Speed Week (Paperback)

by S. V. Date (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Set on Florida's Racing Riviera during "Speed Week"Athe celebrated annual running of the NASCAR Daytona 500Athis zany hardcover debut by a veteran Florida journalist (Final Orbit) is an unabashed ripoff of fellow journalist Carl Hiaasen's razor-sharp spoofs on life among the high-rise condos and titty bars of South Florida. Here, the action turns on the plight of sleazy Nick Van Horne, middle-aged speedway heir, and his widowed stepmother, Joanna (one year his junior), who are scheming to build a Raceworld theme park on the beach. Nick's estranged wife, Barbie, a former nude poster girl now a self-styled bunny-hugger, is suing to stop them from defiling nesting grounds of endangered sea turtles. Stepmom gives Nick 50 Gs to have Barbie bumped off, but dimwitted Nick decides to find a cut-rate hitman. This ill-considered plan escalates into a Monty Python fiasco as Nick and his money-grubbing girlfriend try to contract a biker Neanderthal and a dopey beach bum pornographer. Factor in an opportunistic crystal-gazer, assorted pool-hustling babes in thong bikinis, a state legislator on the take and good-neighbor Nolin, a lawyer who has a voyeuristic fixation on long-nippled, long-legged Barbie. Date brazenly (but respectfully) pays tribute to the character of Skint, Hiaasen's memorable character, in the persona of chimerical Randall Romer, a former state attorney, ex-navy SEAL war hero who metamorphoses into an avenging crusader, using a trained mako shark named Bruce to exact retribution on eco-despoiling tourists. Taking on Hiaasen's domain is a bold move, and Date's version of dystopic Florida isn't as masterfully styled, though readers may enjoy the plentiful erotica and the antics of these goofy gold diggers.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist
Nick Van Horne's father made his millions in stock-car racing and, near the end of his life, married Joanna, a much-younger woman, to whom he left everything. Now, in order to have any access to the family fortune, Nick must do Joanna's bidding. Her dream is Speed World, a NASCAR theme park to be located in Daytona Beach. She's ready to break ground when a group calling itself Save the Turtles launches a campaign against the park. And guess who directs the turtle-huggers? Nick's estranged wife, Barbie. Nick and Joanna decide to eliminate Barbie, but Nick, composed of equal parts cowardice and idiocy and motivated by greed and testosterone, can't get it right, even with the help of a trained killer shark. In the tradition of Carl Hiaasen and Lawrence Shames, this is a cautionary tale of greed, steamy sex, and irresponsible development populated by characters who have spent too much time in the sun. Fun reading for those who like a little absurdity with their crime. Wes Lukowsky --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (October 10, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425182223
• ISBN-13: 978-0425182222
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,046,738 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fast-paced and witty, September 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Speed Week (Hardcover)

This is a fun read. It moves fast with lots of unexpected plot twists, and has some great characters. There's lots of outrageous sex too--as can be expected from a book set in the sun and sleaze of Daytona beach. Read this book especially if you like Carl Hiassen.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Too, too funny, December 20, 2002

By	Sam (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Speed Week (Hardcover)

I foolishly paid attention to a reviewer below and avoided this book for more than a year, despite having enjoyed Smokeout. So then I read Deep Water and loved it. And then Black Sunshine and loved it. So finally I bought and read Speed Week. And you know what? Hiaasen was right! This book is absolutely, flat-out hilarious! Murder-for-hire in Daytona Beach, with some of the dumbest criminals in the world. As somebody who spent more than one Spring Break down there when I was in college, I can testify that Mr. Date didn't have to make much of this up. Highly recommended.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Out of print? WHY?, June 23, 2001

By	Bridget Hockney (Jacksonville, FL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Speed Week (Hardcover)

Think I like his kooky characters even moreso than Hiassens if that's possible. Like going on a ride at Cedar Point and a ride at the Fair. They're similar, but not quite :-)