Customer Reviews

Tropical Depression

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Lingerie mogul Murray Zemelman, "a.k.a. the Bra King," opts out of his dismal life in suburban New Jersey and heads for Key West in this delightfully funny and suspenseful novel.

Popping Prozac, the workaholic Murray is soon itching for a project in his island paradise. He finds it in Tommy Tarpon, a lugubrious Indian, the last of his tribe. Murray's fishing ineptitude breaches Tommy's sullen defenses and Murray's natural salesmanship soon has Tommy agreeing to claim his tribal island heritage and turn it into a casino resort.

Unfortunately their plan requires the aid of a sleazy state senator with mob connections and schemes of his own. But the preliminaries go smoothly enough and Murray embarks on the project closest to his heart - winning back his original wife, the one he dumped for the trophy, wife number two.

Franny now has her own perfectly good life, but Murray's hapless schmoozing convinces her to visit and meet Tommy. She arrives as the double- and triple-crossings begin and gets spectacularly caught in the crossfire, forcing Murray to stage his most daring and fantastic scheme ever - the rescue of the woman he loves.

'Tropical Depression' is a breeze of a read with wholly likable and entertaining characters, ear-perfect dialogue and a zany plot which loses nothing to the Supreme Court decision rejecting Indian casinos in Florida.

Perhaps I'm just unlucky? My first two Laurence Shames novels, 'Florida Straits' and 'Sunburn', are seemingly his best (with 'Sunburn' being especially good). The few others I've read seem hollow in comparison, with 'Tropical Depression' being no exception. Oh, there are some funny moments. But the book falls into the "easy, fun read yet totally forgettable" category.

The story has a neat premise though. A depressed, middle-aged businessman (the "bra king" of New Jersey) moves down to Key West to clear his head. There he meets an equally depressed native American Indian. Both of them get into some (rather silly) business ventures which gets them tangled with the Mafia, and a corrupt state official. The story has sprinkles of Carl Hiaasen, with its "white man has defaced the natural beauty of Florida and its aboriginal inhabitants" messages. Sadly, Laurence Shames doesn't hold a candle to Carl Hiaasen. Weaker prose, laughs without satiric wit ... it all seems too fluffy.

Bottom line: a trifling novel by Shames. Yet it is an easy read. Bring it to the beach.

Delightful, off-the-wall, light entertainment. Who'd have thought a Prozac overdose could lead to such an amusing story (when I took too much, it left me anxious, wired, and paranoid)? I picked this book up in desperation, looking for some light reading ... and it was perfect--engaging enough to hold my attention, amusing enough for chuckles and the occasional belly laugh (wait 'til the "Vikings" make their appearance), off-beat enough not to be predictable--just what the doctor ordered on vacation! (Silly me, I had brought along an entire trunk full of political philosophy!) Shames' tale is less outrageous than the Hiaasen novels I've read (Sick Puppy and Stormy Weather) and a bit lighter, too. It's not as dark as an Elmore Leonard novel, either. Neither is it total mind fluff--and it's ambiguous enough to avoid a Hollywood Ending. For those suffering from situational depression, it has a not-so-subtle message: "Better chemistry through living." Break out of the life in which you're trapped and the brain chemistry may just sort itself out without the Prozac, St. John's Wort, or $100/hr therapist. Four stars for solid entertainment value. Four stars for whimsy. Four stars for daring to be just weird enough to be interesting. (If you'd like to dialogue about this review, please click on the "about me" link above and drop me an email. Thanks!)

This is a hilarious book with zany characters and situations. I dare anyone to read to the Indian fishing scene without laughing out loud!

Peopled with characters (and I do mean <characters>) who are neighbors of his characters in Florida Straits, you can delight in some of the same folks you cared about before. Shames makes the people, even the rougher mafioso types, who inhabit the seamy underbelly of Florida come alive in their own idiosyncratic, likable ways. Read it, best to read Florida Straits first; you'll be glad, and you'll be back for more.

I have currently read Tropical Depression by Laurence Shames.
This book was about a man going through a semi-stage of depression.Murray Zimmelman is going through his second divorce while contemplating suicide.Suddenly he snaps and drives 14 hours non-stop to Key West Florida where he begins a new life.He meets an indian who is fighting for his rights.Murray helps the indian get an island named after his tribe.I would suggest reading this book.

Lingerie kingpin Murray Zemmelman, AKA the Bra King, decides he's had enough of the cold Northeast, his company, his second wife and life as he's been leading it in general, so he chucks it all and drives to Key West, popping prozac all the way. He's on his way to a new life and his first wife.

In Florida he decides to help Tommy Tarpon, a seller of sea shells and the last living Native American in his tribe, become a sovereign nation. If they can accomplish this, then they can open an Indian Casino. Little do they know, however, that the Mafia runs the gambling business and they're not to happy about our bumbling amateurs. This delightful read is a five star funny book and one that I recommend highly.

I like the locals this writer uses. Need more of the same from him.

Hope I'm not coming too late to the game to review this one. It was a very entertaining read with great characters and spare, snappy dialogue that just crackled from the pages. Some real laugh out loud scenes. The descriptions evoke the languid subtropical environment of the Florida Keys very well to someone who's never been there. I could really see this one as a movie. I liked the fact that it had a real story to tell, with some unexpected and very amusing twists. My only complaints were a bit of a slow-paced start and an ending that was too goody-goody for my tastes. Plus some unnecessary violence that kind of didn't make sense in the context. But -- hey, take this one to the beach whether you're in Key West or not. You are in for a good time. 4 1/2 stars.

Crime in Florida must have a different tone than it does it the midwest, because there is certainly a unique style and storytelling to the happenings in Miami and Key West. It took me a little while to determine whether I felt Shames was a copy of Hiaasen or not. I think the answer is that yes the story is very similar to those in "Tourist Season" or "Stormy Weather" but it isn't a bad thing. It's a formula that works and several others seem to have adapted it as well. This story has it's wacky parts but it is a shade more normal than some of the other Florida books. The characters are entertaining and the story keeps you interested and moves along. I feel that it is a good book that can stand alone of the Florida style. I am sure I will pick up another Shames novel, and you should too.