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4.0 out of 5 stars
Citrus canker spreads in Florida, August 29, 2001
This review is from: The Near Death Experiment (Paperback)
The Near Death Experiment by Steve Glassman
Tropical Press, 2001
If you live in Florida or drink orange juice, chances are you've heard of citrus canker, a pernicious disease that reemerges every few years with devastating results, not only on citrus prices (which invariably go up), but also on orange trees (which must come down). For those of us living in the Sunshine State, citrus canker is one of the potential problems from Mother Nature that we have to put up with. But suppose citrus canker is deliberately spread by greedy entrepreneurs out to corner the citrus market?
Such is the premise of a well-written novel, The Near Death Experiment, by Steve Glassman, a man who has spent much of his life in Florida's so-called Citrus Belt and who knows first-hand what damage to livelihoods the citrus canker can do.
This mystery has all the elements of a good bete noir novel: a recently fired professor who is torn between his need to earn money and his knowledge of right and wrong; a millionaire out to drive other citrus farmers out of business; several oversexed women, both villainous and courageous; several overzealous policemen, both bad and good; and motorcyclists determined to defend the innocent.
The chase scenes involving motorcycles, trucks, airboats, even a small airplane, would make good cinematic footage. This is a good read, one that holds your interest to the very end. And it sure makes you think twice about that orange juice you had for breakfast.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
It's in the Juice, February 7, 2002
This review is from: The Near Death Experiment (Paperback)
Steve Glassman, editor of several studies of Florida crime fiction ("Orange Pulp", "Florida Noir" among others), has turned his hand to writing his own noir novel set in the Sunshine State.
Microbiologist "Bru" Bruton's life is at its lowest ebb. His daughter has died, he's been dismissed from his college teaching position, and his wife has left him for his best friend.
Bru takes on a contract offered by Billy Goins, one of the richest men in the world, to prove that a chemical found in plastic orange juice containers is non-toxic. The chemical is suspected of causing an epidemic illness in young children. Made suspicious by the offer of a large bonus if his report is what Goins wants, Bru is also suspicious that there might be a connection between his ouster from the college and Goins.
As the reader learns early on, a quiet one million-dollar donation from Goins did indeed buy Bru's dismissal. Further, Goins ("Mean as a snake, but a whole lot greedier"), is setting Bru up to take the fall if Goins' plan to corner the worldwide orange juice futures market fails. But Goins is confident declaring, "Nobody, but nobody, can beat a guy with three billion dollars in the legal system in this country."
Set within this basic premise, more plots and conspiracies compound. Goins' beautiful, oversexed daughter Elizabeth and her accomplice, both residual followers of "primo-guru" Charley Manson, are out to eliminate her father and take over his fortune. Add a "kill crazy" Sheriff's Deputy with "a round face and Howdy Doody ears," and the danger and body count climb.
Glassman, with his first novel in the gritty, violent `kick-ass' hard-boiled tradition is just beginning what looks to be a very promising career. "Near Death Experiment" will not be to everyone's taste. The characters are violent, vulgar, over-sexed and often drunk or stoned. But for readers who want a tour through dark side of modern detective fiction, this novel is clearly a winner.
- Bruce Southworth,
Mystery reviewer for the Minneapolis Star Tribune
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