An odd little book. Told in an episodic fashion, similar to The Long-Legged Fly by James Sallis. The difference is that I liked the digressions better in the Willeford book. However, I was put off by some of the incidents (or at least the unrealistic reactions to unreal incidents), and the sexism of the characters. So even though I mostly enjoyed the ride, I didn't enjoy it as much as other Willeford's books, so 2 stars instead of 3. That said, he's a more interesting writer to me than Sallis.

I warned you I was going to be reading nothing but Willeford for awhile. But for some reason the NYPL only has 1 other of his books in the catalog, so time to start searching the used book bins. (I'm a little peeved that I directed my annual gift to NYPL to go "where it's needed most" rather than specifying they should use it to buy the complete Willeford oeuvre.

The way he writes about fucked up things with such nonchalance is just...I don't have words.

Following four male friends who live in the same apartment complex, this novel captures the womanizing and racism of its time period and could really use some better editing. Not a bad story, but highly inappropriate for the school shelf.

Kind of disappointing. Had high hopes after reading Cockfighter.

i am a known willeford stan and this delivers on some of the charles willeford brand promise: it's filthy, but in a tossed-off way; the gaze of the characters, both interior and exterior, falls on the randomest shit (dietary benefits of cottage cheese, finer points of 1970s menswear, miami apartment building safety standards). all of those elements come through but this book is pretty inessential, apart from the cottage cheese. overstays its welcome and wilts in the too-long saga of hank vs the pseudo-cuckolded husband. still, i got small joy out of it.

"my dry mouth seemed to full of unwashed pennies"
"a club sandwich is easy to eat, of course, and it has all of the life-sustaining ingredients"
"his Spanish leather tie was the color of dried blood"
there was another page i dogeared but in reviewing it, i dont know what line caught my eye.

It's all in the title here. This novel is about four successful WASPS in the 60's with cushy lives getting away with murder. The things I enjoy about Willeford's writings are here including macho posturing, fussy attention to detail when it comes to clothing, and an almost dreamlike and absurd absence of consequences for the most part. It's obviously male fantasy to the extremes of "that's not bait you just threw the damn pole in" bait. The two characters making the most money admit often and proudly of just how little they have to "hustle" to make money. In fact they spend most of their time drinking or chasing women. Hank is an unmarried man in his late 20's gets most of the novels attention and exploits the changing social norms of the time to sleep around with "stewardae", calls another person a reactionary and is a card carrying member of the Republican party. This kind of prolonged adolescence and emphasis on male freedom is a large part of the novel. Larry is a jovial but efficient detective who knows the ins and outs of crime but also eats wax pears. Eddie is gliding through life shacking up with an older widow and flying planes, while Don "the tragic figure" of the novel is a neutered family man who the others pity but obviously care about. The three independent men are rewarded for not getting married with the other is pitied and mocked.

I think this novel is Willeford being his most cynical but that point will for sure be lost on any reader unfamiliar with Willeford or the outright dimwitted reader because nothing in the tone or plot suggests any moral code. The book itself is one very long joke with a set up and a punchline. I don't think I can recommend this book for those reasons and would definitely still suggest the absolutely superior Hoke Mosely series instead.

Four Miami guys in a "singles only" apartment building fall in and out of various capers with surprising ease. These guys are disgusting but you can't help but laugh at all manly 1970s sleaze. The paradise of bachelors and the tartarus of dames...

All fun and games until you move to Chicago!

An odd novel about 4 unpleasant sleazebags in '70's Miami. Odd in that these are four guys no one in their right mind would want to be stuck with for any length of time longer than it takes to shoot a game of 8-Ball. That said, it is an interesting depiction of 70's mores within the more savage of the singles. Willeford doesn't pull punches and stays true to his characters. For that I admired it.

probably more like a 3.5, but lets not make it four, don't wanna confuse the readers.

Mine seems to be the minority opinion here on Goodreads, but that's okay. I think this novel is brilliant and here's why: Willeford gives us a very tense situation between four friends after making a bet with one another. Then we get a look at each of these guys individually, learning why they act and live the way they do. As these four sections sheds light on each character, we begin to understand how they became friends, why they've stuck together, and how the implications of their predicament are so potentially devastating. Amazing stuff.

Good read. Love the writing. A bit dated in some ways, for example racially. Also: this could seem less like a normal single narrative novel, and instead several "pieces" involving the same characters--however, it held together well enough for me. Definitely looking forward to more by this author.

This book was dark-dark humor about four friends and their exploits over several years. If you ever saw the movie Swingers and love Cohen Brother films, then you will find this novel a laugh out loud riot. Definitely a "guy novel", a bit uneven (especially the 1st part and 4th part), but never boring!