Whiplash River by Lou Berney

Morning, all. I'm a stop on the TLC tour for Lou Berney's Whiplash River this morning. If you like your mysteries with a whole lot of funny, you need to check out Berney's Shake Bouchon series!

Shake's dreams have finally come true! The ex wheelman is the proud owner of his very own restaurant in Belize. Course he had to take out a pretty big loan from the local drug lord, Baby Jesus, a man who wants his payments no matter what. And it's kind of bad for business when a guy comes in and shoots up the place one evening. But it's even worse when the whole restaurant explodes, leaving Shake with no source of income. Soon Shake finds himself on the run and picking up his old crime boots once again as he joins forces with his ex on a heist that could mean a serious score. 

This is the second book in the series, though I've not had the pleasure of reading book one, Gutshot Straight. And oh, how I wish I had! Don't get me wrong, Whiplash River can definitely be read on its own and as an intro to the series without any issues, but it's clear that Shake has more of a story and now I want to know what it is!

So feel free to start with Whiplash and be prepared to run out and buy Gutshot as well.

Whiplash is sort of a caper mystery. There's a lot of play on Ocean's Eleven (and quite a few mentions of it) and the book is heavy on the humor, which is pretty great in my opinion. In truth, Whiplash River was the perfect weekend read for me. It's silly and a bit WTF?! at a few points, but it's pure entertainment (and would make a fabulous movie! I picture Peter Weller a la Dexter as Quinn!). Berney's dialogue in particular is witty and snappy. Paired with a quick pace it makes for an excellent one-sitting read. I'd recommend fixing up an umbrella drink and finding a good spot in the shade for this one: once you begin, you'll be hardpressed to stop before you reach the end!

For more stops on the tour, visit the official TLC page here. And for more on Berney and his work, visit his website (above). You can also like Whiplash and Gutshot on Facebook.