Rating: 
Summary: despite laughs this Shames book seems rather indistinct...
Review: Perhaps I'm just unlucky? My first two Laurence Shames novels, 'Florida Straits' and 'Sunburn', are seemingly his best (with 'Sunburn' being especially good). The few others I've read seem hollow in comparison, with 'Tropical Depression' being no exception. Oh, there are some funny moments. But the book falls into the "easy, fun read yet totally forgettable" category.The story has a neat premise though. A depressed, middle-aged businessman (the "bra king" of New Jersey) moves down to Key West to clear his head. There he meets an equally depressed native American Indian. Both of them get into some (rather silly) business ventures which gets them tangled with the Mafia, and a corrupt state official. The story has sprinkles of Carl Hiaasen, with its "white man has defaced the natural beauty of Florida and its aboriginal inhabitants" messages. Sadly, Laurence Shames doesn't hold a candle to Carl Hiaasen. Weaker prose, laughs without satiric wit ... it all seems too fluffy. Bottom line: a trifling novel by Shames. Yet it is an easy read. Bring it to the beach.
Rating: 
Summary: In the Top 10 Funniest Books List!
Review: This is a hilarious book with zany characters and situations. I dare anyone to read to the Indian fishing scene without laughing out loud!
Rating: 
Summary: ah, my bubbeleh!
Review: Very good book. The best so far, from Mr. Shames. In the Parrot head genre, dominated by Hiaasen, in walks Laurence Shames, and Murray Zemmelman, the "Bra King". Things will never be the same again. From Casino's, to Bert the Shirt, placebo prozac and fishing nets we learn and love Key West. Brilliant sunsets, and brilliant characters, Shames gives us gangsters and lingerie barons, with such ease, its as if this is his story
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