Dove Season

Jimmy Veeder Fiasco, Book 1

By: Johnny Shaw

Narrated by: Gary Dikeos

Jack Veeder is dying. Soon. And that impending event brings his son Jimmy back to the Imperial Valley of southern California just north of the Calexico/Mexicali border. Jimmy hopes he can spend what time his father has left laughing and reminiscing. But Jack’s got one dying request. He needs Jimmy to find a Mexican prostitute named Yolanda.

Enlisting the help of his boyhood friend Bobby Maves, the pair stumbles through the violent, the exploited, and the corrupted of Mexicali. It doesn’t take long before they’re in over their heads. And as Jimmy tries to survive the dangers of the Mexicali underworld, he unwittingly uncovers truths about his father he never imagined, forcing Jimmy to come to terms with the man he thought he knew, and to decide just what sort of man he wants to become.

©2011 Johnny Shaw (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“[Johnny Shaw] is excellent at creating a sense of place with a few deft strokes... he moves effortlessly between dark comedy and moments that pack a real emotional punch, and he’s got a knack for off-kilter characters who are completely at home in their own personal corners of oddballdom.” (Tana French, author of In the Woods, Faithful Place)

Enter the Imperial County if you dare

Jimmy's homecoming braught about by his father in hospice leads him down into the underworld of Calexico and Mexicali.

Johnny Shaw's vision of Imperial County is a bit romanticized and a bit grittier but the chaos and day to day life of the the california boarder is real!

Fast times in the Mexicali desert

Jimmy, a wandering soul, is still trying to avoid real responsibilities as an adult in his late twenties gets the news that his father is dying of cancer. Upon hearing this, Jimmy races back home and discovers that his father's last dying wish is to be reunited with a woman of ill repute. You can figure out how the rest goes. After his father passed, Jimmy, Angela, his ex highschool girlfriend, and Bobby, his best friend, are put smack into a series of coincidences and bad timing, including badly timed (and crude) jokes. The story interesting, but juvenile; however, there is no shortage of characters, mishaps, puzzle pieces, and slap your forehead stupid crossed with just plain idiotic shenanigans. Again, interesting story, but nothing much to be learned or realized life lesson. If you want to laugh and don't mind vulgar humor, it's a decent first in the series. 3.5, rated closer to 4 since it held my attention.

Slow start strong finish

Story is a little slow to start developing characters but finishes strong with entertainment along the way. Reading performance was great.

Great book

This book was very enjoyable and can’t wait to read more by Johnny Shaw. It had action, suspense and comedy.

Really weird, but endearing, suspense thriller

It's often deadly serious and sometimes humorous. The characters, especially the protagonist and his buddy, are often reckless, but in the end the protagonist does the right thing, recklessly. The publisher's summary gives enough of the rest of the story. Overall, it is a good story worth listening to. The narration is superb.

Underrated Title

I would had never read this book if my friend didn't suggested "Dove Season" to me. This is a very funny book. The first half of the book is about a son getting reunited with his father that is dying from Cancer. His dying wish is to find a prostitute that he used to see. The jokes are very funny and it is well written. Think, Hangover, Big Lebowski and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, all mix together and you have Dove Season. The second half of the title is a bit predictable with the Mexican prostitute's murder and what follows, but this story is a fun ride with great jokes, like "Brown Bagging" and the "Head Nurse". I was laughing with my headphones on. I just wished that there were more audio books from Johnny Shaw because from what I read so far, his style of writing and transitions, flows very smoothly.

So far, there is only two other people that have rated this book on Audible and I'm the first one to write a review. I hope that I'm not the last because Dove Season has got to be one of the most underrated title of 2011.

Great book to listen on a road trip, but not suitable for families because of the content and language, but laugh out loud story.

I have to thank my friend for recommending this book because I would had overpass it base on Audible's traffic.