Customer Reviews

The Joe Schmoe Show

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Okay, so this is the sequel to the hilarious "Crispy." That means Spider and Smokey are back for more zany mahem driving our narrator crazy, but it definitely doesn't mean you have to read the first book first. There is only one oblique reference to that story, and then the rest of the novel is new territory.

And what territory! This time around the story is told by a rookie cop who's assigned to watch the dudly duo as his rookie hazing ritual. Also there are these robots robbing banks. Expect lots of dangerous stunts, death-defying drug use, and a whole lot of whackiness. I can't say anything more without ruining the story, so buy it.

The writing is top notch, the author is always drawing you in, making you turn that next page to see what happens. The jokes are crisp and unpredictable and had me laughing loud enough to wake up the baby (then the wife would get mad and threaten to throw the book away, which hurt somewhere deep inside; I may leave her).

This book also saw a bit more development of the characters of Spider and Smokey, which was nice and allows us to differentiate between the two somewhat better.

Overall, I liked Crispy better, mostly because I found the incredibly unique point of view and character of the narrator more entertaining. But that's like saying I like $1,001 better than $1,000. Both are excellent and highly recommended.

A friend and fellow author, Victoria Taylor Murray, told me about this superior book. I'm glad she did. H.B. Markus writes absolute high grade entertainment. This author leaves no stones unturned in his exploration of his well developed vibrant creative characters. This book is not only refreshingly magnetic in style, it is hysterically funny and profoundly brilliant. I am going to purchase Crispy now and it has to be one hullabaloo of a debut novel. Entertaining and down right full body Depends fun! Thanks!

Imagine the Keystone Kops chasing Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Harold Lloyd up one street and down the other
dodging firebombs. Or envision a surrealistic Picasso painting put to words. Is that too far back for you to remember? Try Bill Murray, Chevy Chase and John Belushi improvising a Saturday Night Live skit on LSD, with Robin Williams along for the ride. That will give you a small idea of The Joe Schmoe Show experience.

In this follow up to Crispy, Marcus introduces Spider and Smokey to a whole new cast of characters. When Officer Pat Carter relocates from the crime ridden city, nothing he's ever experienced prepares him for duty in Painesville. He draws "S and S duty" - without his sidearm -the first day out and life as Carter knows it will never be the same. He's assigned to watch Spider and Smokey, and soon learns that in their world anything goes. Drug use, illegal weapons, home made bombs, terroizing townsfolk, and FCC violations are their stock in trade. Spider and Smokey seem to have the mental capacity of a pea. How on earth do they get away with everything they do? And why does the local police department not arrest them?

The author leads readers on a merry chase with the hapless rookie Carter riding shotgun. Carter eventually gets wise, and so will you. Marcus ties up all the loose ends before the last page, and promises a third installment of the Spider and Smokey saga, coming soon, entitled Parasites. H.B. Marcus has a unique style and voice, so prepare yourselves

Spider and Smokey are back and better than ever. H.B. has once again shown us the world as only he can. It is amazing that anyone can make you care, even a little, about those two. On top of everything, you feel for them. Not as much as you do the poor unsuspecting rookie cop assigned to watch them.
If you think you can handle this ride good luck. One day we will all sit back and fondly remember when the Spider and Smokey cult began. It will, trust me. It started with Crispy, continued with The Joe Schmoe Show and there is more on the way. Mr. Marcus, we are waiting, but "You'll have that."
So let's all dress up like "Ducks in Sailor Suits or Vikings or whatever you want, just get this book and read it. You will not be disappointed.

Recommendation: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Tim Hancock is the Director of MWLA, a Reviewer and Author

When you read a first of several part series you wonder if the second and third parts will measure up to the "first" time experience an author offers...I read Marcus's first novel, "Crispy" and now have read "The Joe Schmoe Show" and admit that the energy continued...The craziness maintained its level of wackiness and the physically psychotic humor re-hit the mark again...with a bull's eye. BRAVO, HB...

It's wild, it's zany and it's the brainchild of H.B. Marcus. THE JOE SCHMOE SHOW delivers the reader into the world of two crazy characters, Smokey and Spider. The dialogue could notably be a sit-com or perhaps a motion picture. Envision a rookie cop named Carter, who for all practical purposes, expects his first day on the job to be routine. Not so! His first assignment is to baby sit the town's duo, sans gun! What a surprise it is for Carter when he approaches Smokey and Spiders' house. Nothing out of the ordinary except for Roger the cat who is sitting in the front window, stoned to death with marijuana fumes and reeling like a drunk who is blind in one eye and can't see out of the other. Pandemonium breaks loose with make a shift leaf blower, modified into a flamethrower rushing the heels of a neighbor stealing a newspaper. Fireballs are flailing the air and inches away from Carter. Seeing S. and S. (Smokey and Spider), Carter now understands the meaning of his indoctrination. From bank robberies, kidnapping, auto wrecks, and trying to keep Smokey and Spider in check, Carter is catapulted into the realm of THE JOE SCHMOE SHOW. What is THE JOE SCHMOE SHOW? Who are Smokey and Spider? Will Carter live to see another day after being in the clutches of Smokey and Spider. I will not tell but THE JOE SCHMOE SHOW had me laughing so hard that it was almost impossible to read more than one page at a time. Great job, H.B. Marcus!