Freeze Dry (Hardcover)

by Corson Hirschfeld (Author) "This was to have been a celebratory lunch for Rita Rae and Orlando, but so far there had been no hugs, no making-up-for-lost-time kisses, no..." (more)
Key Phrases: flood tank, mummy room, mammoth tooth, Rita Rae, Reverend Patch, Plato Scopes (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Damon Runyon gets taken for a ride in Hirshfield's offbeat if somewhat labored crime novel featuring a bizarre plot line and the most startlingly yclept cast of characters (e.g., Boogers Tarbell, Creely Patch, Plato Scopes) since Guys and Dolls-or Catch-22. Shickie Doone is one of the most talented con men in the world. But when his latest scam-leading a bogus religious cult known as the Brothers of Light-fails to furnish the long green, he turns to local mobster Thadeus Trout for a loan, then takes off, leaving his wife, Rita Rae Deaver, as well as Trout, high and dry. Trout dispatches his bumbling son, Junior, to collar Shickie and retrieve the loot, but one of his henchmen puts the con man in a meat locker overnight. The result: a freeze-dried Shickie Doone is turned into a mummy. The henchman attempts to dispose of the unwanted corpse, but the body is discovered, resulting in several improbable people attempting to claim Shickie for themselves, including Jimmy Feather (a Native American convinced the mummy is his ancestor), the Brothers of Light and a senior hit man known affectionately as the Hammer. Despite Hirschfeld's strenuous attempts to juggle unlikely plot complications and Runyonesque characters, the novel bogs down in a series of events that really don't add up to much. Still, give Hirschfeld (Too High) credit for trying, and let's hope that his next outing is more successful.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Shickie Doone likes to think he's one of the world's finest con artists, and maybe he is, but recent events don't exactly support that billing. His current scam, in which he poses as the leader of a (bogus) religious group, falls apart. Shickie borrows some money from a mobster, Thadeus Trout, and promptly vanishes with it. Trout sends some large men to bring him back, and Shickie winds up naked in a deep freeze. And that's only the beginning of his misadventures. Hirschfeld's third novel is reminiscent of early Donald E. Westlake: its characters are quirky, the plot is broadly farcical, the humor combines slapstick and wacky dialogue. Recommend this one, strenuously, to Hirschfeld fans, Westlake fans, and anyone who likes off-the-wall comedy mixed with a caper plot. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 464 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; 1 edition (October 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765308002
• ISBN-13: 978-0765308009
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.9 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,220,021 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best yet, October 27, 2003

By	Jerome M. Galvin (Cincinnati, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews

I stumbled on Hirschfeld's first book, "Aloha Mr.Lucky," and quickly realized I was reading something a little more rare, slightly more challenging and tasty than the Westlake/Leonard diet I'd been on, while being every bit as funny.

Naturally, I read the second book, "Too High." Once again he hit the mark with his quirky characters and clever plot.

Now there's "Freeze Dry," and I think it's his best yet. However, I'm sorry to admit in public that it's taken all three books for me to figure out what Hischfeld's doing that the others who write in this genre can't.

Back at book number one, I noticed how quickly he could put me in a scene, a location. He was getting me there in a sentence or two, when it might take other writers paragraphs. Suddenly I figured out how he does that. He's a professional photographer. He sees things differently than you and I do. That aspect of his writing, alone, has made each book a terrific journey . "Freeze Dry" is loaded with wonderful examples of colorful scene-setting that are great mental backdrops for this book's nutso characters and wacko plot.

I hope there's a fourth book in the works. Because wherever it goes, I'm going, too.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book!, October 13, 2003

By	"tess7750" (Atlanta, Georgia) - See all my reviews

Wow. I really loved this book. I mean, who could argue with a plot that features a mysterious mummy, a scheming ex-wife (complete with a lofty beehive), a wayward anthropologist, an ethnically conflicted Native American, and a shaky hit man. Add in a loveably corrupt evangelist and all the tacky fun of Gatlinburg, Tennesse and it's just too much (as in fun). The cinematic finale at the Bible Alive museum is defintely not to be missed! It's a great story, very clever. If you like Carl Hiassen, you'll love Corson Hirchfeld.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read, October 19, 2003

By	Erin Greenwald "erinlgreenwald" (Atlanta, GA United States) - See all my reviews

What a wonderful book! In tradition with Hirchfield's other books, Freeze Dry is full of surprises and crazy characters. Highly recommended.