Drop-Off [Paperback]

Ken Grissom (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1989

Ex-oilfield driver John Rodrique sinks a boat for the insurance and gets in over his head. He chases dope smuggler and cold-blooded killers down a lonely Caribbean coast. The hard-boiled brigade has increased by one very touchy hombre.Kirkus Reviews Absorbing reading with the authentic touch of a professional on every page.Lafayette(Louisiana)Daily Advertiser

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An authentic feel of the sea and of life on and around boats raises this debut a cut above the usual murder tale. One-eyed Creole diver and salvage boat operator John Rodrigue sinks an abandoned boat for a wealthy acquaintance, Buck Greathouseostensibly for insurance reasons. When Rodrigue finds himself followed and begins to hear rumors that the vessel was involved in the cocaine trade, he tips off a reporter friend, Mike Ferguson; it appears that well-known political figures may be part of the drug-smuggling ring. Then Ferguson and Sandy Carson, Rodrigue's lover, are murdered, and Rodrigue is held incommunicado by the feds, who are trying to find out how much he knows. When a candidate for governor of Louisiana and a rich Republican developer and newspaper owner are implicated, Rodrigue is released and told the case is closed. Realizing that Ferguson's death and other killings are part of a coverup, Rodrigue takes matters in his own hands, posing as a native fisherman to pursue the killers to the Yucatan and then to Belize. Narrowly escaping death several times, he manages to nail the culprits despite official inaction. Grissom conveys a strong sense of time and place, although occasionally his prose is overblown.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Absorbing reading with the authentic touch of a professional on every page." -- Lafayette (Louisiana) Daily Advertiser

"The hard-boiled brigade has increased by one very touchy hombre." -- Kirkus Reviews

"This skillful piece of work reads fast and has the feel of the sea. You'll like it." -- The New York Times Book Review --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: St Martins Mass Market Paper (October 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312916167
• ISBN-13: 978-0312916169
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,751,191 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fast Paced, July 9, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Drop-Off (Paperback)

The Gulf Coast of Texas. Deadly deals are made here...and deadlier secrets are hidden...

It was a nice, clean scam, John Rodrigue thought. Sink a boat way out in the Gulf so the owner could collect on the insurance, and pick up two thousand bucks for himself-easy money for a one-eyed salvager with a streak of piracy. After all, with two grand in his pocket and Sandy-a free-spirited and seductive barmaid-in his bed, life looks pretty darn sweet. Then Rodrigue learns that the boat was part of a dirty deal involving drug smuggling and something even dirtier: politics. Even with his glass eye, Rodrigue can see trouble coming...serious trouble.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Writing, Unique Character, October 21, 2008

By 

Charles R. Chapman "Dick Chapman" (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Drop-off: A John Rodrique Novel (John Rodrigue Novels) (Paperback)

This book was author Grissom's introduction to his main character, John Rodrigue. It is well written, and Rod is a unique character, not similar to other fictional leading men. This could make a good movie, by the way.
It kept me turning pages. Rodrigue has a good mind, and unique view on life. The plot is well thought out and exciting, and the author used a lot of technical detail you can understand to backup a great plot. I highly recommend this book, and am on my way to read "Big Fish", a follow up novel.
These books are a little older, I just happened to find this one, but not at all dated technically or social aspects of Grissom's writing.
My dog Tucker gives 4 paws up, and I give 2 thumbs up!!