on the itrusion of the federal government into the lives of private citizens." -- Georgia Jones-Davis, The Santa Fe New Mexican, January 30, 2005

"Clearing Customs" makes one wonder what ... Egan would have written in the post 9-11 era of the Bush administration." -- Fred Bonavita, The San Antonio Express-News, February 6, 2005

"Egan’s tale is so believable that it’s almost not funny (emphasis on the almost)." -- Richard Harris, Southwest Book Views, Winter 2005

"If revenge is a dish best eaten cold, Martha Egan has (written)... a vengeful Popsicle of a book." -- Patricia Miller, The Durango Herald, January 14, 2005

"descriptive passages maintain a strong, articulate Southwestern flavor throughout a harrowing encounter with Big Brother." -- Adam McLean, The Santa Fe Reporter, January 19- 25, 2005 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From the Publisher

Beverly’s ordeal is alternately sinister and hilarious, illustrative of the abuse of power and the power of friendship. Clearing Customs is a wild ride across borders, with Beverly and her pals confounding the twisted agendas of thugs in high places. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 394 pages
• Publisher: Papolote Press (July 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0975588117
• ISBN-13: 978-0975588116
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 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: #2,060,976 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Clearing Customs, March 5, 2005

By 

Barbara V. Rockwell - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Clearing Customs (Paperback)

From the mango sunsets of Puerto Escondido, Mexico,to the sex-soaked sands of Colorado's Yampa River, folk art purveyor Beverly Parmentier is pursued by shady cops from US Customs intent on framing her as a smuggler. Beverly is innocent of any wrong-doing but is nonetheless ruthlessly hounded, her phone tapped, her home ransacked, every corner of her life invaded. This is the tale of what can happen to any citizen caught up in the machinations of an overfunded and overzealous federal agency gone haywire. In the end, Beverly and her river rat posse enjoy a splendid revenge. Is this story based on actual events? Beverly admits to her pals as they soak in a steaming hot springs that sometimes "the easiest way to tell a difficult true story is through fiction." This book will resonate with anyone who's had the end of an idyllic vacation soured by an encounter with a surly and hostile customs agent. Imagine they followed you home....

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Beverly War, March 28, 2005

By 

Elizabeth S. Cullar (Mexico City, Mexico) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Clearing Customs (Paperback)

Just what is this book? If it's fiction, it's fast paced and entertaining. If it's a true story of what the author has experienced, it's scarey, the story of an ordinary, honest person who's subjected to outrageous violations of her privacy by a vicious Albuquerque Customs Service. Let's hope it's the former case and not the latter. As an expatriate American university professor in Mexico, it's upsetting to believe that this kind of thing is possible in the United States.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clearing Customs, March 28, 2005

By 

Stephie Hansen (Los Perdidos, New Mexico) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Clearing Customs (Paperback)

This book is a jewel!!! Clearing Customs is the fast-paced, hilarious saga of an honest small businesswoman who finds herself crosswise with bad cops from US Customs. It's about time a writer offered real characters, a believable, outside-the-box plot, excitement, AND food for thought to readers in these perilous times for people who still believe in an honest citizen's right to privacy. I laughed and I cried along with Beverly, her handicapped pal, Ricky, and the River Rats as they made delicious fun of bad federal cops. When's Beverly's next river trip? I want to go--minus the creeps from the Longmont Post Office, of course.

Stephie Hansen