Zig Zag

by J.D. O'Brien

“A stoned odyssey across the dive bars, neon-lit motels, and lost highways of the American West.” Capri Dall has a foolproof plan to knock over the marijuana dispensary where she works. But when her boyfriend botches the heist, the two of them end up in a stolen car with a trunkful of rare high-end weed―and an unhinged security guard on their trail. Harry Robatore is a burned-out rhinestone cowboy, barely scraping by as a bail bondsman. Agreeing to help out an old pal, and settle his bar tab, he sets out to track down the lovers on the run. The chase begins in the San Fernando Valley and leads him deep into the heart of the Mojave Desert―building to an explosive showdown at a ghost town tourist trap. Zig Zag is equal parts Elmore Leonard and Charles Portis―with Larry McMurtry’s cowboy hat along for the ride.

Genres: Fiction, Crime, Humor

301 pages, Hardcover

First published January 3, 2023

Reviews

[Dona's Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Capri watches Elmer stack $ 1,800 in hundreds and twenties, counting it out twice, on the kitchen table. The fucker haggled the price of a pound down from $ 2,500. Talking to her like she was an idiot the whole time, satisfied with himself. He wanted to buy even more but the price he offered was insulting and he said it would have required a trip to the bank anyway. She just wants to be done with this guy.

While he was getting the money together, she noticed there was more in the safe.... And he left it open. It’s all she’s thinking about it on the walk back to the car. The old bastard giving her the short end of the stick. Then handing them a bag of candy on the way out like they were kids on Halloween.

When they get to the car, Ted gets in the passenger seat and roots through the bag of edibles. Capri grabs the tire iron out of the trunk and walks back toward the trailer. p134

ZIG ZAG by J.D. O'Brien has a fantastic villian. I love Capri even more when O'Brien turns up her evil factor, like when she robs Elmer in the scene I excerpted above, and afterward, considers shooting an ostrich out of curiosity. Who can love an evil sex worker who connives an idiot manchild, takes a tire iron to a slick old dirtbag, and wonders about shooting big bird? Me. I totally can.

Capri is one of only two woman characters in this entire novel; the other is Ruby, the protagonist, Harry's maybe sorta girlfriend--but also a spritely girl much younger than he, a total stoner but also a self-sufficient professional, mommish but never marmish, sexpot nurse. No, not the kind dressed in white rubber and a little hat. (Well, maybe sometimes, I guess; the descriptions of their sex lives are pretty graphic. Not in the sexy way.) She's a real nurse, an RN.

ZIG ZAG is full of asides and soliloquys, sometimes spanning whole chapters, that do nothing but lengthen the manuscript. Maybe because that's how stoners think and tell stories? Regardless of cleverness, I thought it made for a difficult read.

This one just wasn't for me, which made me sad. I was excited for it, *and* the writer is a longtime bartender, like my M. It's not the kind of book I would tell readers to avoid; rather, I would tell them it's an acquired taste. Like a lot of liquors.

Thank you NetGalley, J.D. O'Brien, and Schaffner Press for the ARC of ZIG ZAG.

Rating 2.5 stars, rounded up for my girl Capri
Finished September 2022
Recommended for fans of stoner comedies, drinking comedies, crime capers, drug capers, character driven stories
TW⚠️ excessive alcohol and drug consumption, excessive violence, guns and shootings, police and law enforcement, prison (off page, mostly)

✔️September Pick 8/18
✔️Nothing But Challenges 2022 Author Alphabet Challenge: [O.] J.D. O'Brien

*Follow my Instagram book blog for all my reviews, challenges, and book lists! http://www.instagram.com/donasbooks *

[Bandit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m the first to rate and review this book. A privilege and a pleasure when the book is good. So, let’s do this…
Reading outside of my comfort zone sometimes means (armchair)traveling outside of my comfort zone. The West - wild wild or otherwise – has never been my jam. Not the cowboys, not the dust, not the culture nor the patois. And yet…
This book charmed me completely. Surprisingly so.
Its protagonist, the self-style rhinestone cowboy bail bondsman/bounty hunter, and the various and colorful characters he interacts with and encounters as he tries to locate a small time criminal who jumped bail were singular delights of offbeat randomness and delightful aphorisms. The West was a character too, vivid and cinematic. In fact, the entire book comes to life as you read it – and plays like one of those offbeat crime drama/comedies. My sleepy brain can only come up with Fargo for comparison, which I know isn’t ideal and way off geographically, but there it is.
All in all, this book was oodles of fun. A most impressive debut novel for an author who knows how to zig and zag his narrative to tell a good story. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/

[Laura Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zig Zag is one hell of an entertaining read! I think I have a contact high.

I received a drc from the publisher via Netgalley.

[Stephanie (aka WW) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book surprised me, in a good way. I’m not sure it’s literary fiction, but it IS well-written…at times laugh-out-loud funny and, at other times, frenzied, like an action movie. The story revolves around Harry, a not-afraid-of-anything bail bondsman in a small town near the deserts of western US. When local dancer Capri talks her boyfriend Ted into stealing a load of high-quality marijuana from the dispensary that Capri works for, it sets in motion a chase involving Harry, Ted’s lawyer Gus, and the dispensary’s slightly unhinged law enforcement. The race to track down the fugitives builds to a fight in a western ghost town and the result is downright violent.

No one in Zig Zag is ever not smoking marijuana…it’s like a haze that follows the characters around. And no one passes by on a drink (or five or ten) when there’s one to be had. I was thoroughly entertained by the whole of it. Most of the time, it’s good old western fun, but sometimes it’s downright slapstick, like the time Harry and Gus take to horses when their car breaks down. Let’s just say drinking and smoking don’t mix well with riding horses. I recommend this to anyone who likes the wild west with a side of pot and a good dose of humor. My husband is already reading it because I put it in his hands with the directive to “read”.

Thanks to NetGalley and Schaffner Press for providing me with an e-ARC.

[Aaron Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really solid debut. It is a fun, pulpy, contemporary western bubbling with the seedy characters of Los Angeles's darker corners. It is definitely a novel of its place, the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, a place I have lived and know well. The Author knows its streets and locales, often referencing them by name. Mr. O'Brien does a good job of giving you a feel for the place, even if you hadn't been there. Mostly though this is just an entertaining crime story. There is no literary ambition or social message and that is perfect. The author does the one job that all authors have, though so many lose sight of: make the reader want to turn to the next page and continue reading. The central character is a joy to follow. An elderly cowboy, at the bottom rung of the shady bail bondsman business with a best friend who is the proprietor of a dying dive bar. Their antagonists are the best friend's son, a dumb deadbeat desperately hanging on to the affections of a beautiful former prostitute who is looking to make a big score on the marijuana dispensary she begrudgingly works for. And things pick up and continue from there. If you are looking for an entertaining read, this really does the job. Good debut novel.

Thanks to Netgalley for ARC

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great, fun read. The characters are human. The story line plausible. There was no sudden reveal, which is great to see, and the story played out in a way which was logical but surprised. Zig Zag was exactly what I was looking for. Best of luck to the author. O'Brien has a unique, easy going, and interesting voice.

[Duncan Birmingham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short review - loved it. Longer review forthcoming.

[Lauren Boyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zig Zag is the novel I've been waiting for! Following Harry as you go through the washed out deserts, dimly lit dive bars, neon-sign adorned hotels, and diners who seem to only serve tan colored foods, will take you through the most hilarious chase of your life. These characters had me howling with laughter and craving for more. J.D. O'Brien has a real knack for making you feel like you're a part of the crew, while at the same time confirming that you are the level-headed, smart one of the crew.

What Harry lacks in ambition he makes up for in heart, and what Capri lacks in conscience she makes up for in love-to-hate excitement. This is a true gem, I will be first in line for the next novel by J.D. O'Brien!

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly good story. It's impressive that this is the author's first novel. I hope this finds a large audience. The writing is great, and the story is fun, engaging, funny, and more. Recommended. I look forward to JD's next work.

Thanks very much for the free ARC for review!!

[Ashley Hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pulp fiction western with more polish and wit than expected. I truly enjoyed the fun ride this book took me on.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOW! A picaresque and gripping story that makes you feel dizzy and kept me turning pages.
An excellent debut
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

For fans of Dutch Leonard, the Flying Burrito Bros and good grass.

[Wendy W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zig Zag is a remarkable debut novel that blends elements of a classic heist story/crime caper with stoner culture, adding a side order of vintage cowboy panache. If ever a book cried out for a screen adaptation, it's this one; as I read it I kept thinking about who would play these characters on-screen and how amazing the soundtrack would be. J.D. O'Brien's writing really effectively communicates a sense of place, and in Harry S. Robatore he's created a character whose further escapades need to be told. Looking forward to more from this new author. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book!

[Amie ᥫ᭡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book club read. I appreciate the book for what it tried to achieve but I just found it a bit tedious to read, I think I just didn't really vibe with the writing style and genre - not to say it was bad, just not my cup of tea.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great crime fiction! I liked this book a lot. When you take into consideration that it's a debut novel it's very impressive. Basically, an aging cosmic cowboy who runs a low-end bail bond service has to run down a hapless young guy who is on the run (and in way over his head) with a scheming femme fatale.

From dive bars to legal(ish) marijuana dealers to rundown motels the chase zigs and zags across the isolated regions of the Mojave Desert. What seems like a simple enough task gets more difficult as personal vices, bad choices, and (literal) wrong turns create a clusterf**k of epic proportions.

Chock-full of wonderful, well drawn characters; boozers, potheads, and plain old losers - most every one an oddball of one sort or another. By far the most interesting character in this book is the sixty-something bondsman Harry Robatore. Originally from Texas, the former psychedelic country musician, turned P.I., turned bail bondsman has been in California for a good long time but he's never lost his down-home savvy and no nonsense perspective. There's a pensive, often melancholy, aspect to the story... The aging cowboy out on a modern day bounty hunt in a part of the desert Southwest that's equal parts untamed past and apocalyptic future.

There's a definite Elmore Leonard flavor to the plot (dialogue isn't bad either but no one ever really comes close to Leonard in that respect). The rampant drug and alcohol abuse on the part of just about everybody begs a passing nod to the late great James Crumley. Overall it has a familiar feel without seeming too derivative. I'll be on the lookout for more from author J. D. O'Brien.

Bottom line: Great hard-boiled crime fiction that's not so much funny as witty.

[Macy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A multi-genre, wonderful story featuring a fabulous cast of characters and a lot of adventures along the way. A little dark, a lot of humor, some good people, some bad all woven together to make a really enjoyable read. This was the a debut from this author and I anxiously await what comes next.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley.com in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Leland · Rating 5 out of 5]

J.D. O’Brien’s debut novel is a laconic, atmospheric, elegiac and relentlessly funny crime novel soaked through with the flavor of cheap beer and high end marijuana smoke. Marginally about the “last roundup” of a semiretired bail bondsman chasing a fuckup fugitive across the American Southwest with the help of an unhelpful sad sack sidekick, “Zig Zag” is a shambolic hoot of a book and a relentless enjoyable read.
For being his first novel, O’Brien displays here a seemingly well-seasoned facility for hardboiled and humorous dialog, and an ability to create characters that are compulsively watchable even as you resist every effort to identify with them. Good luck with that. There is a bit of a loser in every one of us, the book seems to say, not there is anything wrong with that. But even the losers get lucky sometimes. “Zig Zag’s” shambolic plot lopes along with an agreeable languor, offering plenty of opportunities to relax and listen to the diverting banter or look around and enjoy the bogus beauty of California’s manmade and godforsaken landscapes. This book is full of offbeat wisdom and a real feel for the sad nobility of the common man and its solid craft brings it dangerously close to be literature, but not in a bad way. Above all, it is thoroughly entertaining and will be a genuine treat for any fan of Elmore Leonard, Tom McGuane, Charles Willeford, Hunter Thompson or Dr. Seuss.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rare debut crime novel with the hardboiled humor of Charles Willeford and Barry Gifford, J.D. O’Brien’s saga of a dope-smoking, Nudie suit-wearing bail bondsman is a freewheeling oater for the ages.

[James Thane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an engaging novel with an oddball cast of characters, drawn entirely from the fringes of the modern-day American west.

Capri Dall is a dancer/sex worker who, for the time being, has taken a relatively "straight" job working at the Big Smoke, an unlicensed weed dispensary in Van Nuys, California. After only a few weeks on the job, though, she is bored to death and hatches a plan to burglarize the business, just after a load of exceptionally high-grade product has been delivered. She recruits Ted, her addle-brained boyfriend of the moment, to actually pull the job, while she sits waiting out of harm's way until he returns with the goods. The plan is that they will sell off the dope and live happily ever after somewhere far from Van Nuys, California.

It's clear from the start that, although he may be useful in the short term, Ted does not really figure into Capri's long-term plans. And when he screws up the job and has to return to the scene of the crime, Ted winds up arrested and in jail. Happily, he had already hidden the stolen marijuana before the cops nabbed him.

Enter Harry Robatore, a burned-out detective-turned-bail bondsman with a fondness for country music, western clothes, weed and whiskey. Ted's father is an old friend of Harry's and owns the bar where Harry often hangs his Stetson when he's off duty, which seems to be a good portion of the time. As a favor for a friend, Harry writes a bail bond that springs Ted from jail. Ted promises to be a good boy and report to court on time.

Fat chance.

In the blink of an eye, Ted and Capri are on the run with a trunkful of stolen dope, looking for buyers. In hot pursuit is a crazed security guard from the Big Smoke along with Harry whose bond is at risk, and Guy, Ted's basically clueless attorney. Also circling the scene is Capri's tough-assed former boyfriend whom she is hoping will extricate her from this mess and allow her to still score a profit from the sale of the dope.

A comic opera chase ensues, ultimately ending with a violent climax in a tourist-trap ghost town. It's a fun ride for the most part, but it dragged on a bit too long and some of the characters ultimately wore out their welcome, at least for me. Still, on the whole I enjoyed the book and found it to be an entertaining diversion.

[Kassie · Rating 2 out of 5]

J.D. O'Brien's Zig Zag follows Harry, a washed up bail bondsman with a love of westerns, and Capri, a young woman who set into motion her plans to rob the marijuana dispensary where she works. The chase blazes from LA to deep in the desert and back, focusing on the unique character of the underbelly of the west.

O’Brien has an interesting voice, which has a lot of potential for future success, and the plot promises a lot of excitement and stoner comedy. However, neither are fully realized.

The novel starts with a lot of character development, though the character remain mostly flat. Harry’s girlfriend, Ruby, is a caricature; she’s an airhead—and a nurse—who takes a few beats to pick up Harry’s dad jokes and the only thing she likes more than weed and tequila is sex. I had to set the book down and walk away when, during a sex scene, she’s described as “windmilling around with the ay, papi, the si, papi, geysering all over the bed.” Meanwhile, the antagonist and only other woman in the novel Capri, is a calculating, increasingly evil manipulator who uses sex to get men, particularly her immature boyfriend Ted, to do what she wants. Admittedly, the flatness of these women really took me out.

Sitting somewhere between western, stoner comedy, pulp noir, and the foggy memory of an acid trip in 1972, Zig Zag struggles to find its footing. O’Brien is clearly a storyteller and I fully expect future works to show it.

[Carolynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has all the makings of classic Elmore Leonard. An intriguing antagonist in Capri, a young woman who embodies a combination of evil with a little bit of guilty conscious and naivete. Throw in a mix of characters, both good and bad, that encounter Capri during her crime spree. Our hero is Harry, a down-on-his-luck bail bondsman who agrees to track down Capri's accomplice boyfriend Ted, in order to settle his longstanding bar tab.

I wanted to love this book. I liked it, but didn't love it. I felt there were too many characters that were only there to advance the plot. The plot revolves around the theft of a quantity marijuana and most characters in the story smoke weed consistently, particularly Harry. Between the alcohol and the weed, it's a wonder that Harry has the fortitude to track anything down. He's more anti-hero than hero. I have nothing against smoking marijuana, but I found Harry's use of it excessive.

Also, the formatting of the ARC on my Kindle was not great and it made the book hard to follow at times. Switches in character and scene occurred without notice mid-paragraph. I know this affected my enjoyment of reading this book and I know this is not the author's fault.

Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher Baker & Taylor for sharing an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

[JoAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness, this was a fun, fun, fun read! It was like reading an indie version of Ocean’s Eleven, but without the attractive people, fabulous clothes, or money$money$money! Ha! This is a Western, Noir, Stoner, Comedy novel rolled into one. There’s drugs, sex, manipulation, and crime in this swift-moving novel of criminal bungling.

The story revolves around a weed dispensary, its employees, and those within its seedy orbit. There is a plot, hatched by an amateur criminal, a woman who works at the dispensary. She ropes in her dimwitted boyfriend who also works there. (You can see where this is going!) They commit the crime and it’s off! There is bounty hunter and a chase to track them down and that’s what the zig zag is all about.

This is a very entertaining read. It leaves you feeling bemused, glad that you’re smarter than most of the characters in the novel, but don’t expect anything earth-shattering. Life most blockbuster films, the thrill is only as good as it lasts, and that’s OK.

What makes this enjoyable — just as it is with most films — is the writing. O’Brien’s prose is witty, humorous. This reads as smoothly as a screenplay, transiting from scene to scene ease. This novel is a perfect Sunday afternoon read; the kind that makes you happy about going to work the next day because where you work isn’t this HAHA!

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely loved the plot for Zig Zag. It had the "good guy" vs. "bad girl" trope but in a unique way. Capri gets the novel idea to rob the dispensary that she works at, with the help of her dumb boyfriend who is desperate for her approval and love. When things go south, so do they, literally. It's a cat and mouse game with a current setting but also feels very old school. The bail bondsman Harry is a no muss, no fuss guy and he'd rather be at home, but he's out hunting down Capri and her boyfriend.

While the plot was fantastic, I personally found there to be too much dialogue that didn't move the story forward. There was a lot of character building for people who weren't really the main focus of the story so for me, it just kind of made me want to set the book down. But when the scenes with more action came into play, I was drawn in completely. I think this could make a great movie though, it felt kind of like a movie as I read it.

Overall, I'd say it was a pretty good book, maybe just not exactly what I was looking for or expecting, but if you like the wild west and enjoy gritty crime, this book might be for you.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every see a wreck happen and you can't look away? Well that is the tale told in Zig Zag. Capri Dall hatched a scheme to rob the marijuana dispensary where she worked, but her boyfriend Ted goofed things up. He got away with the weed but got caught when he returned to the crime scene to retrieve his personal possessions. He got boned out by his dad's friend Harry Robatore and promptly goes on the lam with Capri with the goal of selling the weed and making a start elsewhere. But nothing goes as planned. Harry and Ted's lawyer guy go on a road trip to retrieve Ted. Carvell King, the dispensary security guard teams up with another bail bondsman to retrieve the weed along with Capri and Ted. After wandering in the desert they all converge in a confrontation at a Wild West town. This tale reminds me of Ecclesiastes with all things seeming to be futile. Harry and Fuzzy (Ted's dad) also think of Jimmy Buffet's song - A Pirate Looks at Forty. Plenty of wandering, some interesting action, and lots of references to Westerns for the reader to enjoy.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fun, I read it in one go while taking the train back to NYC from my holiday vacation. It's a crime caper with a lot of vivid characters. Felt very much in the vein of Elmore Leonard, as well as Coen Brothers movies or Inherent Vice. The main characters are an older bail bondsman who has to find the son his favorite bartender, who has been encouraged to rob the dispensary where his girlfriend - who may or may not actually like him - works. It was her idea and she's a lot more jaded and intentional than he is. Of course the robbery didn't go to plan, setting off the adventure as they try to figure out a way to sell their product and break free before anyone, on the side of the law or otherwise, catches them. It's got some Western vibes and takes place in California and Nevada mostly. Fun use of a ghost town. I don't think the story or characters made a deep impression, but certainly the writing did. I'll be curious to see what JD O'Brien does next and could easily see this getting adapted into a show or movie.

[Sachin MB · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book because it had an interesting narrative and I wasn’t disappointed. It felt hazy like being a room where there’s a lot of marijuana is burning and it really suits the plot. Story is focused on Harry who is a frenzied bondsman who goes behind a couple escaping with a stolen lot of weed. The characters are written is what is needed for the story. I initially felt that the introduction to Harry about his work was kind of boring and not much relevant. But rest, the story played out well and the expectation was fulfilled. It wouldn’t it is the best book, but if anyone is a fan of the wild-west, riding horses and weed, this would be a fun filled ride.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC for my honest review.

[RMazin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of characters here competing for “page” time and plot. They are sometimes zany, seeming like leftovers/outtakes from an Willeford/ Leonard book. The narration explores their drug and sometimes sex-fueled exploits with chases and fake-outs with a looming sense of the sleazy dime store, strip mall West. The amount of bad fast food consumed is staggering – I could smell the greasy wrappers. Most interesting character for me was Harry a bail bondsman, with a fondness for referencing old Western stuff. But I think I liked his Olds better than him. Maybe the whole thing would work better as a script ....…or I may have simply just aged out. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this title.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part Dumb and Dumber, part parrot head and part gumshoe p.I. , this novel has it all.
Harry is a bail bondsman …shall we say part of the elderly group…smokes weed, and drinks. A lot.
His friend Fuzzy owns the bar Harry likes to drink at. Fuzzy has a son, (Ted, who is less than a success) , that lives with him. Teds girlfriend lives with them too.
Girlfriend works at a pot shop. She talks Ted into robbing the place after hours with her setting the way for him.
After that everything goes wrong.
A chase across the desert, some colorful characters, and entertaining as all get out.
Recommend this one.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for lowing me this ARC.

[Jeff Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

J.D. O'Brien's debut novel starts well and is entertaining through the first half, but once the cast of characters hits the road with the stolen weed and bail bonds Harry in pursuit of his skipped client, it fades badly in a miasma of confusing shootouts and too many poorly defined characters. And the ending is completely flat and inconclusive. Overall a disappointment, but I still give it a 3.75 rating, rounded up to 4 stars.

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you enjoy a little too much word play (think dad joke puns dialed to 11), a dash of pot-fueled road trip, and the whole lone wolf/ PI/ modern urban cowboy thing, this is the perfect book for you. Especially if you don’t mind the casual, pervasive misogyny so typical of these stories. Clearly, not my jam at all. But to each his own, I suppose (pronoun intended).