“Funomenal!”

 

 

1Reviews for FIVE MINUTES, by Nick Lucas

 

“Debut novelist Lucas joins the growing list of Florida crime writers (Carl Hiaasen, Laurence Shames, Tim Dorsey) who mix capers with comedy. This lightweight romp stars unscrupulous real-estate salesman Todd Jones, whose wheelings and dealings have landed him a hot Ft. Lauderdale condo and an even hotter girlfriend but who seems to have run out of luck. The story opens with Todd being threatened at gunpoint by his best friend, Dr. Doug Freeman, who is miffed that Todd slept with his wife, Caroline. When Doug is killed in a boating accident, and Caroline is found dead soon after, things don’t look good for Todd. To make matters worse, he has sold a bum property to a mobster and unwittingly involved himself in a drug deal with a surfer dude. Then his mother comes to visit. Readers will fall hard for this lovable loser as he struggles to stay alive while keeping his girlfriend from finding out what he is doing and his mom’s pet pig from eating his stuff. Further adventures would be most welcome.” BOOKLIST

“This is the 1st novel written by Nick Lucas. It’s a comic thriller with a wacky plot. Todd Jones is a hotshot realtor in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with a hot girlfriend. The story begins with Todd getting a routine physical from his doctor and friend Doug Freeman. After the physical Todd asks Doug how healthy he is, Dr. Doug tells him he has five minutes to live. Todd laughs and says no, really is there a problem? Dr. Doug repeats that Todd has Five minutes to live. The doctor goes to a cabinet and pulls out a gun and points it at Todd and tells him he has five minutes to live because he slept with his wife. As Todd is trying to deny everything and stop the madness the doctor is counting down. He does get away and is constantly followed by the obsessed Dr. Doug who continues to try to kill him. Lots of great characters, A homicide detective, a Greek investor who Todd sold 4 building lots to which are underwater, a wealthy gun dealer who lives across the road from the submerged building lots with a surfer son who is a recreational drug user, who is always getting Todd in trouble, Todd’s mother who burned down her condo and moves in with Todd and almost burns down his condo and a pot-bellied pig. The gun dealer of course doesn’t want the lots to be developed. All kinds of bad stuff happens to Todd, he tries to have Dr. Doug killed, he continues his affair with the Docs wife, loses his girlfriend and a bunch of other stuff. But in the end everything seems to work out. The last sentence in the book is extremely clever. The book is only 245 pages and is a quick read. I liked it.” JUST PLUM CRAZY

“Five Minutes: A Comic Thriller is a darkly funny, rip-roaring novel about a fast-talking realtor who is quite possibly the world's worst judge of character. Hunted down by drug dealers, irate customers, a betrayed girlfriend and the husband of a married woman he had an affair with, he has five minutes to live at the opening of the story - perhaps more if he can persuade the angry husband not to point the gun at his head. Then again, perhaps not. Oh, and his mother has come to live with him and won't take no for an answer. A wildly frantic novel about a ne'er do well whose bad deeds have caught up with him, and his wacky struggle to stay just one step ahead of the trigger, suspenseful to the very last word.” MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW

About FIVE MINUTES:

Todd Jones is a hotshot realtor in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He’s got a hot girlfriend, too. The trouble is that Todd is a real bad judge of character, especially his own. Todd’s got himself tangled up worse than an old fishing line balled up in that long forgotten tackle box in the garage. Let’s enumerate.

One of Todd’s biggest clients is mad because the property Todd talked him into buying is underwater—literally. A screwy surfer dude with a recreational drug habit and a millionaire gun manufacturer for a father has got some not-so-friendly dealers on his tail. Todd’s mother has shown up and wants to live with him. And she’s brought her pet pig. And, oh, yeah, there’s this little problem Todd is having with one of his best friends, Dr. Doug Freeman. Todd has been sleeping with Doug’s wife. Okay, so maybe he shouldn’t have. He’d be the first to admit that it may have been an error in judgment on his part. He is a bad judge of character, remember?

And that leads us to Todd Jones’ biggest problem. Dr. Doug has found out about Todd’s philandering and is aiming a pistol at Todd’s forehead even as we speak. Todd has five minutes to live. Maybe less if his girlfriend finds out about his cheating ways.

Nick Lucas’ FIVE MINUTES starts at a brisk boil and never lets up until the last sentence is laid down in this gripping comic thriller about a man whose life has taken a quick and nasty turn for the worse. And goes downhill from there. . .