Book Review: Doohickey

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Doohickey     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Pete Hautman
Class/Genre:   Mystery
Simon & Schuster, Oct 2002, $24.00, 270 pp.

After years of having no financial security at all, Nick Fashon believes he’s about to have it all. He and his friend Vince own a fashion store, Love & Fashion, a place that is very popular. Nick is seeing Gretchen, a beautiful offbeat woman he thinks he’s in love with and she with him.

All Nick’s dreams go up in smoke when the store is gutted by fire. Nick was living in the apartment above the store and lost everything because he didn’t have renter’s insurance. The store’s insurance won’t pay up until they’re assured arson wasn’t the cause of the fire. Nick becomes obsessed with producing, marketing and selling his late grandfather’s kitchen gadget, the handy mate as a way of bringing in income to the point he might lose everything he holds dear including his life.

Pete Hauteman has carved out a very unique niche with this crime comedy. The author doesn’t take himself to seriously so he allows his readers to have a good time while reading about characters that are funny because they get themselves into such ridiculous predicaments a la Abbot and Costello movie. DOOHICKEY is the perfect title for this special book.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner