Customer Reviews

Shoveling Smoke

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"Shoveling Smoke" is Texan Austin Davis's first novel, and it is a doozy. As a Texan myself, I'm always leery of books (and films) set in Texas, because all too often they devolve into a rousing game of "laugh at the silly hicks." Fear not in this case, as Davis's novel, I'm thrilled to say, brings the laughs while refusing to reduce characters to caricatures.

The plot is deceptively simple: Big-city (Houston) tax attorney decides to move to a firm in the backwoods and escape the rat race; cue wacky rural hijinks. So how does Davis take this overdone stranger-in-a-strange-land storyline to another level? With good old-fashioned whip-smart writing, that's how. The dialogue crackles with cleverness, and it's an authentic clever, not some contrived ain't-they-a-hoot nonsense. Hilarious rural-speak flows from these characters so naturally you can hear the voices in your head, and Davis presents that speech almost reverently, as evidence of wit and command of language, never as ignorance. The pacing is spot on throughout. And as far as the plot goes, Davis doesn't simply walk the line between the hysterically unexpected and the ridiculously unbelievable, he redraws it. As wild as some of the circumstances get in this novel, I never felt the tightrope of verisimilitude wobble beneath me; I believed every word.

In addition, I was surprised, nasty old cynic that I am, to catch myself grinning on more than one occasion while reading this book. Sure, there were moments when I laughed out loud, but even a crappy book can get a zinger in here and there, so that's not necessarily a high compliment. But to discover yourself smiling with no knowledge of how long you've been doing it? That is something special. I am not just impressed by Davis but grateful to him, for I was having a bit of a downer week and reading his book was like having someone snatch a handful of sunshine and toss it to me.

Get this book and catch some of that sunshine for yourself.

This debut crime novel just came out, and the title is from Oliver Wendell Holmes: "Lawyers spend a great deal of time shoveling smoke." The cover picture gives you a good idea of the kind of humor this book is full of. It's the story of a burnt-out Houston tax lawyer who heads to small town Jenks, Texas, to escape the rat race. Quirky Southern characters, bizarre plot twists and outrageously funny situations abound in Austin Davis' first novel.

I have not read a book this funny in years! I literally read the entirety in one sitting, reading half of it out loud to my husband who was rolling off the couch laughing.

This book is not shallow humor, though. The authors delve into serious topics - ethics, religion, politics - with depth, wisdom, and thoughtfulness. They explore the obvious flaws of Stroud and Chandler, as well as the deeper and more perverse flaws of pious Paul Primrose or respected Stan-the-Man Pulaski.

And the ending! There are more plot twists at the end than crooked roads in East Texas. Each twist is more surreal and surprising than the last, yet all are entirely believable. I shut the book completely satisfied that justice had prevailed.

I kept putting this book down so I could laugh without spilling coffee all over it. Maybe I have a warped sense of humor, or maybe I just love goofy places like Jenks, Texas - "a one-horse town with a two-block business district and a Dairy Queen."

Clay Parker's first day in Jenks would send most people running for their lives. Clay, who burned out as a tax lawyer in Houston, has no place to go except to his new job at the offices of Chandler and Stroud, neither of whom is anywhere in sight when he arrives.

Gilliam Stroud's in the drunk tank. Hardwick Chandler has dallied with a woman who handcuffed him to the bed before walking out. (This will not be the worst that happens to him. At a later rendezvous with the same woman, he's kicked half-senseless by an emu.)

This law firm makes melting Jell-O look substantial, but somebody has to show up in court to defend a client who has already confessed to murder.

That leaves secretary Molly Tunstall and Clay, who blew Houston with no shoes except the flip-flops he's wearing. They bail out Stroud and prop him up long enough to get the client off. A rambling wreck of a once-great trial lawyer, Stroud can still deliver the goods, drunk or sober.

Clay Parker is a likeable character, trying to find his footing. A sleazy client is about to pull Chandler and Stroud into a malpractice suit involving insurance fraud. Clay gets a crash course in ways to make dirty money as a horse trader and cow kiter. He learns firsthand some of the wild and wonderful ways that lawyers, clients, judges and expert witnesses can screw up a case.

The cover is a joke too far, but I love the title, from a quote attributed to Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.: "Lawyers spend a great deal of time shoveling smoke."

Pat Browning, author of FULL CIRCLE, a Penny Mackenzie Mystery

I have often heard people describe certain books by saying "I was unable to put it down," and although I have known what the phrase means I had always doubted that it was literally true. Until I started reading "Shoveling Smoke." Within the first few pages of this inaugural novel, I found myself totally immersed in a fascinating plot, filled with the kind of people we have all either known or heard about all our lives. Laughing out loud on one page, then moving to the edge of my seat on the next page, I saw lawyers in a brand new light. So often the object of jokes, the characters who inhabit the court rooms in this rapidly-moving novel are comical at times, and yet their commitment to justice and fairness does their profession proud. If you are looking for a novel that will bring a smile to your face while you are in the process of solving a mystery and seeing justice prevail, then "Shoveling Smoke" is for you -- a great read.

No need to make this review long. This is simply one of the best reading experiences I've had in years. Funny, quirky, never slow, never dull, and plotted with pin-point accuracy. I will be an Austin Davis/Clay Parker fan for years to come. SHOVELING SMOKE is just an excellent book. You will love it. Promise.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. In this fast-paced world, it's nice to be able to pick up a good book and get away from it all. You will find yourself laughing out loud,and then at the same time, trying to figure out what is going to happen next.The colorful plot has some interesting characters that make you wonder. Clay Parker's role comes to life with each escapade. As an avid reader, I would recommend this to any book lover. Hope this is the beginning of a series!!

Houston Lawyer Clay Parker moves to the East Texas town of Jenks to go to work for the Chandler and Stroud law firm. This is a firm infamous for representing horse thieves, shady businessmen and crooks of every stripe. Chandler is a gravitationally challenged (PC for fat) man who never met a good looking woman he didn't like and Stroud has a fondness for the drink. Clay, the new blood, winds up knee deep in questionable and barely legal tactics to get their clients off. Jenks maybe be a Texas backwater of a town, but there are plenty of big city laughs in this story.

If you didn't know there was going to be humor here when you saw the cover of this book, a horse's patooty with its tail stiff and flying in the breeze, then you got bricks between your ears. This book will make you laugh. There is quite a bit of suspense here too. Laughter and suspense, what a terrific combination.

When I finished the book I didn't know what to do. I wanted to find out more about Clay Parker, the protagonist , as well as the bizarre characters that inhabit this small Texas town. Having moved to this small town from the big city after disappointment in his personal life, he discovers that he landed in a Fellini movie. Well, maybe "Jenks" (town) isn't quite the insane asyllum of Fellini world, but it is nuts!

I didn't want to put the book down until I had finished it. I laughed out loud a couple of time, which I don't usually do. Actually chuckled about the book even after I had finished it. Just a fun ride. I may be forced to read it again unless the author publishes another book soon.

I highly recommend the book to anyone wishing to escape the perfunctoriness of this world for a few hours. To Austin, please publish another book as soon as possible.

I can't remember ever enjoying a book as much as this one. Wonderful characters, hilarious antics. i was smiling and laughing the whole way through.
I'm going to read it again right now. My new favorite author since the demise of James Crumley.