Bill Fitzhugh
Avon Books, New York
1996
Paperback
$5.99 US
OK. This is a funny book. I don't mean just funny, I mean hilarious.
My birthday was earlier this month and my dog, Pepper, felt I'd been reading too much serious fiction and serious non-fiction so she bought me this book. (OK, well, actually Mary bought the book but she swears it was Pepper's idea.)
The story here is about a guy by the name of Bob Dillon who is an exterminator. No, he's not the singer nor is he the Warrant Officer I knew in the Marine Corps, he's a bug killer. The use of the name is excellent as it places the character in a familiar situation for most readers that can be used to play forward the plot. A similar method was used in the television series Twin Peaks in naming the sheriff Harry S. Trumann. It gives the reader/viewer some place to start automatically that can be used by the author to move the story forward and not have to spend a great deal of time in exposition.
Anyway, the story here is about Bob and how he gets mistaken for an exterminator. You know, the Charles Bronson type of exterminator. All Bob wants to do is have an all natural method of killing bugs but people think he's a killer. The CIA gets involved . . . a French assassin arranger gets involved . . . Klaus, the number one assassin in the world gets involved . . . and a Columbian Cartel gets involved . . . Everybody thinks Bob is killing people. Everybody except Bob. He's clueless for the most part as his wife leaves him and his landlord harps on him for the back rent.
Overall, the book is great. The lead character is totally believable. He's stuck in his own world and oblivious to just about everything that is going on around him. However, when he figures out what is going on, watch out. This is one book you don't want to miss. I can't wait to see a movie based on this. I think Arnold S. would make a great Klaus.