Customer Reviews

While Drowning in the Desert: A Neal Carey Mystery (Neal Carey Mysteries)

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

 

 

It's too bad, really --this is a pleasant enough little read, but compared to Winslow's other riveting and meticulously researched Neal Carey novels, this is just passable. Consider: Buddha's mirror taught me more about the Chinese Cultural Revolution than any textbook, and California Fire & Life made me the best fire expert this side of Red Adaire. But this book has obviously NOT been researched, and perhaps even written in 3 days. Did he need the money? Was the publisher hounding him? This is just going through the motions. It's clear that the author is bored with his detective, has no more to say about Joe Graham (who barely makes an appearance here) and confused about how to deal with Neal's domestic life. Don't look for any more Neal Carey novels; the author is written out on that subject. Read "A Cool Breeze," "Buddha's Mirror", "The Death & Life of Bobby Z" and "California Fire & Life" for the best of Don Winslow. And P.S. When he's in top form, NOBODY writes better.

The temperature of the water in one which drowns is as insignificant as the depth of characters and plausibity of this hastily created novel.
The biggest mystery one ponders from the bowels of this book; is why was it written, and where on vacation was the Publisher when this novel was approved for publication? Don Winslow is a brilliant writer, if this were the first book of his that i read, it would be the last. Fortunately he has accumulated a strong credit side of the ledger with other writings, this is a heavy debit.........and significant waste.

I was extremely disappointed with While Drowning in the Desert. Recently I read The Life and Death of Bobby Z as well as California Fire and Life which were sensational masterpieces. I thought I had discovered a brilliant author and with anticipation looked for other novels of Winslow's and when I found this book I looked forward to the great story I expected within. How wrong I was! This is one of the biggest disappointments in the literary world that I have ever wasted my time on. The characters are weak, farfetched and not believable. The style of the novel with large parts written as letters to solicitors and to other weak characters, just doesn't flow well and the story is a struggle to get through. If this was the first Winslow novel I had come across I wouldn't pick up another, but since I have read the great novels California Fire and Life and The Life and Death of Bobby Z I will give him another chance.

In this book Neal Carey is asked by a man who is not his father but who he calls Dad to escort an old man from Vegas to his home in Palm Springs. The old man Natty Silver is very popular in Vegas and doesn't want to go home so will do anything to delay the journey. Meanwhile dumb criminals are looking for Natty in Palm Springs and Neal's fiancé wants a baby. Give this disaster a miss!

I really like the first few 'Neal Carey' novels by Don Winslow (whom I love and buy anything he writes). This one was funny and fast paced, but left me wondering what it was all about. Normally Neal Carey gets involved in strange, but weirdly compelling, situations and prevails in the end. But this one seemed almost trivial and I never did see why Neal's employers were involved. Lots and lots of funny one-liners, but in the end mostly pointless.

This is not to say I won't read more Neal Carey novels if Winslow write them, just that I can't in all conscience recommend this one very much.

If you enjoyed the madcap comedies of years' past, run, don't walk to your nearest bookstore, Amazon, or Audible and get this book. It's very funny, all the while paying admiring homage to the burlesque comedians of the thirties and forties. Remember "Who's on first"?

Nate Silverstein, a retired vaudeville comedian, claims to have been the origin for that classic Abbott and Costello routine. (If you have never seen the piece, you must have grown up in an Eskimo igloo. Go to [...] and watch it. If it doesn't crack you up, you have no sense of humor and won't like this book.) Anyway, Neal (the fixer who works for the Friends of the Bank) is asked to bring Nate back from Las Vegas to his home in Florida. Neal's job is not to ask why -- ostensibly it's just because his daughter is worried about him. There follows a series of comic misadventures as Nate tricks Neal to avoid having to return (there's a good reason that Neal doesn't know about.)

It's a silly plot, but a wonderful book. Read or listen to it and enjoy.

When I first received this book from my fiance he told me I would have to read this. He knows that I am not much of a reader, but I told him I would. As soon as I started reading the book, every time I went to take a break something would come up. I just couldn't find myself to put this book down until I finished reading it. It was a very interesting and funny book.

Here a Neal Carey story that is more fun then the previous ones.
Not so suspencefull or mysterious ,but great fun to absorbe.
More,where this came from-the world around us is suspencefull enough-may there be a laugh or two...

Funny doesn't begin to describe this Neal Carey entry.
Hysterically funny. Laugh-out-loud till you cry funny.
I almost fell out of bed while reading this I was laughing so hard funny.And boy was I embarassed, since it was one in the morning and my neighbors have big ears.
Do yourselves a favor. READ THIS BOOK. But do it with care,
after all, you wouldn't want to fracture your funny bone.

The Neal Carey series started out as Ross MacDonald (Cool Breeze...) then became Robert Crais (Way Down on the...) continued on as Carl Hiaasen ( A Long Walk...) and now this; pure Laurence Shames slapstick.

Another reviewer has noted that you learn nothing from this book,and that is true ( except maybe a few old vaudeville jokes ) but if you want learning, read a textbook, if you want to relax and have a few laughs, read this.