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Key Weirder
No man can take too much of a good thing, not even in tropical Key West. When beach-connoisseur Taco Bob decides on a road trip, he leaves the Conch Republic in search of the beautiful woman who broke his heart, and the ultimate trout recipe. But soon after he leaves town, the entire state is in an uproar when a young man on a mission from Texas makes off with the most prized souvenir in Key West. Meanwhile, a sexy but twisted cult leader shows up, determined to find some magical gold idols so she can rule the world, or at least the world of lingerie fashion. But first she has to deal with a renegade bounty hunter, a nearly invisible rival from her past, and the untold thousands of people cramming into Key West for the biggest outdoor concert in the state's history. Taco Bob is going to have plenty of surprises waiting when he returns to the southernmost city in the US. At least it was the southernmost city when he left.
- GenresFiction
233 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2005
11 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 23, 2025
I had wanted to read one of Robert Tacoma's wacky novels set in Key West, but I didn't realize there was one published before this one. The one I should have picked up was the first one, "Key Weird." This book repeatedly refers back to things that happened in that book, so I got a little lost.
Also, I should mention that the first-person narrator, Taco Bob, apparently had a lot more adventures in that book. In this one he just goes fishing a lot, cooks some trout, woos back his old girlfriend and then delivers the literal Deus ex machina that one of the other characters was searching for. That's it.
Meanwhile, the true hero of this book is a young woman named Sara whose bland exterior hides expertise in tracking and karate. She's also adept at the practice of "lucid dreaming." She's part of the Spider Cult that I guess was a big deal in the first book.
In this one, the cult leader, an elderly man named Charlie, has died and left a nasty but attractive woman named Carol in charge of the cult. Sara is determined to revive the now dead cult leader and she believes the only way to do that is to find three gold statues and then use them to bring Charlie back from the dead. She escapes from the California cult headquarters after stealing the two statues that Carol has. She's headed for Key West to locate the third one.
Carol hires a private eye to track down Taco Bob, who has the third statue. The private eye winds up being a nasty piece of work who, in the book's funniest scene, runs into a woman armed with a baseball bat and a guard dog who leave him badly injured. The private eye routinely delights in injuring or killing bikers and before the book is over, he gets his ultimate comeuppance from a biker gang.
Meanwhile Carol herself, and a quivering follower named Jeremy, fly to Florida to try to track down Taco Bob on their own. Carol makes Jeremy wear a shock collar so she can control him and more than once she zaps Jeremy at highly inopportune moments.
There's also a long and involved side plot involving a young man from Texas who steals the Southernmost Point from Key West and takes it back to his homeland because he's convinced Texas, not Florida, should possess the southernmost point. The governor of Florida then convenes a massive fundraising effort to replace it, complete with a comeback concert by a singer named Marty Manatee who sounds a lot like Jimmy Buffett.
There are some interesting interludes where Sara goes into the 10,000 Islands and the Everglades and has a mystical experience with two boys who may or may not be ancient beings, and the slapstick stuff is amusing. But I think the overall shaggy dog nature of the book works against it. It's a pleasant read but now I really feel like I need to go find the first book and read that one.
Also, I should mention that the first-person narrator, Taco Bob, apparently had a lot more adventures in that book. In this one he just goes fishing a lot, cooks some trout, woos back his old girlfriend and then delivers the literal Deus ex machina that one of the other characters was searching for. That's it.
Meanwhile, the true hero of this book is a young woman named Sara whose bland exterior hides expertise in tracking and karate. She's also adept at the practice of "lucid dreaming." She's part of the Spider Cult that I guess was a big deal in the first book.
In this one, the cult leader, an elderly man named Charlie, has died and left a nasty but attractive woman named Carol in charge of the cult. Sara is determined to revive the now dead cult leader and she believes the only way to do that is to find three gold statues and then use them to bring Charlie back from the dead. She escapes from the California cult headquarters after stealing the two statues that Carol has. She's headed for Key West to locate the third one.
Carol hires a private eye to track down Taco Bob, who has the third statue. The private eye winds up being a nasty piece of work who, in the book's funniest scene, runs into a woman armed with a baseball bat and a guard dog who leave him badly injured. The private eye routinely delights in injuring or killing bikers and before the book is over, he gets his ultimate comeuppance from a biker gang.
Meanwhile Carol herself, and a quivering follower named Jeremy, fly to Florida to try to track down Taco Bob on their own. Carol makes Jeremy wear a shock collar so she can control him and more than once she zaps Jeremy at highly inopportune moments.
There's also a long and involved side plot involving a young man from Texas who steals the Southernmost Point from Key West and takes it back to his homeland because he's convinced Texas, not Florida, should possess the southernmost point. The governor of Florida then convenes a massive fundraising effort to replace it, complete with a comeback concert by a singer named Marty Manatee who sounds a lot like Jimmy Buffett.
There are some interesting interludes where Sara goes into the 10,000 Islands and the Everglades and has a mystical experience with two boys who may or may not be ancient beings, and the slapstick stuff is amusing. But I think the overall shaggy dog nature of the book works against it. It's a pleasant read but now I really feel like I need to go find the first book and read that one.
December 10, 2013
Tacoma easily picks up where he left off with his debut. Like any good writer, you could read this second novel without having yet read the first. Characters are cross referenced, but chronological reading order is not necessary. Love the sub plots. Looking forward to reading more of him.
December 27, 2013
Tacoma is among several authors who write about goofy goings-on in Florida (i.e., Hiaasen, MacDonald, White) and he does a pretty good job of capturing tropical excesses. This book stays true to the formula and creatively includes recipes as well!
May 27, 2011
Author got his feet under him more solidly for book 2.
May 1, 2013
Enjoyable, in a light, ridiculous way.
June 27, 2021
Sic him Fluffy!
Want to read
February 21, 2014Cousin Ellen rec
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews