"Wild Thing" by Josh Bazell~Stunning Novel of Suspense!

Published by:  Little, Brown and Co.

Pages:  400

Authors website:  http://www.joshbazell.com/

Summary:

Overview  (Taken from Barnes & Noble)

It's hard to find work as a doctor when using your real name will get you killed. So hard that when a reclusive billionaire offers Dr. Peter Brown, aka Pietro Brnwa, a job accompanying a sexy but self-destructive paleontologist on the world's worst field assignment, Brown has no real choice but to say yes. Even if it means that an army of murderers, mobsters, and international drug dealers-not to mention the occasional lake monster-are about to have a serious Pietro Brnwa problem.

Facing new and old monsters alike, Dr. Brnwa's story continues in this darkly funny and lightning-paced follow up to

Josh Bazell's bestselling debut.

The Dame's Take :

Once I got my rather prudish self past the initial parts of the prologue...the whole section grabbed me by the jugular, and I was sunk.  There was no turning back, no matter what. A book that wouldn't let me off the hook. Freakish and fiendish as it was, I couldn't take my eyes off the pages.  This is strictly a compulsive read. 

 Warning:  if you give it to your husband/wife or friend, just don't expect to see or talk to them for the next day or so. 

The summary above does nothing but touch the surface of what this novel entails.  

It's a wild ride, not just a "wild thing" to be a part of! 

Not having read Bazell's previous novel which introduced Dr. Peter Brown/Pietro Brnwa, I was none the wiser to his background.  But, that was quickly remedied because the author catches us up with highlights so we understand a bit of who we're dealing with in the Doctor.

It's Bazell's richly whipped up dialog; snarky, stand-offish and sarcastic from the lips of Dr. Peter, and his inner dialog that made this book for me.  I found him priceless! 

"Wild Thing" is just slamming with irony and intrigue.  

There was social commentary, religious and political speculation and an international perspective that kept my head spinning and my brain firing off, all this combined with the other action.  Enjoyable...thought-provoking for a change...all the while entertaining!

Let's not leave out the creep factor, either.  The story on the surface is that a strange water monster is living and murdering people in a lake in Minnesota.  A group of fascinating, worldwide characters are brought together by invitation to explore whether such a monster actually exists, and then to figure out what to do about it.

The high stakes are millions of dollars.

Dr. Peter and a beautiful paleontologist are paired up by a billionaire sponsor to take on the initial exploration.

It's their investigation into the lake monster, the sleepy nearly extinct town near the Lake, the strange townspeople, and the eccentric, accompanying "explorers" and bodyguards that makes up the book's canvas. 

The sexual tension, the gun-toatin' and monster near-misses

 are enough to make you break out in hives.

And, you'll die when you find out who the "high profile government referee" is for the expedition!

This is solidly the best suspense and slam dunk mobster-involved novel I've had the pleasure of reading this year.  I know I won't soon forget this one.

The mystery of the lake monster and strange bed-fellows really had me going!

Dr. Peter's journalistic/footnotes are killer funny!

I highly recommend this book for a very entertaining walk on the wild side...

PS:  Let's just say Josh Bazell has some strong views on a lot of topics, as well !  LOL

5 stars

Deborah/TheBookishDame