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Stinking Rich
What could possibly go wrong when the backwoods Libidos Motorcycle Club hires a high school dropout to tend a barn full of high-grade marijuana? Plenty, it turns out. In a world where indoor plumbing’s optional and each local wacko is more twisted than the last, drug money draws reprobates like moths to a lantern. From loveable losers to gnarly thugs and law-and-order wannabes, every last one of them has an angle—their best shot at being stinking rich. And with their own warped ideas about right, wrong, and retribution, the Libidos aren’t far behind. “Brunet’s hilarious caper [is] populated with a motley collection of unforgettable would-be heroes, all scrabbling for a piece of the action. Thoroughly entertaining!” —Owen Laukkanen, Anthony-, Barry-, ITW-, and Spinetingler-nominated author of The Professionals, Criminal Enterprise, and Kill Fee “One of the wildest romps you’ll ever go on…the cast is right out of a John Waters movie and with more unexpected twists and wrong turns than a blind rat on crack running a maze. This book rocks!” —Les Edgerton, O. Henry-, Edgar Allan Poe, and Spinetingler-nominated author of The Bitch and The Genuine, Imitation Plastic Kidnapping “If Carl Hiaasen were Canadian and enjoyed partaking in a little Class D substance for recreation, then you’d have an idea of what Stinking Rich has for you between its covers.” —Todd Robinson, Anthony-nominated author of The Hard Bounce
296 pages, Paperback
First published August 24, 2014
2 people are currently reading
651 people want to read
About the author
Rob Brunet
11 books17 followersRob Brunet’s debut novel is
Stinking Rich
, from Down & Out Books. His crime fiction appears in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Thuglit, Crimespree, Shotgun Honey, Out of the Gutter, Noir Nation, and numerous anthologies. Before writing noir, Brunet ran a digital media boutique producing award-winning Web presence for film and TV, including LOST, Frank Miller’s Sin City, and the cult series Alias. He loves the bush, beaches, and bonfires.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
July 25, 2014
I had a lot of fun reading STINKING RICH. Author Rob Brunet’s style can be likened to Carl Hiaasen (author of SKINNY DIP) and Marc Lecard (author VINNIES HEAD) in that STINKING RICH deftly trapeses the genre defying tight rope swaying either side of black humour and serious crime – well, at least in the minds of the biker gangsters.
For lead character Danny Grant, crime paves the way for some easy cash – and as for a murder rap? Well, that was an accident – the baseball bat, the dog, and the deceased, all in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Brunet has a gift to making a mockery of murder while still making the event plausible and within context; the aforementioned baseball bat incident a near perfect example. There’s also a laugh out loud near miss involving throwing knives and a mensroom door – I’ll leave that to the reader to discover.
While this is clearly Danny Grants’ story – a story of dreams, pot, and family amidst dodging bullets and dog bites, I thought it was Buzz and Skeritt, two peripheral characters that anchored the plot to the point of almost demanding further exploration. It’s always a good sign when an author is able to craft multi-dimensional characters that leap off the page and STINKING RICH is full of them.
Review first appeared on my blog: http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...
For lead character Danny Grant, crime paves the way for some easy cash – and as for a murder rap? Well, that was an accident – the baseball bat, the dog, and the deceased, all in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Brunet has a gift to making a mockery of murder while still making the event plausible and within context; the aforementioned baseball bat incident a near perfect example. There’s also a laugh out loud near miss involving throwing knives and a mensroom door – I’ll leave that to the reader to discover.
While this is clearly Danny Grants’ story – a story of dreams, pot, and family amidst dodging bullets and dog bites, I thought it was Buzz and Skeritt, two peripheral characters that anchored the plot to the point of almost demanding further exploration. It’s always a good sign when an author is able to craft multi-dimensional characters that leap off the page and STINKING RICH is full of them.
Review first appeared on my blog: http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...
July 28, 2014
Stinking Rich is wicked, exuberant, and delightfully hilarious! Rob Brunet is a wonderful writer and his characters are crafted to perfection. Compelling, lovable and disaster-prone, you really will laugh out loud as you follow the foibles and failings that come with lives teetering close to the edge of catastrophe. And, if comparison must be sought, I'd say that Stinking Rich is the crossroads where Carl Hiaasen meets Hunter S. Thompson meets James Crumley… What's not to love?
September 16, 2014
A terrific debut novel! A collection of lovable - and not so lovable - losers, an angry dog, a whack of pot and a stash of cash combine to make this a hilarious backwoods joyride. The dialogue is spot on, and the characters remind me of the guys my Dad forbid me to date. I look forward to Brunet's next book.
December 16, 2016
Drug dealers, bikers, crooked cops, shady lawyers, and high school dropouts, all double crossing and backstabbing each other. The story is part Carl Hiaasen, part Tim Dorsey. The surprise for me was it is written by a Canadian, and takes place in Canada. Loses one star because there are times when it just doesn't seamlessly flow together. But overall a very funny and enjoyable book.
July 19, 2016
Won this from the goodreads giveaway.
Bikers and stoner watching their crop of weed. Angry dog, baseball bat and dead friend. Buried with dog. Paranoid iguana. Jailed Stoney. Hijacked rv with granny in the back. Hidden money in an outhouse. Bikers and Indians and cops in a shoot out on an island because of the money and a personal vendetta.
Not a bad book, there were some good spots in it with some funny black humor types. Ending seems kind of abrupt.
Bikers and stoner watching their crop of weed. Angry dog, baseball bat and dead friend. Buried with dog. Paranoid iguana. Jailed Stoney. Hijacked rv with granny in the back. Hidden money in an outhouse. Bikers and Indians and cops in a shoot out on an island because of the money and a personal vendetta.
Not a bad book, there were some good spots in it with some funny black humor types. Ending seems kind of abrupt.
June 21, 2016
Funny crime story set in Ontario's cottage country, with a compelling cast of locals (the rural poor, drifters, bikers). The plot twists and turns, not because of some evil genius but because of the characters' mistakes--one of this book's great delights. A great first novel, looking forward to reading more.
January 17, 2016
This was a fun read with a cast of colourful, offbeat characters and a lot of laughs. Refreshing to read a crime story with "dumb criminals". The 'dialogue' between Danny and the lizard was one of my favourite parts. Looking forward to Rob Brunet's next novel.
March 12, 2021
Nothing hangs together. Poor plot, “dumb characters, dumber writing”. At least the Farelly brothers are funny. It’s not just that Stinking Rich is bad. It’s that it’s Stinking Bad in ways that seem a twelve year old wrote it. Who wrote these reviews? His friends? Pass and don’t look back.
January 22, 2020
unsympathetic characters, no plot for 5 chapters, average writing, abandoned.
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March 25, 2020Did not finish this one. I thought it was a dark comedy, but I didn't find it funny. Dog killed.
May 18, 2024
2/10 - This one should be right down my alley, but it was a chore- over the top and not in a good way.
October 20, 2014
High school drop out Danny has landed his dream job - tending a grow-op for an outlaw biker gang. The work is easy, the money's good and the dope is free. What could go wrong? Plenty as it turns out.
The grow-op burns, the cops raid the place, Danny accidental kills one of the other ne'er-do-well characters that populate the novel, and $750,000 of the bikers' money goes missing. Everyone starts scheming and backstabbing, trying to find and get away with the money.
Stinking Rich is a rollicking good farce, a style that sadly seems to have gone out of style. I don't often laugh out loud when reading - I did with this book.
This is not a book for the squeamish or the politically correct. Brunet's wit is razor sharp, savage, at times even cruel. It is also devastatingly funny. No one is spared, not the bikers, the cops, native Indians, urban hipsters and local yokels - Brunet skewers them all. At times the writing reminded me of the biting satire of Evelyn Waugh's "The Loved One".
If I could, I'd give the book 4 1/2 stars, but I always round down. My one criticism of the book has to do with the characterization. Danny, the protagonist, morphs half way through the book from a complete bumbling moron, to a street smart petty schemer. Granted four years have passed but this is not as well elucidated as it might be. Some of the other minor characters are a shade too stereotyped and over the top. But that's the nature of farce and a matter of personal taste.
Overall, it's a great read, a good deal of fun and a barrel of laughs.
The grow-op burns, the cops raid the place, Danny accidental kills one of the other ne'er-do-well characters that populate the novel, and $750,000 of the bikers' money goes missing. Everyone starts scheming and backstabbing, trying to find and get away with the money.
Stinking Rich is a rollicking good farce, a style that sadly seems to have gone out of style. I don't often laugh out loud when reading - I did with this book.
This is not a book for the squeamish or the politically correct. Brunet's wit is razor sharp, savage, at times even cruel. It is also devastatingly funny. No one is spared, not the bikers, the cops, native Indians, urban hipsters and local yokels - Brunet skewers them all. At times the writing reminded me of the biting satire of Evelyn Waugh's "The Loved One".
If I could, I'd give the book 4 1/2 stars, but I always round down. My one criticism of the book has to do with the characterization. Danny, the protagonist, morphs half way through the book from a complete bumbling moron, to a street smart petty schemer. Granted four years have passed but this is not as well elucidated as it might be. Some of the other minor characters are a shade too stereotyped and over the top. But that's the nature of farce and a matter of personal taste.
Overall, it's a great read, a good deal of fun and a barrel of laughs.
December 2, 2014
I received this book free from a Firstreads Giveaway.
It's a pretty good adventure/crime book. There's not a ton of action, but there is a lot of crime of all sorts. There are many characters and eventually you will keep them straight because they keep reappearing. Character development is limited, but there is enough of a backstory for some to give some depth. Others possess little quirks and traits ranging from comical to chariacture-esque, like a lawyer who's always trying to take what's not hers or a biker always somehow being covered in poo. It's not a great work of literature or a skillful telling of an investigation. However, if you are looking for a fun, easy story about a dozen people trying to get their hands on a crap-ton of money, you will find it among the pages of Brunet's book. I found the last 50 pages to be quite enjoyable and found myself putting off cooking dinner to finish the book. I recommend it for a fun read,
It's a pretty good adventure/crime book. There's not a ton of action, but there is a lot of crime of all sorts. There are many characters and eventually you will keep them straight because they keep reappearing. Character development is limited, but there is enough of a backstory for some to give some depth. Others possess little quirks and traits ranging from comical to chariacture-esque, like a lawyer who's always trying to take what's not hers or a biker always somehow being covered in poo. It's not a great work of literature or a skillful telling of an investigation. However, if you are looking for a fun, easy story about a dozen people trying to get their hands on a crap-ton of money, you will find it among the pages of Brunet's book. I found the last 50 pages to be quite enjoyable and found myself putting off cooking dinner to finish the book. I recommend it for a fun read,
December 16, 2014
Despite reading a lot of generally favorable reviews, this book was just not my cup of tea. I like my main characters to be smart enough to NOT light up a joint in celebration of having escaped a drug sniffing dog.
Although parts of the story were amusing at times (I did like the grandma in the RV), it felt like a convoluted series of obstacles and increasingly ludicrous solutions. Also, the constant gush of bodily fluids (characters are never safe from a variety of circumstances that may leave them covered in shit at any time) makes it seem like the book is really geared towards anyone with a twelve year old's sense of humor - or maybe just someone who is super stoned.
Although parts of the story were amusing at times (I did like the grandma in the RV), it felt like a convoluted series of obstacles and increasingly ludicrous solutions. Also, the constant gush of bodily fluids (characters are never safe from a variety of circumstances that may leave them covered in shit at any time) makes it seem like the book is really geared towards anyone with a twelve year old's sense of humor - or maybe just someone who is super stoned.
January 5, 2015
Cohen Brothers On Speed
My first thought as I became quickly engaged with Stinking Rich was that I was reading a script for a Coen Brother's movie and that feeling stayed with me throughout the book - in a good way! It's a rollicking, barnstormer of a novel populated by characters so true to type, it hurts. Brunet describes the underbelly of a rich people's vacation territory with panache, a marvellous ability with words and a great narrative that kept me interested. Incredible accomplishment for a debut novel.
December 27, 2014
Perko Ratwick won my heart, but this book is so full of crazy, half-baked characters, it wasn't an easy choice. Gosh, what a fun read. Brunet knows how to mix dumb people, dogs, pot and crime into the tastiest stew of a crime novel I've read in a while. You'll be laughing hard between the acts of violence and some of the nuttiest action I've ever read. Did I already say what a fun read? Ok then. Try it. There's even a lizard that kind of talks.
January 25, 2015
A howling good read. Stinking Rich will have you laughing out loud from the first chapter. Rob Brunet is a major talent in the the crime fiction world, braiding a twisted sense of humour with loveable loser characters and snappy, unexpected plot.
And while you're impatiently waiting for his next novel – having greedily devoured Stinking Rich – look for Brunet's short stories across the web and hanging out in some terrific anthologies.
And while you're impatiently waiting for his next novel – having greedily devoured Stinking Rich – look for Brunet's short stories across the web and hanging out in some terrific anthologies.
March 7, 2015
I met Rob Brunet at the 2014 BoucherCon in Long Beach and was captivated by his book's premise: What could possibly go wrong when a motorcycle club hires a high school drop out to tend a barn full of marijuana? Sadly, the book is neither as fun nor as interesting as this premise might suggest. All of the characters are self-absorbed knuckle-draggers, and many are cruel, so you end up rooting for no one. Ok, maybe the gecko.
The ending is the best part of the book.
The ending is the best part of the book.
February 4, 2020
Sometimes it's tough to go from a horror binge to crime fiction. The pacing was a little slow in the beginning as the book develops the characters, but by end of the novel, you're laughing at the stupidity of some, and shaking your head at the shenanigans of others.
A decent read for those who like quirky novels about yokels, buffoons and rubes.
A decent read for those who like quirky novels about yokels, buffoons and rubes.
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February 2, 2015reading...
October 21, 2015
This book is hilarious. Really, you gotta love a bunch of bumbling backwoods goons when they screw up. Get a copy, read it, then pass it to your hubby. :)
August 3, 2015
This book is full of colorful and quirky characters. It is funny and has a lot of action.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews