Customer Reviews

Skid (Occupational Hazards, Book 3)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the best in the series. No contest. The characters are a quirky and touching bunch of complex folks who encounter life, death, and drama while flying across the Atlantic Ocean. Humor zings, clever writing and solid plotting make this read delightful and entertaining. The spiritual aspects are strong and solid but not preachy.

The only struggle I can foresee is the camp that doesn't like ambiguous endings. Gutteridge doesn't provide clear cut endings for several characters. But, I imagine we might see one or more in future novels.

This series needed to grow on me. I didn't quite get the premise at the beginning. Now that I've read three, I'm looking forward to the rest and am thrilled that the Hazard family is a big one.

Let me tell you a bit about what I think about book reviews. First of all, I don't even read the back cover of a book because I feel like it gives too much away. So, in my reviews I will tell you some of the good premises of a book (or not so good, depending), but I will never give too much away. Read the book for yourself if it's that good :)

The book I am reviewing today is another book by Rene Gutteridge, Skid. It is also in the Occupational Hazards series. This book took longer for me to get into, but once I was about 50 pages I didn't want to put it down. The ending was especially good.

Gutteridge has a nack for bringing humor into nearly every situation. She's a good writer. Some of the things in her books are farfetched, but it's a book for crying out loud. It's for entertainment purposes. I definitely like how she draws you in though.

I was a bit disappointed in the beginning of the book that there were SO many characters that Gutteridge seemed to be developing. I really wanted to just hear the main characters story, but in the end it all came together. I just wish that it wouldn't have taken so long to get there.

I still give this book a 4 out of 5 stars. It was a good read.

The Hazard family is back in SKID, the third book in the Occupational Hazard Series by Rene Gutteridge. Like the first two books in the series, the ensemble cast is centered around a member of the Hazard family.

After making an appearance in SNITCH, Hank Hazard is back in Atlanta applying for a job. He gets the job with Atlantica Airlines, as a secret shopper. It'll be Hank's job to secretly monitor the performance of the struggling airline's employees. Hank is one of many characters that will be on the long flight to Amsterdam.

As usual, Gutteridge fills the pages with many zany and offbeat characters. Danny McSweeney, is the copilot whose fiance recently left him because he didn't make enough money. He's the straight man. Gigi is the aging flight attendent who, after three divorces, is incredibly lonely. Jake is the young man without a family and barely making ends meet in a struggling garage band. He's traveling to Amsterdam to deliver some diamonds to his grandma that he's never seem. The prisoner that stole the diamonds from his grandma is on the same flight, being extradidted back home. James, the cocky first officer, can't help but make offending comments. Lucy is the young girl trying to escape from a boyfriend who dumped her, only to find out he's on the same flight. Her motto is "What would Oprah do?" Finally, there's Anna Sue, who some how has a medical reason for bringing a pig along on the flight.

The characters are quirky, and they should be in a comedy. But, by the end of the novel, I found that most of the quirks had quietly transformed into real human flaws. The novel takes place entirely on an airplane. I think the fixed setting makes this book the best in the series. Since everything takes place on the plane, author Gutteridge must focus on developing the characters instead of throwing in new scenes or plot twists. While the single setting allows the characters to thrive, it also is the weakness of the book. I kept wondering how many things could go wrong on a single flight and was ready for the plot threads to conclude.

I enjoyed SKID a lot. Gutteridge infuses the plot with humor, of course, but it has a little romance, mystery, suspense, and a good message. I recommend all three books in the series, but they don't need to be read in order to enjoy them.

Rene Gutteridge is truly one of the most talented comedic writers out there. I'm an avid Christian fiction reader, usually reading up to 100 books a year, and I haven't found an author I liked any more the Rene Gutteridge.

Skid, like the previous books of the serious, is filled with humor and plot twists that will keep you guessing. Unlike my experience with other novels, I never can foretell what is coming. The books is filled with charming and quirky characters, and you will find yourself cheering for one of the main characters, Hank Hazard. Forget Edward Cullen, I have a book crush on Hank Hazard.

I don't want to give too many details away, but suffice it to say this book is a very enjoyable read you don't want to miss out on! I also highly recommend the two novels before this in the series, "Scoop" and "Snitch." Also, Gutteridge's "Boo" series is one of my favorites of all time.

Buckle up before reading "Skid" by Rene Gutteridge. Atlantica Flight 1945 is flying from Atlanta to Amsterdam with an interesting cast of characters. The pilot, known for her safe landing in the Bermuda Triangle, is joined on this flight by an FBI Agent with a prisoner; an emotionally impaired woman and her trusty pig; a woman recently dumped by her boyfriend, a grandson returning stolen diamonds to his grandmother, and a quality inspector, Hank, whose job is to test the service of the crew.

This is an exciting ride that will have you laughing out loud while hanging on for dear life. All during the flight people notice there is something different about Hank. What could make a man remain so calm in the face of a crisis?

What a WONDERFUL summer read. I would run, don't walk, to pick up "Skid" by Rene Gutteridge.

I know a book is really funny when it makes me laugh out loud. That's exactly what Skid did. Really cute! I still have one question though, what happened to the pilot's party?

The Occupational Hazards series is turning out to be one of the funniest sets every. In 'Snitch' the pastor character actually made me laugh out loud. 'Scoop' and 'Skid' are just wonderful.

As a fan of Rene Gutteridge's Occupational Hazards series, I was so excited when I discovered her latest installment, "Skid." It centers around the somewhat shy - especially around girls - Hank Hazard who was introduced in "Snitch." He gets a job as a "spy" for an airline and has a flight to Amsterdam with a pig, a dead lady, a criminal, and a guy secretly transporting valuable diamonds. The characters are well-developed, the plot zips along, and the writing is full of humor. It's an extremely fun and enjoyable read.

Fasten your seatbelts low and tight across your lap, open that tiny bag of peanuts, and get ready for a rollicking fun flight as Rene Gutteridge, the funniest inspirational novelist in the business, pens SKID, her third installment in the Occupational Hazards series and the best of the bunch. This time, Gutteridge turns her pen to the airline industry, managing to incorporate enough wacky characters and oddball situations to fuel a year-long television sitcom.

In case you missed SCOOP and SNITCH, the first books in the series, here's the premise. The Hazard Clowns, a family of seven homeschooled children and their parents, are about to be disbanded after the parents are killed in a freak hot tub accident. Hank Hazard, the shy gentle mime of the group who has never dated, looks for new work and eventually lands a job as an undercover spy for Atlantica Airlines, which is trying to figure out why it's in a slump. His first assignment is to be the highest maintenance passenger on Flight 1945 from Atlanta to Amsterdam and report back to the airline on every possible detail of the flight.

As it turns out, this is no ordinary flight. Not only does Hank have to deal with his work assignment, but his pilot is one of the more unusual ones in the fleet. C.J. Brewster-Yarley is an aging female who relies on post-it notes stuck to the windshield to remember how to fly the plane. She's famous for having crashed a plane into the Bermuda Triangle years ago, but leading the passengers and crew to safety. Other strange stories are tagged to her career...and this flight is about to be one of them.

Some valuable diamonds are in-route and the object of interest by more than just their courier, which promises further mayhem. Overseeing the passengers is GiGi, a 55-year-old senior flight attendant battling menopause, who can't seem to get the air cabin temperature comfortable enough for her hot flashes. Making the flight is positive-thinking passenger Lucy Meredith, who seems to be channeling Oprah (her bracelet reads WWOD --- What Would Oprah Do?) and is hoping to revamp her life after some bad romances. She has just discovered that her ex-boyfriend is on board with a new flame. Further complicating things is First Officer James Lawrence, who manages to offend just about everybody. Add to this cast of characters a prisoner who speaks limited English flying under the care of an FBI agent whose gun has just been taken away by the pilot, a certified companion pig for a supposedly "emotionally-challenged" women, a federal aircraft inspector, and a 103-year-old woman about to "pass on" at any moment.

How fun --- and weird --- can this novel possibly get? The answer: more fun than you'd ever anticipate and weirder than anything you'd begin to imagine. Gutteridge is the author of a dozen novels, including the hilarious Boo series, but funny as that series was, this one outshines it. As events unfolding on the plane get more and more hilarious and wacky, she somehow weaves a faith element into the story that feels natural and true. There's even a little light romance for Hank. Soon, in true dramatic airline movie-type style, the pilot is incapacitated and the lives of the passengers hang on the talents of a former blimp pilot and some of the passengers and crew. And, of course, whether the pig likes jelly or not. Yes, you read that right.

SKID is easily read as a stand-alone novel, as are the first two in the series. With three great books so far in her Occupational Hazards collection, Gutteridge's readers will eagerly anticipate the next installment. You won't be able to put this one down.

--- Reviewed by Cindy Crosby

Skid is, hands down, the best entry in Rene Gutteridge's Occupational Hazards series and probably a close second - maybe even tied for first - with my favorite Gutteridge novel, My Life as a Doormat: In Three Acts (Women of Faith Fiction #12). Hank is the third Hazard sibling to have his career misadventures chronicled in this series and he is the most fully realized, interesting, and sympathetic sibling to be featured to date. After a brief introduction in Snitch (Occupational Hazards, Book 2) where he helped his police officer sister break up an auto theft ring, Hank decides to pursue a career involving flying and gets a job working undercover for an airline. Little does he realize the drama that will unfold in the skies when an incredibly diverse and quirky assortment of characters find themselves confined in a jet on their way to the Netherlands. Each and every character in Skid leaps living and breathing off the page. From First Officer Danny, in a career funk and depressed over being dumped by his girlfriend, to Lisa, a polka dot loving woman on the rebound obsessed with Oprah and The Secret, to Jake, a paranoid diamond courier on a mission to connect with the grandmother he never met and to return stolen gems, every member of crew and passengers has a fascinating, fully realized story to tell. With every character Gutteridge manages to strike the right balance between humor and poignancy, finding the laugh-out-loud moments in everyday life while also making each character sympathetic and relatable.

I absolutely loved how Gutteridge gently satirizes those who obsess over fads like The Secret and every word that comes from Oprah's mouth...the moments are laugh-out-loud funny, but she manages to never come across as cruelly mocking of those who follow the latest craze. Instead, in her most effective use of humor to date, she uses those pop culture phenomenons to reveal the holes those people are seeking to fill in their lives and how they can be pointed to the truth of Christ. The one character I didn't care for was the other copilot, James - his character does this about face halfway through the novel where he goes from being a complete jerk to the biblical voice of reason - and that abrupt of a change appeared to come totally out of left field. That one misstep aside, Skid is a thoroughly enjoyable cross between Airplane! (Don't Call Me Shirley! Edition) and A&E's reality show Airline - The Complete Season 1 (yes, I've watched a few eps of that...LOL), laced with thought-provoking observations about human nature and one's faith walk. One of Gutteridge's most satisfying novels to date - highly recommended.