Customer Reviews

Fat Tuesday

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Fat Tuesday was my introduction to Earl Emerson and I intend to read all of his books. Fat Tuesday was funny, refreshing, and I found it to be a great page turner. Wonderful characters. The plot I didn't figure out. I enjoyed this book very much.

Fat Tuesday is the fourth Thomas Black novel by Earl Emerson. When Black and his friend, lawyer Kathy Birchfield go to meet with Fred Pugsley, they find him dead in a pool of blood. His wife, Maggie is found holding the murder weapon, a bicycle sprocket remover. The police think Maggie killed him because of Fred's numerous affairs. Another prime suspect is Eric Castle, a cycler and former co-worker of Pugsley at Micro Darlings, a manufacturer of computer games. There are other suspects who may have killed him because Fred may have slept with their wives or girlfriends. Black's life is also in danger from a motorcycle "mama", a 3000-lb. bull named Aunt Mabel, and a crazy man. This is the most complex Black novel to date, and is an excellent read.

Earl Emerson's "Fat Tuesday" is a step backward in this series. While I found myself fully engaged initially, the story peters out into a disappointing ending with poorly executed typical elements, in particular a group confrontation of all the suspects and an unlikely chase scene. The idea of a mystery involving a group of suspects from a high tech software company in Seattle was a good beginning, though the underlying premise for the murder was weak and rather creepy and doesn't fit with the high tech conception.

Emerson somehow managed to make this book interesting despite a number of missteps. The poor title, "Fat Tuesday," suggests that the pre-Lenten celebration of Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras) actually plays a role in the story, and it doesn't. It isn't a necessary backdrop to the story--it only gives his "girlfriend" Kathy a chance to be annoyingly zany yet again. A subplot involving biker women and a dangerous encounter for Thomas with a bull just seem too unbelievable and hokey.

As to the characters, the suspects in this case are interesting, which definitely helps the story. However, as in previous books, Thomas and Kathy are overly cute as a quasi couple. Thomas's own dialogue with other people in the story tends to be overly clever also. Finally, Emerson makes Thomas a man obsessed with women's bodies, which is a rather disgusting trait for a mostly likeable character.

A very fast paced, cleverly written suspense novel. The protagonist is one you will find interesting and will want to garnish your trust. You will read this book in less than a week. Kudos.

Thank you for sending my book so promptly. It arrived when you said it would and was in very good condition for a used book.