Book Review: The Albuquerque Turkey by John Vorhaus (Radar Hoverlander #2)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Great main characters; twisty plot

Cons: Language choice at times; some twists not well set up

The Bottom Line: 

A fun twisty plot

With intriguing characters

And that's no con job

In This Con, Who Is the Real Turkey?

When I found out one of my ultimate Frisbee friends had written a caper novel last year, I had to give it a try.  Since I enjoyed it, I made a point of buying the sequel, The Albuquerque Turkey, when it was released this year.

Both books star Radar Hoverlander, a drifting con man who is well versed in all kinds of scams from the simple that net a little money to the major that require some serious set up and risk but can net you lots of money.  This books opens a few months after the last one ended, and it finds Radar, his new girlfriend Allie, and his friend Mirplo in Santa Fe enjoying the fruits of their ill-gotten gain.

At Allie’s insistence, Radar has sworn to settle down and go straight.  Their last con has netted them more than enough to live comfortably until they figure out just what they want to do now that they’ve gone straight.

But their plans go crooked when Radar’s father reenters his life.  He hasn’t seen the man in over 20 years, and now Woody is claiming that is life is on the line from a casino manager in Vegas.  Since Woody is a con man in his own right, should Radar trust him, or is he being set up?

My biggest hesitation with the first book had been Radar himself.  How would I feel rooting for a con man?  The author has made him very sympathetic.  And, while I find his chosen “profession” repulsive, I can’t help but root for him to get a happy ending.  Likewise, I love Allie and Mirplo.  Mirplo has a funny sub-plot involving becoming a flash in the pan modern artist, and the skewering of the art world, while familiar, is still sharp and funny.

The other characters in the novel are just as sharply drawn as the three leads.  I felt like I knew them even if I didn’t always know their true motives.

While the plot made sense in the end, the reader is left in the dark about some of the twists and turns.  I found this frustrating, especially since the book is narrated by Radar.  It feels like cheating.  Still, I enjoyed the wild ride which had many twists to keep me wondering just how everything was going to work out.

The author has a real way with words, which is a blessing and a curse for the book.  At times, he inserts words he’s created and finds fun.  Usually, it’s easy to figure out what he means, but occasionally, it’s almost a hindrance to figuring out what he means.  Most of the time, however, the writing is wonderful with some creative turns of phrase that you can’t help but stop and savor.  The book isn’t the fast read I normally pick up, but it was certainly worth it.

Overall, I did enjoy The Albuquerque Turkey.  Radar makes a fascinating main character, although I’d hate to know anyone like him in real life.