Island Tempest

by Michael Mewshaw

Living on the exclusive resort island of Eden off the coast of Florida after being forced into retirement after a corporate takeover, Frank Pritchard spends his days quietly, reminiscing about his late wife and dreaming up ways to get back at the corporate raiders, but his life takes a bizarre turn thanks to the colorful fellow residents of his gated community. 10,000 first printing.

304 pages, Hardcover

First published October 7, 2004

About the author

Michael Mewshaw is an American author of 11 novels and 8 books of nonfiction, and works frequently as a travel writer, investigative reporter, book reviewer, and tennis reporter. His novel Year of the Gun was made into a film of the same name by John Frankenheimer in 1991. He is married with two sons.

Alan Cheuse, National Public Radio's longtime "voice of books," has called him "the best novelist in America that nobody knows."

Reviews

[Steve Walsh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really 2.5

[False · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frank Pitchard has recently been leading a quiet, rather depressed existence-even though he lives on Eden, an exclusive resort island community off the coast of Florida. Forced into retirement after his company was taken over and "reorganized," he spends his days sitting outside, reading The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook, thinking about his loving deceased wife, and dreaming up ways to get back at the corporate raiders. One bright spot is the lithe and beautiful Ariel, his wife's nurse, who's been hanging around since her death. Another is Randi, an Eden trophy wife currently between husbands. She gives Frank a set of binoculars and introduces him to bird-watching. However, Frank uses the binoculars to spy on Cal Barlow, his crippled next-door neighbor, and one day sees him sitting in his wheelchair, cradling a blue-steel pistol.

The two men strike up a friendship soon afterward, when Cal happens upon Frank pushing a golf cart into the lake. An odd partnership develops. What Frank doesn't know is that Cal is an ex-mobster in witness protection-and that he's sleeping with Randi right under Frank's nose. And Cal doesn't seem to realize that there's an assassin on his tail and that the Feds aren't far behind.

In this wicked and sharply drawn tale of the shady places between good and evil, Michael Mewshaw once again proves himself to be a storyteller of boundless talent.

Amusing. Reminds me of Elmore Leonard, the Florida years.

[LB · Rating 2 out of 5]

Truly boring character study of a man in Florida entering his golden years.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good read. Interesting characters.