Product Description

Bill Fitzhugh, author of Radio Activity, Fender Benders, Pest Control (and others) described Duncan Delaney and the Cadillac of Doom best when he said: As God is my witness, 'Duncan Delaney and the Cadillac of Doom' is the first novel I've ever read where a frozen Cornish hen is used as a weapon. And that's not the craziest part of the story. A.L. Haskett opens a can of worms by asking the age-old question: Where does a sensitive cowboy artist go to escape the clutches of his mother's wealth so he can pursue his art in peace? Well, not Los Angeles, but Duncan Delaney doesn't know this. Haunted by his father's unfortunate death, Duncan is spurred to action by love and a lunatic Indian pal. Like so many who come to La La Land searching for a brighter future, Duncan finds himself on the seedy side of Hollywood trying in vain to dodge the Cadillac of Doom. A finely told cautionary tale for anyone fond of strippers, bikers, and art dealers.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #109625 in Books
• Published on: 2000-08-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 180 pages

Review
A finely told cautionary tale for anyone fond of strippers, bikers, and art dealers. -- Bill Fitzhugh, Author of Radio Activity and Fender Benders

Delightful characters, snappy dialog, some truly funny moments: Duncan Delaney is comic circus of strippers and bikers, cowboys and Indians. -- Christopher Moore, author of Lamb and Coyote Blue

Delightful characters, snappy dialog, some truly funny moments: Duncan Delaney is comic circus of strippers and bikers, cowboys and Indians. --Christopher Moore, author of Lamb and Coyote Blue

From the Publisher
If you like well written, literary novels about naive young painters from Wyoming who escape domineering mothers only to end up competing with lesbian bikers for the love of beautiful but confused strippers (and let's face it - who doesn't?) then Duncan Delaney and the Cadillac of Doom is the book for you. Don't take our word for it. Read the reviews... Thanks for supporting new voices in literature.

From the Author
What did Bantam say about my book (before they passed)? "I thoroughly enjoyed this manuscript and see a little bit of Tom Robbins in Mr. Haskett's work. You were right to describe this as zany, warm and upbeat - it had me laughing out loud in a number of places. Unfortunately, I'm afraid it strikes me as not quite commercial enough to do well here at Bantam." The lowest common denominator strikes again. Help me prove them wrong! Be brave, try something new. You might just like it.

Customer Reviews

A BRIGHTLY WRAPPED JEWEL
Haskett's debut novel is a brightly wrapped present, mixing numerous conventions--road trip, love story, coming of age, portrait of an artist, dark comedy--into a multi-layered celebration of life. That this melange is successful, leaving the reader with the feeling of discovering a shiny, perfectly crafted jewel, is a testament to Haskett's craft: the sure, fluid, and precise writing of an author confident of his voice and his vision of what makes us all tick. Beginning in Wyoming, the story takes Duncan Delaney, the hero cowboy painter, and his fiercely loyal Native American side kick, Benjamin Lonetree, to the streets of Los Angeles, where they meet with a cast of other unforgettable characters--bikers, strippers, cops, robbers, agents, hobos, convenience store owners, and personal injury lawyers--in a melting pot of adventure, comedy, love, crime, art, tragedy, sex, and violence. On its surface, this highly entertaining story drives the novel through a series of scenes, some hysterically funny, others so touching as to make one cry, that would make this novel a worthwhile read for anyone. At the same time, however, Haskett deftly weaves into his plot a complex exploration of appearance and reality, the necessary joys and sorrows of human relationships, and the value of cultural diversity, that serves both as an uplifting reminder that life should involve excitement, discovery, laughter, and tears, and a timely warning about the dangers of stasis, assumptions, and prejudice. This novel serves as an introduction to a serious and very talented new author.

Fun in the West
Delightful, picaresque characters, snappy dialog, some truly funny moments, and a pace that never leaves you flat-footed: Duncan Delaney and the Cadillac of Doom is comic circus of strippers and bikers, cowboys and Indians, and fine art. How could you go wrong?

I hope Haskette writes another soon, it's always good to know you can go to the shelf and find a funny book.

Warning, this book contains bikers and strippers, lots of them, so there is violence and women who derive much of their identity from their physical appearance. Have fun, but don't whine. You have been warned.

A wild, poignant, dark & vastly entertaining debut novel!
Duncan Delaney and the Cadillac of Doom by A. L. Haskett is a wild, dark, poignant and vastly entertaining "black" comedy set largely in modern day Los Angeles.

As the novel opens Duncan is living on his mom's ranch outside Cheyenne, Wyoming. He does a bit of field and maintenance work around the ranch, but his key interest is painting-he does hackneyed cowboy and Indian scenes on black velvet to sell by the roadside to tourists.

On one fateful day he sends his buddy Ben Lonetree out to peddle a real painting of Ben's family. In Ben's absence, Duncan's domineering mother (his dad died years ago in a freak accident) gives him an ultimatum Duncan is loath to acquiesce to. When ben returns with $600 for the family painting and the address of the buyer in LA who wants to see more of his work, Duncan is off to the left coast.

There he gets involved with a zany and colorful bunch of characters-an artsy crowd, a couple of motorcycle gangs, the denizens of a strip club by his apartment, and so on. He falls for one of the strippers, whose affections he must compete for with a "butch" lesbian motorcycle mama.

When both Ben and Duncan's mom arrive on the scene to weigh in on Duncan's departure from Wyoming and his current situation, the sparks really begin to fly.

The action is fast, furious-and funny as all get out. The characters are lively and engaging. Duncan himself is portrayed perfectly, though the angst and anomie of his beloved-Pris-is a bit overdone.

Duncan's confusion and angst is occasionally relieved by dream visits from his dad. These visits act as precursors to action ahead as well as act as a device to illuminate Duncan's character and worldview.

The book as a whole is very reminiscent of Christopher Moore's writing style-bright, vivid characters, wacky action, a bit of the phenomenological-and funny and entertaining as all get out.

My only real criticism is the editing-there are more typos and misspellings and grammar lapses in this text than in 100 other books you could choose at random. Doesn't anyone associated with this effort own some sort of spell-check?

That nit-pick aside, this is a wonderfully engaging story that would make perfect plane and/or beach reading. I loved every minute of it!