Aida Brassington ~ "Chasing fools"

One Jewish cheese smuggler. (yes, cheese!)

One goofy Italian in love with the cheese smuggling (Jewish) girl.

One slutty Italian breaking the news of being gay.

His very much NOT Italian boyfriend.

One Italian mother with a bucket full of hate reserved for Jews, Chinese and Swedes. (And pretty much everybody and everything else. )
One crazy cheese mobster trying out his big boy pants.

One kick ass Nana, more fearsome than an Italian Don…

…add in some poison ivy, mushrooms aaaaaaaand a dead body…what do you get?

One heck of a ride!

I read the first novel from this author a while back and loved it.

The story was very capturing and the characters jumped off the page…the only problem I had with it was a mumbled ending, but even that could not make me chop off more than half a star!

So, it was only natural for me to crave "Chasing fools" when Mrs. Author contacted me and said the RD date to her brand new manuscript was nearing.

Also, when an writer has only one work behind him/her and is publishing the next one, I am always on my toes – because I want to see if they learned anything form the previous experience and praise/critique. I can safely say that in this case – the  author knows what she is doing. She is one of the rare people who get better with quantity and continue to work on their form, function and presentation.

A few evenings ago the weather was nice and a small breeze was present. I sat on my balcony with a glass of wine prepared to read the ARC of “Chasing fools” on my Kindle…

(insert tranquil music)

Minutes later the neighbors could see me snorting out wine all over myself while struggling with laughter!

After that, the wine was firmly planted on the table (in order to save my poor shirt) as I consumed the whole read in one sitting.

The book itself was hilarious -  but it never felt like the author tried too hard to make the reader(s) fell the mirth. It also had genuine substance, and touched a few important topics - like religion and sexual orientations.

Since Mrs. Brassington does not judge or point fingers, the reader(s) can relax, soak up the experience and be sympathetic to characters that would normally not appeal.

I actually read parts of this book to a marginally homophobic friend and she was completely in love with one of the main characters – the Italian GAY guy.

If ever there was something that is hard to pull off – it is making, even forcing, the consumer to be neutral. To focus on character traits,without being sidetracked with labels...
The author of "Chasing fools" succeeded where many others failed - and I applaud her for that!

From the moment I read the teaser chapters and started begging for the ARC, I marked this book as a Janet Evanovich type of script.

It WAS. (Kind of. Maybe.)

It DOES REMIND me of the Stephanie Plum series. There are Italians, a crazy Nana , mobsters, hit men, a dead body… but it worked out much smoother that ANY of the Plum novels. In other words – it was a MUCH BETTER read! The plot was more intriguing and just plain inventive. Plus it had a macabre play-like quality I have not seen in a long time.

For those of you that do not know what a macabre play is, think "Arsenic and old lace". A ton of fun(ny) dark humor that can shine in any environment – book, play, film, or radio show.

Don’t let this sidetrack you – there is a sweetness to the read, a underlying streak of romance and love that pops out and makes you sigh. It also has a healthy does of real drama and a sprinkle of suspense. What more can you wish for?

Bottom line? This was a well thought out and (more than) well written book. I am completely in love with it, and you all know I am a tough nut to crack! I only pray that somebody out there will see what gem it is, and maybe make it in to a full length movie…

…Oh! That is something I would love to watch!

*frowns at the TV program with "Twilight" in it*

Off I go - to imagine it as a film noir…watched on the Canes film festival, while the public goes wild – bravo, brava!

My daydreams and woolgathering moments aside – a real big "bravo" to Aida Brassington and “Chasing fools”! I hope her next novel will be an even greater adventure!

 

You will be able to buy "Chasing fools" on the 20th of July. Sadly, it is not available for PO,  but Aida's other novel "Between the seasons" can be  purchased on Amazon for a complete steal!

WARNING: Be sure to tune in on Wednesday when Mrs. Brassington will be doing a guest post on our blog!

So excited! *sqeals*