Berney's Wild, Twisting 'Whiplash River'

Charles “Shake” Bouchon thought that escaping to exotic Belize and opening a small restaurant on the beach would be the perfect way to leave behind his life of crime. However, trouble seems to follow Shake, the lead character in Lou Berney's second novel, <em>Whiplash River</em>.<br /><br />Shake, a former professional getaway driver, can't escape his bad luck. He is up to his ears in debt to a drug lord named Baby Jesus, and business isn't great at the restaurant. After Shake stops the attempted assassination of an elderly customer named Quinn, he finds himself on the run from the drug lord, two would-be assassins and a beautiful FBI agent. In a panic, Shake turns to the elderly Quinn for help; before he knows it, he finds himself halfway around the world and deep into a dangerous situation.<br /><br />This witty, comedic tale is filled with romance, mystery and intrigue. A good caper with well-developed characters, <em>Whiplash River</em> is a winding adventure that takes readers from Belize to San Francisco to Egypt.<br /><br />Berney is an accomplished writer whose previous Shake Bouchon novel,<em> Gutshot Straight</em>, was nominated for a Barry Award and named by Booklist as one of the best debut crime novels of 2010. His short fiction has been featured in <em>The New Yorker</em> and <em>Ploughshares</em>, and he has written feature screenplays and television pilots for Warner Bros., Paramount and Fox, among others. Berney will appear at <strong>Mystery One Bookshop</strong> July 26 at 7 p.m.<strong><br /><br />Book Happenings</strong><br /><br />W. Ben Hunt, a Hales Corners man who was a leader in the outdoors movement, wrote numerous books and magazine articles. Now the first book about Hunt has been published, titled <em>W. Ben Hunt: From Whittlin' Jim to Lone Eagle</em>, by Alan J. Strekow and Robert Zeit. The authors will give a presentation on the book and hold a book-signing Aug. 1 at 7 p.m. in the W. Ben Hunt Room of the Hales Corners Public Library.