Title: The Albuquerque Turkey Author: John Vorhaus
Publisher: Crown
ISBN, PUB Date: 978-0307717801, March 22, 2011
Reviewed By: Shawn Edwards for Author Exposure
Meet Radar Hoverlander, protagonist of The Albuquerque Turkey 
and former con man gone straight. He walks this new path with his girlfriend, Allie Quinn, who shares a similar work history. Having established a sizable bankroll (see The California Roll, John Vorhaus’s first Radar Hoverlander novel) and settled into normality, the couple sees no obstacles blocking them from going legit… until a haggard cross-dresser appears asking for help. Enter a disguised Woody Hoverlander, Radar’s long lost but rarely missed swindler of a father. Now Radar and Allie must choose between maintaining their newfound integrity and plunging into a backsliding rescue of the father Radar hasn’t seen or trusted in decades.
and former con man gone straight. He walks this new path with his girlfriend, Allie Quinn, who shares a similar work history. Having established a sizable bankroll (see The California Roll, John Vorhaus’s first Radar Hoverlander novel) and settled into normality, the couple sees no obstacles blocking them from going legit… until a haggard cross-dresser appears asking for help. Enter a disguised Woody Hoverlander, Radar’s long lost but rarely missed swindler of a father. Now Radar and Allie must choose between maintaining their newfound integrity and plunging into a backsliding rescue of the father Radar hasn’t seen or trusted in decades.The Albuquerque Turkey is an easy, exciting read. This novel swings from drama to comedy, from action to mystery, and it swings well. Vorhaus’s writing is direct and fresh, avoiding the two most common authorial pitfalls: over-description, as the author becomes entranced with his own literary powers, and under-description, which leaves readers wondering, “Huh? Who did what?” The dialogue echoes true to life. Readers will feel “in the know” as they pick up on Radar’s slickster slang, explained by the occasional footnote. By book’s end, expect to understand what it means to run a Granny’s Attic snuke on a mark and leave them buttoned up with bafflegab. Vorhaus has written a number of poker books; poker players will recognize terminology and common maxims which have fittingly bled into this novel. Radar and company are portrayed with such realism and depth that one must trust that this is a world which Vorhaus knows and loves.
John Vorhaus has created an entertaining, surprising, intelligent tale in The Albuquerque Turkey. Do not presume to predict what lies around the bend. For a book reviewer used to searching for faults, I found little reason to complain and much to compliment. I recommend The Albuquerque Turkey to anyone in need of an intrigue filled page-turner. Now I just need to hunt down a copy of The California Roll.
You can follow John Vorhaus on Twitter.
1 comments:
Ooh, you made the author feel all warm and fuzzy. Thank you so much for the review that not only gave my ego a VPM (verbal prostate massage) but also seems to have understood all that I hoped to capture in the book. May I invite your readers to absorb more Vorhausian mayhem at johnvorhaus.com or via my twitter feed @TrueFactBarFact. And if you'd like a guest post or interview, just send up a signal flare. "Operators are standing by." -jv
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