Customer Reviews

The Wrong Doyle

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

 

 

Can't disagree more with the reader who thinks this
would make a good Father's Day gift. What father would
want to read a "wanna-be" pirate's novel from a
wanna-be novelist? It reads as phoney to me, sorry.
Very phoney. Not for Mother's Day nor Father's Day.
Like the gentleman writing in from Istanbul,
I could put it down and did. 1 star.

This madcap and sometimes melancholy novel set in the Virginia tidewater region reads like a somewhat more literary riff on a Carl Hiassen caper, right down to the oddball gangsters and the anti-development sermonizing. The protagonist, Tim Doyle, is the latest in a long line of self-made adventurers and rogues. These ancestors are presented in vivid standalone sections prefacing each section. The first of this is a notorious pirate from the 1670s, who may or may not have buried his treasure in Virginia. Later Doyles include a hardscrabble oysterman in the 1770s who sells to George Washington, a gambler in 1850s New Orleans who becomes part of an ill-fated predecessor to the Bay of Pigs operation, a tough as nails oysterman in 1890s Virginia who battles the oyster conglomerates and their hired thugs, and an ex-Marine in post-WWII Los Angeles.

In the present day, Tim Doyle is living in Paris, having been thrown out by his marriage and restaurant by his Spanish wife. He receives a message that his beloved uncle has died, leaving Tim the last remaining Doyle land in Virginia, complete with pirate-themed miniature golf course and roadhouse bar. He arrives to find his uncle's young mistress minding the property, and a surprisingly large offer to buy his land from a real estate development outfit fronted by his old drug-dealing pal Roach. This offer coincides with the appearance of a dissected albino possum left in one of the miniature golf dioramas as a warning, which only gets Doyle's dander up and makes him stubborn and determined not to sell. The story plays out as Doyle doggedly attempts to find out who is after his land and why, as more and more improbable forces are arrayed against him.

As with Hiassen, every character is both improbable and completely engrossing. There's Doyle's ex-girlfriend Bracken, an old money belle who is determined to erase her entire inheritance as fast as possible. His old pal Roach, who has traded his coke dealership for a spot on the city council and lives in a lavish spread with a strange Jamaican servant/mistress. A crew of Irish hoodlums (including a dwarf), led by a ridiculously gay capo whose legitimate business is air conditioning. The gangster's pothead daughter, who is determined to bed Doyle. Not to mention the two dour Fish and Wildlife Service agents who arrive to investigate the dead albino possum...

The plot rattles along at breakneck speed, as Doyle keeps getting attacked, seduced, and general made the target of all manner of mischief. Corrupt corporations figure, as do corrupt local governments, good ole' boy sheriffs, Chinese slave laborers, ancient pirate treasure, and a fight night. It's all over the map, incorporating elements of the thriller, the multigenerational family saga, old fashioned adventure, and sexy romp. Girardi just barely manages to keep it all together, but the sheer exuberance of it all, the oversized characters, vivid language, and fascinating backstory combine to make it a great read.

If you've ever had a thing for pirates (and who has not?!), enjoyed miniature golf on a summer night or go for a semi-raunchy read, then Girardi's The Wrong Doyle is for you. I quite liked it. A terrific summer read, any other time of the year works out pertty good, too. Entertaining and diverting; made me want to visit that part of the Virginia/Maryland coast.

Robert Girardi is a little-known genius who deserves to be much better-known. In an age when women dominate the bestseller lists (Dan Brown notwithstanding) Girardi writes tough, hilarious, touching and downright swashbuckling books for men. Forget DaVinci, The Wrong Doyle will have you dreaming of whiskey, women, fishing and shooting in a picaresque but vanishing little corner of America.