Customer Reviews

Welcome to Paradise

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When Reading Laurence Shames novel "Welcome to Paradise" don't go looking for some deep impacting novel. Shames takes a simple idea keeps it simple throughout the book and gives you a nice quick entertaining read. There are few characters and the pace flows by that this is a one night read.

"Welcome to Paradise" is the typical wrong place wrong time novel. Furniture salesman Al Tuschmann is on vacation in South Florida. Tuschmann is trying to enjoy himself, but is the victim of some bizarre violent acts. Little does Tuschmann know that Al Maracotta a New York gangster is also in town, and a couple of this Al's enemies have hired a couple of roughnecks to make his life miserable. The roughnecks get there information crossed and start harassing the wrong the Al. Throw in a gangster's gal, a couple of strange dogs and the weirdness that is South Florida and you have yourself a nice little scenerio to read through.

I really enjoyed this quick little novel. I have read other Shames novels and though they go a little deeper, this one is my favorite. If you like this style check out Ed McBain's "Downtown" which is about a Florida salesman in New York.

With a friendly and intuitive writing style, Laurence Shames takes his readers and deliveries them to a paradise vacation. Like most vacations, this trip isn't about the destination - it's about life's journey. Fate and mistaken identity, lead our main character through a gauntlet of unpleasant experiences. Key West is a great place to do some soul searching. In this novel, the drama of comedy/tragedy, humility & humiliation are crashed into more than Florida Key, Deer. My only regrets, are that this vacation lasts less than 250 pages & that our beloved author writes only one book per year (perhaps a trip to the midwest, would improve Mr. Shame's work ethic).

Mobster Al Marracotta and furniture salesman Alan Tuschman have about as much in common as a bowl of spaghetti and a bowl of conch chowder. They do, however, have the same nickname (BIG AL) and it just so happens that both of them are driving to Key West at the same time! A pair of south Florida wise guys are hired to make Big Al Marracotta's vacation in Key West miserable, but in a case of mistaken vanity plates, they start picking on the wrong Big Al! Using dead squid, live lobsters, and a remote control shark, "Chop" and "Squid" make Alan Tuschman wish he'd never left home!

It's another Key West caper by Laurence Shames full of quirky characters, non-stop laughs, and a clever unexpected ending. The only disappointment was "Bert the Shirt" didn't make a cameo appearance. Oh well, there's always the next book!

Shames newest Key West adventure features a new set of characters, but still includes his mandatory Mafia wiseguys and hit-men to get the plot rolling. In a case of mistaken identity, an innocent furniture salesman from New Jersey is the unintended target of some deadly practical jokes intended for his Mafia namesake. The interplay between the wiseguys is funny, despite the seriousness of the situation. As usual, Key West is a major character in the story. Reading a few of the earlier Shames books will give the reader a better understanding of the locale's local color.

Most of the reviewers here agree that this book isn't an example of "high art", but if you're looking for fun reading, (or in my case, fun listening) look no further than Welcome to Paradise by Lawrence Shames. It is a very cleverly plotted story, with intertwining themes, parallel story lines, true to form characters, all leading up to a big mano-a-mano climax in the parking lot at the end. I really enjoyed the book's descriptive elements of the Florida Keys -- the beaches, the sunsets, the dive bars, the chickens, the nudist hotels, etc. it all made me feel like I was "on vacation" like the characters in the story. It's such a fun and funny gangster/mistaken identity/love/transformational story that I'm surprised that it hasn't been picked up by some Hollywood producer and made into a movie. The Farrelly brothers could probably do it justice. There isn't any big moral to the story, other than "stick up for yourself", as far as I could see, and there's no deep and painful introspections on life. So, in sum, it was exactly the way a vacation should be -- a nice, sunny escape.

I love Shames' stories. Read them all. Funny, lots of surprising twists, nice endings. No big investments needed, but if you're looking for a nice means to escape, these stories fit the bill. Two boneheaded "hit men" and two guys named "Big Al" all mixed up in Paradise. And I loved the "death by seafood" theme. Shames' books are all good. It's hard not to laugh out loud. Can't wait for the next one.

This is not about profound concepts, it's good old fashioned farce. Mistaken identity, bad luck, snoozing watchmen, wrong beds, snooping neighbors, all are here. When Big Al brings home a tipsy pickup who, while snuggling in his bed encounters a lobster dumped by the mafia hit men, the scene alone is worth the cost of the book. Either you will cry until tears come of say, "bah!" Up to you.

In this book the author starts with a "what if". What if there were two people with the same nickname and vanity plate, in the same place, at the same time. What if some bumbling mobsters got them confused. It is that situation that Big Al, the furniture salesman from New Jersey, finds himself in. He can't figure out why his luck has turned so bad.

From this premise a humorous book unfolds. When it is finally all settled, we have learned all about who is brave and who isn't, in the book, and in real life. There are messages in the humor about good versus evil, and about all of our self images. This is one of Mr. Shames' best works. My only complaint is that it was over far too briskly. I couldn't put it down.

Get ready to laugh out loud, because Shames has done it again! He has arranged for two New Yorkers to head for Key West, Florida for a vacation. Taken out of their element, these typical New Yorkers, one of whom just happens to in the Mafia, have more problems than the Feds could ever give them. Mix in a furniture salesman from suburban Jersey with the same nickname as the Mafiosa, a hit man who is going to kill somebody with seafood, and, of course, a gorgeous New York City doll, and it's vintage Shames! For a light hearted view of the Mafia, Key West, and relationships, this book can't miss. In fact, it's right on target!

I thought this book was just the thing for mystery readers this summer. Whether you're by the pool or "Up North" this book will keep you entertained and amused.