Cousins & Pranksters

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$19.99


Cousins and Pranksters records the intersections of several scams involving online dating in North Carolina, gold treasure buried in Budapest, embezzling motivational speakers, and so-called valuable art from the Azores. Sven, the owner of a paper shredding business, and Ariella, an accountant, can count at least a dozen scam artists, thieves, and murderers among their family and friends. They both lived with a “Don’t ask, don’t tell” attitude, but when Sven and Ariella become romantically involved, these characters begin meeting (not always with good results), and the new couple has to deal with the ensuing chaos. Not to mention the escaped Komodo dragon!

You may have to suspend your disbelief a bit to accept the fact that all these crazy people would actually meet, but the unbelievable aura is what makes Cousins & Pranksters so much fun. Edsall takes the “eccentric family” novel to new levels. Not only is everyone involved in questionable schemes, but sometimes they’re even partners with each other and don’t know it.

This book is a literary ride on the bumper cars at the amusement park. You know all the characters, but you’re never sure when they’re going to come careening into view or who they’ll crash into.Because most of the characters have one or more names, you may find your head spinning as you try to keep track of everyone and their misdeeds. But the random insertion of odd characters traits helps to distinguish one character from another, not to mention earning a few laughs and keeping you reading in hopes of discovering the significance of the things like the purple Buick, the Komodo dragon, and the duck in formal wear. Edsall also sticks to short chapters, often labeled with a time or place to help out readers.

This is the type of book you have to read twice, just so you can catch all the hints and jokes you missed the first time around when you were speeding to the last page, wondering who would get nabbed by the cops and who would escape. The second time, with a bit of insider info, you can enjoy new aspects of the book.


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Author
Star Count 3/5
Format Trade
Page Count 146 pages
Publisher Xlibris
Publish Date 16-Aug-2010
ISBN 9781453553121
Bookshop.org Buy this Book
Issue November 2011
Category Popular Fiction
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