Where Is Joe Merchant?

You don't have to be a Jimmy Buffett fan to enjoy this breezy tale of adventure set around the Caribbean, but it helps if you know his music catalog--why, I will explain in a minute. Part Joseph Conrad and part Gabriel Garcia Marquez with a bit of Indiana Jones thrown in, Buffett draws upon his various literary inspirations to craft this story of a down-on-his-luck seaplane pilot who, on his way to ditching his creditors by relocating to Alaska from Key West, gets tangled up in a mess involving a deposed dictator wanna-be and a long-thought-dead rock star--all to make amends with his former girlfriend, with whom he had a tumultuous relationship (but what protagonist hasn't had at least one of those?). Along the way, Frank Bama (yes, show more it's the same name of the pilot that Buffett occasionally portrays on the revamped Hawaii Five-O) runs into and afoul of a number of shady and shifty characters, a few of whom may have inhabited some of Buffett's songs. One interesting technique Buffett employs is an alternating point of view: when Bama is involved in the story, it is told in first person, but when he is not, it shifts to third person (I detect a Robert Louis Stevenson influence at work). A note of caution--don't take too long between sittings (it is a fast read), because Buffett introduces a number of characters in the story (although not quite Pynchon-esque), and it's easy to forget who is who and what they did. As for knowing Buffett's catalog, he liberally sprinkles song titles and lines from his songs (at least those he had produced prior to 1992) throughout the novel, and it's fun if you can pick up on those. show less

I thought I read this book back when I bought it in 1992, it turns out I didn’t. The book mark was only in the second chapter.
Let’s face it Jimmy Buffett was a master at song writing but not at writing a 350 page book of fiction. This story is a mashup mess of his song titles and lines from his songs and lyrics from other songwriters. Yes the story is entertaining but it isn’t very well told.

Frank Bama, a seaplane pilot working out of the Florida Keys, gets embroiled with an extreme journalist, Rudy Breno, in the hunt for a rock star who purportedly killed himself five years before. It takes him to the seamier parts of the Caribbean where he runs into his old flame, the rock star’s sister, Trevor Crane and everything comes apart.

Crazy bad guys keep trying to kill Frank while they’re busy killing other bad guys, while a panoply of whacky and unusual characters drift in and out of the tale. Some are just in it for revenge, but the king of the evil doers, Colonel Cairo, is after a crystal scepter to use it to restore his severed arm.

This is the second Jimmy Buffet novel I’ve read and easily matches the first novel’s show more fun and craziness. The characters are odd, but believable with realistic foibles, limitations and desires.

The story line flowed with all the comfort intrinsic to Buffet’s style, and rolls to a grand finale that is somewhat understated, but very satisfying.

Without a doubt I’d recommend this novel to anyone who just wants to have a fun read, likes airplanes, crazy people, unusual, out-of-the-way places and just looking for a satisfying adventure. show less

I can honestly say that this book appealed to both the avid reader AND the avid Parrothead in me! This was interesting and entertaining, with a typically Jimmy Buffett exotic setting and some fascinating and bizarre characters. Characters such as Frank Bama, Trevor Kane, Blanton Meyercord (my personal favorite!), Rudy Breno, Charlie Fabian, Colonel Cairo and of course the amazing Desdemona all made this a hard-to-put-down story.
A special note for Parrotheads: Although this is a book for anyone who likes reading bizarre love & adventure stories, Parrotheads will especially appreciate the subtle (and even not-so-subtle) references to your favorite Buffett songs. Pay special attention to the names of the chapters! :->

Anyone who has always show more wondered about Desdemona while listening to "Fruitcakes" and "Desdemona's Building a Rocket ship" should definitely read this book - all the answers are here! show less

A fun romp involving pirates, mercenaries, flyboys, a talking dolphin, and prostitutes, all looking for a dead rock star who may or may not be really dead.

I love Jimmy Buffett, but I just couldn't get into this book too much. Of course, he's very descriptive with his writing style. He really does a good job at conjuring up imagery. However, it's almost like the words get in the way of the plot a bit. Parts of it are great, but for me the story and the characters are a little too over-the-top. I have mixed feelings on this one.

Pretty good book if you like over the top fiction and fast get aways...Buffett does paint a good visual throughout the book. Almost too many characters with as much bouncing back and forth you forget who is who.