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Rating: 
Summary: Offbeat mystery that sometimes works humorously well
Review: Buddy Faverman, affectionately dubbed "The Putz" by his father Max, sells real estate in Oregon. However, this time Buddy insists he has purchased a country, Bob, in Eastern Oregon near the Idaho line. Former marine Adam McCleet wonders if his former school mate (two years his junior) has finally gone over the Cascades even as he drives Max to the "border" gate of Bob. The duo is greeted by a security officer carrying an AK-47 and insisting that the two undesirables leave the area immediately. Before Adam can blink, he is arrested as a spy because it becomes known that he was a former Portland cop and supposedly worked on VP Quayle's security team (a lie that Adam had once fostered). Soon, Adam learns what Bob is al about. Buddy and his partners, local Native Americans, have seceded from the union in order to create a gambling oasis. However, when the Bank of Buddy is robbed, Adam is hired to solve the case of who would rob buddy bucks. EXTREME ODDS, the fifth entry in the McCleet mystery series, tries to be a weird, Python like humorous tale. At times, this works extremely well, leaving readers laughing and upbeat over the characters' shenangians. However, just as often, the jocular efforts require Major Bowels and his hook to yank the jokester off the page. Conceptually, the novel is well designed and has an ironic twisting story line. However, the secondary characters are not fully developed, leaving their Youngman-like pace of a joke a line falling flat. Overall, this remains a unique, enjoyable series, but Rick Hanson's current effort drips with too much cream pie in the face. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: Carl Hiaasen-like comedy/ adventure --I liked it.
Review: Carl Hiaasen's books are so rare, someone finally came along and took advantage of his absence! While McFleet, Rick's detective-fall guy, bears a slight resemblance to Hiaasen's heroes, this good-natured romp is a quick, enjoyable read, sure to please, and may make Mr. Hiaasen think about coming out of retirement!
Rating:
Summary: Carl Hiaasen-like comedy/ adventure --I liked it.
Review: Carl Hiaasen's books are so rare, someone finally came along and took advantage of his absence! While McFleet, Rick's detective-fall guy, bears a slight resemblance to Hiaasen's heroes, this good-natured romp is a quick, enjoyable read, sure to please, and may make Mr. Hiaasen think about coming out of retirement!
Rating:
Summary: A cute story with some chuckles.
Review: It's difficult to come into an established series and feel comfortable right from the get-go. In reading "Extreme Odds", I feel as though I'm missing out on the returning characters because I hadn't read any of the earlier adventures featuring Adam McCleet. Nevertheless, Mr. Hanson's book "Extreme Odds" was enjoyable. We get to know our intrepid detective-turned-sculptor Adam McCleet very quickly. When we first meet up with him and his substitute father, Max Faverman, they are on their way to visit Max's son Buddy. Buddy is the mastermind behind the creation of a brand new country. The country of "Bob". Why would someone want to start their own country? And even more to the point, why name it Bob? You'll have to read this story to find out! The country of Bob counts amongst its citizens: a paranoid-conspiracy-theory-believing Reverend, a radio vixen obsessed with Wayne Newton, a gorgeous organic farmer whose crops run towards the illegal, a Head of Security with a Napoleon complex the size of Oregon and a mysterious ninja pajama-clad man named Spanky who appears out of nowhere on a dazzling white horse. Add to this a group of rather perturbed federal agents waiting outside the gates of Bob... a soon to open casino... several murders... an errant hydrogen bomb... and you get most of the main ingredients of "Extreme Odds". There are some light hearted chuckles to be had throughout this tale. I won't say that it's a side-splittingly funny novel... it's just cute. A light read that I finished in one sitting.
Rating:
Summary: A cute story with some chuckles.
Review: It's difficult to come into an established series and feel comfortable right from the get-go. In reading "Extreme Odds", I feel as though I'm missing out on the returning characters because I hadn't read any of the earlier adventures featuring Adam McCleet. Nevertheless, Mr. Hanson's book "Extreme Odds" was enjoyable. We get to know our intrepid detective-turned-sculptor Adam McCleet very quickly. When we first meet up with him and his substitute father, Max Faverman, they are on their way to visit Max's son Buddy. Buddy is the mastermind behind the creation of a brand new country. The country of "Bob". Why would someone want to start their own country? And even more to the point, why name it Bob? You'll have to read this story to find out! The country of Bob counts amongst its citizens: a paranoid-conspiracy-theory-believing Reverend, a radio vixen obsessed with Wayne Newton, a gorgeous organic farmer whose crops run towards the illegal, a Head of Security with a Napoleon complex the size of Oregon and a mysterious ninja pajama-clad man named Spanky who appears out of nowhere on a dazzling white horse. Add to this a group of rather perturbed federal agents waiting outside the gates of Bob... a soon to open casino... several murders... an errant hydrogen bomb... and you get most of the main ingredients of "Extreme Odds". There are some light hearted chuckles to be had throughout this tale. I won't say that it's a side-splittingly funny novel... it's just cute. A light read that I finished in one sitting.
Rating:
Summary: Bob
Review: This is the second Hanson novel that I have read, the former was Spare Parts and this one is nowhere near the same quality of that novel. Extreme Odds just wasn't as entertaining as Spare Parts even though it had the same ex cop character Adam McCleet.
In this novel McCleet accompanies his friend to the country of Bob, a country newly formed on an Indian reservation by his friend's son Buddy who is a real estate developer. Bob has attracted over 200 immigrants most of which have their own agendas. There's the hemp growing female farmer, gun fanatic, religious cult leader, casino/radio operator and many others as well. Buddy is about to open his own bank where he is about to launch his own currency swapping US dollars for Bobs, but murderers have their own plans which make the situation in Bob extremely personal for McCleet.
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