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Chrome Sombrero
On the run from the Wisconsin Mafia for gambling debt, laid-off snowmobile factory worker, Joe Chromansky, destitute and desperate, flees to an abandoned houseboat in the Florida Keys. Accompanied by a mysterious woman, he agrees to lead a ragged expedition to Cuba to steal Fidel Castro's baseball card collection, only to find his real trouble has begun - fatherhood.
Powered by a pink Ferrari, chain-smoking lawyer, historic fire poker, and homemade missiles, this rollicking tale of tropical mayhem drags Joe and his new squeeze on a mad sprint between exotic and not-so-exotic locations from Wisconsin to Florida, Cuba to Las Vegas and, finally (or is it?), Switzerland.
Powered by a pink Ferrari, chain-smoking lawyer, historic fire poker, and homemade missiles, this rollicking tale of tropical mayhem drags Joe and his new squeeze on a mad sprint between exotic and not-so-exotic locations from Wisconsin to Florida, Cuba to Las Vegas and, finally (or is it?), Switzerland.
306 pages, ebook
First published December 27, 2011
4 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 22, 2012
The best Florida fiction you've never read
The recently released digital book (Kindle, Nook, iPad), Chrome Sombrero, comes to you highly recommended by the crack team of book reviewers here at Florida Pulp Fiction, a single person outfit consisting of, me, who also happens to be the author of the book in question. Though millions of readers have yet to make their way to the 'buy' button, and the last name on the book isn't Hiaasen, Dorsey, White, Leonard, MacDonald, or Shames, does it make the story any less legitimate?
Well, yes, actually it does. As a brand spanking new book, Chrome Sombrero remains unchristened in the court of public opinion, though it promises a rollicking good time, even if it is a bit off-kilter. If you find yourself returning again and again to the last names mentioned in the paragraph above, why not give the new guy a shot? Once upon a time, Carl Hiaasen had a first book.
The story? It's your standard story of a laid-off snowmobile factory worker, Joe Chromansky, who bets against the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl, then finds himself indebted to the miniscule Wisconsin Mafia when he doesn't have the five grand to pay the bill, and is forced to flee the northern land (after a strange gun battle in the K-Mart parking lot) for an abandoned houseboat in the Florida Keys, where he meets a cast of characters including a mysterious CIA agent, an ill-tempered raccoon, and gibberish speaking refugee of indeterminate geographical status.
Before long, and at the behest of a chain-smoking Key West attorney who may or may not be a shady character herself, Joe finds himself embroiled in a secret mission to Cuba involving Castro's baseball cards. This tropical tale of adventure, woe, and millions of dollars found, lost, then found again, teaches the reader how fatherhood can happen in the strangest of places, and exactly how NOT to handle it when it happens to you.
Chrome Sombrero borrows a bit from Tim Dorsey, a bit from Carl Hiaasen, but tosses in a whole lot of delusional paranoia in a first person narrative that has yet to be called “reminiscent of the American classic, Catch-22” by any legitimate book reviewer. Is Joe wound too tightly or does he just have incredibly bad instincts? The answer to those questions are 'yes' and 'yes'.
The point is this. To fans of the smallish but devoted Florida fiction genre, called Florida Noir in some quarters, finding a new writer who gets it is like discovering pure gold nuggets sitting on your bedside table when you wake up in the morning. Sure, you might have set them there the night before, but it's still a pretty great thing to feast your eyes on those lovely rocks. And, yes, they might even have a certificate of authenticity declaring them to be nothing more than Fool's Gold, but being a fool should not prohibit a person from owning a few chunks of earth that almost look like they could be valuable.
Consider this your personal invitation to join Joe, Delaney, Ringworm, and Taco on the adventure of the a lifetime. Chrome Sombrero - quite possibly the best Florida fiction you've never read.
Stay safe and watch for falling coconuts!
Derek and the Florida Pulp Fiction Team
The recently released digital book (Kindle, Nook, iPad), Chrome Sombrero, comes to you highly recommended by the crack team of book reviewers here at Florida Pulp Fiction, a single person outfit consisting of, me, who also happens to be the author of the book in question. Though millions of readers have yet to make their way to the 'buy' button, and the last name on the book isn't Hiaasen, Dorsey, White, Leonard, MacDonald, or Shames, does it make the story any less legitimate?
Well, yes, actually it does. As a brand spanking new book, Chrome Sombrero remains unchristened in the court of public opinion, though it promises a rollicking good time, even if it is a bit off-kilter. If you find yourself returning again and again to the last names mentioned in the paragraph above, why not give the new guy a shot? Once upon a time, Carl Hiaasen had a first book.
The story? It's your standard story of a laid-off snowmobile factory worker, Joe Chromansky, who bets against the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl, then finds himself indebted to the miniscule Wisconsin Mafia when he doesn't have the five grand to pay the bill, and is forced to flee the northern land (after a strange gun battle in the K-Mart parking lot) for an abandoned houseboat in the Florida Keys, where he meets a cast of characters including a mysterious CIA agent, an ill-tempered raccoon, and gibberish speaking refugee of indeterminate geographical status.
Before long, and at the behest of a chain-smoking Key West attorney who may or may not be a shady character herself, Joe finds himself embroiled in a secret mission to Cuba involving Castro's baseball cards. This tropical tale of adventure, woe, and millions of dollars found, lost, then found again, teaches the reader how fatherhood can happen in the strangest of places, and exactly how NOT to handle it when it happens to you.
Chrome Sombrero borrows a bit from Tim Dorsey, a bit from Carl Hiaasen, but tosses in a whole lot of delusional paranoia in a first person narrative that has yet to be called “reminiscent of the American classic, Catch-22” by any legitimate book reviewer. Is Joe wound too tightly or does he just have incredibly bad instincts? The answer to those questions are 'yes' and 'yes'.
The point is this. To fans of the smallish but devoted Florida fiction genre, called Florida Noir in some quarters, finding a new writer who gets it is like discovering pure gold nuggets sitting on your bedside table when you wake up in the morning. Sure, you might have set them there the night before, but it's still a pretty great thing to feast your eyes on those lovely rocks. And, yes, they might even have a certificate of authenticity declaring them to be nothing more than Fool's Gold, but being a fool should not prohibit a person from owning a few chunks of earth that almost look like they could be valuable.
Consider this your personal invitation to join Joe, Delaney, Ringworm, and Taco on the adventure of the a lifetime. Chrome Sombrero - quite possibly the best Florida fiction you've never read.
Stay safe and watch for falling coconuts!
Derek and the Florida Pulp Fiction Team
October 22, 2014
While he certainly doesn't write "lofty literature," Carl Hiaasen is nonetheless one of my favorite authors. His books give me what I turn to fiction for: entertainment and escapism. In Hiaasen's case, the escape nearly always involves Florida and just as often contains a none-too-subtle jab at those defiling his beloved Floridian landscape. In the end, though, it's the voice and his style that keep readers coming back, not the politics.
Because he's not terribly prolific (one book every 2-3 years, not counting his "youth" output or nonfiction), Hiaasen fans must seek gratification elsewhere. Luckily for me--and the rest of you--there is Derek Dowell. Arriving fully-formed from seemingly nowhere, "Chrome Sombero" is everything that is great about a Hiaasen book, and doubles down on the wackiness and violence, giving Tim Dorsey a run for his money. Dowell is obviously a student and an ardent fan of Florida pulp fiction (in fact, he's started a website of the same name:[...] and for a debut effort, this is a rock solid contender, at once an homage and strikingly original.
The plot--which is sometimes almost incidental to the breathtaking action and the set pieces, particularly the object in the title--follows Joe Chromansky on the run from the Mafia as he tries to escape a gambling debt. Although he's basically a lowlife, Chromansky (also the narrator) somehow elicits our sympathy and has us rooting for him--if only by being slightly smarter and craftier than the real bad guys. Along the way he picks up a love interest, a Pink Ferrari and a few million bucks (which aren't technically his). I won't put any spoilers in here, but it's a rollicking ride from start to the sequel-begging finish.
Very much looking forward to the next entry from Dowell!
Because he's not terribly prolific (one book every 2-3 years, not counting his "youth" output or nonfiction), Hiaasen fans must seek gratification elsewhere. Luckily for me--and the rest of you--there is Derek Dowell. Arriving fully-formed from seemingly nowhere, "Chrome Sombero" is everything that is great about a Hiaasen book, and doubles down on the wackiness and violence, giving Tim Dorsey a run for his money. Dowell is obviously a student and an ardent fan of Florida pulp fiction (in fact, he's started a website of the same name:[...] and for a debut effort, this is a rock solid contender, at once an homage and strikingly original.
The plot--which is sometimes almost incidental to the breathtaking action and the set pieces, particularly the object in the title--follows Joe Chromansky on the run from the Mafia as he tries to escape a gambling debt. Although he's basically a lowlife, Chromansky (also the narrator) somehow elicits our sympathy and has us rooting for him--if only by being slightly smarter and craftier than the real bad guys. Along the way he picks up a love interest, a Pink Ferrari and a few million bucks (which aren't technically his). I won't put any spoilers in here, but it's a rollicking ride from start to the sequel-begging finish.
Very much looking forward to the next entry from Dowell!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews