Beluga

By Rick Gavin

A few months ago in Ranchero, Rick Gavin’s much-acclaimed Delta noir novel, Nick Reid and his compadre Desmond liberated some money from a nasty meth dealer, and now they need to launder it. After lending out a couple thousand dollars here and there, with hopes of getting a small return, all kinds of “investment opportunities” are coming out of the woodwork, and one of them has trouble written all over it.The brother of Desmond’s ex-wife wants a small sum to set up a scheme involving a trailer full of stolen tires. Which sets off all kinds of alarm bells for Nick, but Shawnica insists that Nick and Desmond help her brother out. In the next few days, they’re set upon by a ninja schoolgirl assassin and a couple of Delta gangsters, and soon all thoughts of recouping their investment go out the window. They’ll settle for just staying alive.The twists and turns and the dry wit that made Ranchero a delight are all on full display once again in Beluga, Rick Gavin’s latest.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
• Release date: Oct 30, 2012
• ISBN: 9781250015228

Rick Gavin

RICK GAVIN is the alter-ego of writer T. R. Pearson. The author of several works of fiction and nonfiction, including the acclaimed novels A Short History of a Small Place, Polar, and Blue Ridge, he lives in Virginia. Nowhere Nice is his third Nick Reid novel, after Ranchero and Beluga.

Reviews for Beluga

[bjkelley · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While I didn't find Beluga as good as Gavin's first book Ranchero, it's still a darn good read. If you would like a book that's sort of like what you would get if you crossed Hiaasen with Lansdale, then both Ranchero and Beluga are the books for you.

[zmagic69 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Almost as good as the first one, not sophomore slump for this author.

[hagelstein_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In the second installment of this series Nick Reid and his giant friend Desmond continue to collect debts in the Mississippi Delta for a rent-to-own business, now part-time since they’ve come into money they took from a meth dealer. They chase down the hard cases, “people so filthy you’d rather rent furniture to an incontinent cat.”When they finance a stolen tire scheme by Desmond’s ex-wife’s boyfriend Larry, who legally changed his name to Beluga in prison, they create “a tapestry of problems” with a bad family, the Shambroughs, “vicious bastards all dolled up and walking on their hind legs.”Gavin is masterful at describing people. “A dough planter” is “all gut an entitlement.” This is a humorous and satisfying crime novel. I’m looking for to the next one.

[mrmapcase · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is just a fun rollicking ride through the Mississippi Delta, even better than his first novel, Ranchero. With a group of memorable and somewhat twisted characters it strikes a fun chord with readers. It may be a bit violent for some, but who doesn’t like a good fight scene at Wal-Mart.Free review copy