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Raymond Barrett is the father of two sons named after movie stars: John Wayne and Audie Murphy. That and his love for fishing speak volumes about the type of person he is. The boys haven't seen their father since he left their mom when they were in their early teens. As the eldest son, John has taken on responsibilities in the household. Meanwhile, Audie has always been more free-wheeling. Now their father is dead, and his lawyer has informed them that they have to take a fishing trip across America and notify old friends about his passing to collect their hefty inheritances. At each stop on the list, they must go fishing as a kind of memorial service of times past.
To make matters more complicated, John and his wife Darlene have recently separated, neither certain of how their entire mess might play out. Will this cross-continent fishing trip make or break their chance at fixing things? What will be the fate of John's own children if they can't reconcile?
Bassett's debut novel is full of surprise and danger, bonding and anger, and lies and revelations that help make sense of who the boys' dad had been. They get to drop their fishing lines into Lake Tahoe, off a houseboat in Lake Powell, and into the Atlantic ocean. Ray's friends praise him highly, and all characters are not above a curse word or two. Before the book ends, shots are fired, kisses are stolen, and sweet-talking almost succeeds. Murderous plans are thwarted until good intentions, at last, seem to triumph over booze. The reader will not feel the least bit cheated or disappointed in the dramatic outcome.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review