Wild Thing

Starred review from December 19, 2011
Carl Hiaasen fans will relish Bazell’s frenetic sequel to 2009’s Beat the Reaper. Professor Marmoset, the guardian angel who got retired mob hit man Pietro Brnwa into the federal witness protection program, sends him to Portland, Ore., on a highly unusual mission. There a reclusive billionaire referred to only as “Rec Bill” asks Brnwa to represent him on a monster hunt in White Lake, Minn., reputed to be home to a ferocious beast unknown to science. Acting as the referee to determine whether the White Lake monster really exists will be “a very high ranking Member of the U.S. Federal Government.” Brnwa hopes to use the large fee he’ll be paid as a substitute for Rec Bill to figure out a way to get permanently clear of his former cohorts in crime, who have him in their sights. Bazell expertly blends action, farce, and political satire, and his wide-ranging imagination bodes well for the future of the series. Agent: Markus Hoffman.

April 30, 2012
Bazell’s Beat the Reaper introduced readers to the cheerfully sadistic dentist and former mob hit man Dr. Peter Brown, aka Pietro Brnwa. This follow-up finds Brown—teamed with femme fatale paleontologist Dr. Violet Hurst—working as a cruise ship dentist and then, abruptly, dashing off to Minnesota for numerous adventures, including a search for the White Lake Monster. Narrator Robert Petkoff delivers a fun performance that perfectly captures the sexually charged sparring between Brown and Hurst. And Petkoff is convincing both as a foul-mouthed ex-assassin and a sultry female doctor. Stephanie Wolfe shares narrating duties briefly, ably reading an aside by Hurst and the book’s epilogue. This production is unabridged, but perhaps some trimming would have been wise. Bazell’s novel contains numerous footnotes and asides that slow down the pace of this audio edition and prove a major distraction. A Little, Brown/Reagan Arthur hardcover.