Duncan Delaney and the Cadillac of Doom

by A.L. Haskett

Bill Fitzhugh, author of Radio Activity, Fender Benders, Pest Control (and others) described Duncan Delaney and the Cadillac of Doom best when he As God is my witness, 'Duncan Delaney and the Cadillac of Doom' is the first novel I've ever read where a frozen Cornish hen is used as a weapon. And that's not the craziest part of the story. A.L. Haskett opens a can of worms by asking the age-old Where does a sensitive cowboy artist go to escape the clutches of his mother's wealth so he can pursue his art in peace? Well, not Los Angeles, but Duncan Delaney doesn't know this. Haunted by his father's unfortunate death, Duncan is spurred to action by love and a lunatic Indian pal. Like so many who come to La La Land searching for a brighter future, Duncan finds himself on the seedy side of Hollywood trying in vain to dodge the Cadillac of Doom. A finely told cautionary tale for anyone fond of strippers, bikers, and art dealers.

Genres: Fiction, Humor, Contemporary

186 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2000

About the author

Author of Duncan Delaney and the Cadillac of Doom.

Reviews

[Brianna · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was definitely written by a man and his audience seems to be men as well. i like his style, but i would have cared for a stronger plot and less details about strippers and, oh yeah, the protagonist turning a lesbian straight. this is all immature male fantasy stuff here. the women were all blond with big chests, except for the mother character who had red hair and of course a fiery temper. lame. the book was entertaining and a quick read so i don't totally discredit it, but this is the stuff i imagine frat boys to dream up so i definitely had a few gag moments. and i actually did laugh a little too.

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun,quick little read. Pretty good character development. Artist Duncan leaves home for LA and a very different life. Achieves success as an artist and grows up pretty quick. I enjoyed reading this. Not a classic work of literary genius, but fun to read.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was going along okay, it was a decent enough book, mildly amusing (though hoping to be far more amusing) and with a reasonable about of humanity to it, when it took a turn for the utterly irredeemable where the main character literally proved himself too stupid to even remotely relate to. Do not bother.

[Lee G. Raudenbush · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing Circles of Life

I have read this at least ten times over a twelve year period. It grabs your emotions and won't let you go. Humor love kids and an attack cat of unsurpassed loyalty. You finish each time over and over with something learned.

[Oliviaolivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was definitely over the top at times but overall it was a very nice story.

[Mscout · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. This was supposed to be humorous, but apparently Haskett confused humor with absurdity. Duncan Delaney is another of those "protagonists" who glide blissfully through, but don't actually participate in their own lives. It is left to others to clean up the messes and pick up the pieces. Left to his own devices, he manages to get drunk and beaten up a lot. Those around him are constantly forced to save him time after time, yet he shows not one redeeming quality that would inspire such loyalty.

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book from Amazon for free for my Kindle, so it was a nice surprise to discover that it was outstanding! I highly recommend it, even if you have to pay for it. =)

This book did what I want every book to do -- it made me laugh and cry and it surprised me. The characters were both ridiculous and believable -- like something out of Tom Robbins or Carl Hiassen.

I will definitely look for more books by A.L. Haskett.

[Kevin Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not a bad book, but the author tries very hard to be Christopher Moore, and Tom Robbins, when he would be better served being himself. He fumbles with some cliched plotting, and his twists can be seen coming. That said, it's not a bad first effort. Hopefully he will find his own voice in his future endeavors.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like Carl HIassen's books you will probably like this one. Lots of crazy, over-the-top characters and zany coincidences. Still, the characters are mostly lovable, even the craziest ones have a heart. Fun, easy to read.

[Kristina Trawick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny and heart wrenching

Laugh out loud story of a young artist's foray into the crazy world of strippers, bikers, cowboys and a determined mother. Not crazy about the ending, wished for a second installment of the story of young Delaney.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had everything I love in a story...crazy crazy characters, a road trip, and lots of adventures :)

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ending feels rushed, which puts a slight damper on what is otherwise a wonderfully fun satire with some great characters.

[Alice McLeod · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this one up at the dollar table at a used bookstore. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it! For all its tongue-in-cheek surface, it had real heart.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would read another novel by Haskett. Weird take on homosexuals but overall a good story and characters. The ending felt rushed.

[Kris]

Quick read that vacillated between horrible bits and amusing bits in a weird way.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of fun in them there pages. Well drawn quirky cast o characters.
Author is a talented tall tale spinner. Would be interested in seeing a further adventures of Duncan and his eclectic posse.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Off the wall and brilliant

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story carried me through to the end, but the characters weren't rendered in such a way that I cared for any of them all that much.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. I'll have to read more by this author.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kindle freebie. Don't look to this book if you like happy endings.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing characters, good plot. The pages flew by, sad to see it end