David's Reviews > The Ones You Do

Words to live by: “It’s never the ones you do that you regret; it’s the ones you don’t.”
If you like a good, darkly-humorous, Southern cracker story with irresistably likeable characters (and they ARE characters), this might be your ticket. It's the (end of the) story of John X. Shade, a past-his-prime pool shark, hustler, and ladies' man who, with his 10-year old goth daughter Etta (who has a 30-year old worldview), is trying to evade a psychopathic killer named Lunch (yeah, Lunch - the nicknames alone make this book worth reading) because John X's current wife - the 'Bama Butterfly - skipped town to pursue a singing career with $47k of Lunch's money. Trust me - it's a page-turner despite numerous side excursions with John X's first wife (14 when they were married, not 12 - "there's a difference"), his three sons ( an assistant DA, a suspended cop, and the owner of Enoch's Ribs and Lounge), and assorted small-town characters who (if you live in a small town) are uncomfortably recognizable. But I came out with a lot of respect for John X's integrity, Etta's faith in her father, and the enduring faith (and endurance) of the long-suffering women. Humorous, poignant, and incisive - plus very well-written. A thoroughly enjoyable read as a standalone, but it's actually the third in a "bayou trilogy".