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Book Review
June 2018 Kathy McIntosh. Mustard's Last Stand Reviewed by C.J. shane |
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Kathy McIntosh is a Tucson author of mystery fiction.
Mustard's Last Stand is the first in her Havoc in Hancock series. She is a short story writer and she has contributed to several anthologies on writing. |
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This book is categorized as suspense-humor and that’s true. But those two words hardly do justice to one of the most oddball adventures I’ve read in a long time. The book starts out following Ed Mustard as he escapes Los Angeles with his ex-wife’s ashes in a mustard jar. Ed is convinced that he’s a major failure. He wasn’t able to save his suicidal ex-wife, and his once-glorious career as a screen writer is on the rocks. He’s busted financially and can’t seem to write another word. So he heads home to Idaho to bail his brother out of jail.
The brother Clifford, more commonly known as Roadkill, is a dedicated environmentalist with almost no common sense who can’t curb his temper or his impulsivity as a consequence. From the first pages of this book, we meet in succession Ed and Roadkill and a cast of characters who define the word “wacky.” I feared at first that I would get these characters mixed up but McIntosh does an admirable job of keeping them sorted out. We meet a group of very pregnant ladies who are establishing a home for pregnant women escaping abusive relationships. We meet a man who “paved paradise and put up a parking lot” in the Idaho woods, while convinced the entire time that God is on his side. There’s the preacher, or is he a scam artist? That’s just the beginning.
The book has numerous scenes that are both funny and suspenseful and sometimes down right tense. Imagine a very pregnant woman stuck under a trailer houses trying to fix the plumbing when the trailer starts to sink and threatens to collapse. She’s saved by Ed’s strong back and a jar of Vaseline!
There is a dark undercurrent to the people’s lives in this story. There is also a strong message about preserving the natural world and conserving wildlife. It’s a strong message but not a heavy-handed one. McIntosh grabbed me early the book when a drunken moron picks up a rifle and shoots a wolf pup. Outrage! I’m on Ed and Roadkill’s side all the way after that.
My only criticism is that things were wrapped up a bit quickly and with little word about what happens to some of the characters. I hope that is resolved in future books in this series. Mustard’s Last Stand is a fun read but one with an important message that goes down with a laugh.
The brother Clifford, more commonly known as Roadkill, is a dedicated environmentalist with almost no common sense who can’t curb his temper or his impulsivity as a consequence. From the first pages of this book, we meet in succession Ed and Roadkill and a cast of characters who define the word “wacky.” I feared at first that I would get these characters mixed up but McIntosh does an admirable job of keeping them sorted out. We meet a group of very pregnant ladies who are establishing a home for pregnant women escaping abusive relationships. We meet a man who “paved paradise and put up a parking lot” in the Idaho woods, while convinced the entire time that God is on his side. There’s the preacher, or is he a scam artist? That’s just the beginning.
The book has numerous scenes that are both funny and suspenseful and sometimes down right tense. Imagine a very pregnant woman stuck under a trailer houses trying to fix the plumbing when the trailer starts to sink and threatens to collapse. She’s saved by Ed’s strong back and a jar of Vaseline!
There is a dark undercurrent to the people’s lives in this story. There is also a strong message about preserving the natural world and conserving wildlife. It’s a strong message but not a heavy-handed one. McIntosh grabbed me early the book when a drunken moron picks up a rifle and shoots a wolf pup. Outrage! I’m on Ed and Roadkill’s side all the way after that.
My only criticism is that things were wrapped up a bit quickly and with little word about what happens to some of the characters. I hope that is resolved in future books in this series. Mustard’s Last Stand is a fun read but one with an important message that goes down with a laugh.