Beth, Orson and Nina have successfully ripped off Harry and made it out of Baltimore. They’re headed Somewhere Out West – but not before stopping off in Florida to get a sawbones to look at Orson’s broken hand. And of course hide out from Harry’s enforcers – Spanish Scott and Monster – who’re hot on their trail. And that’s where Beth’s deadbeat mom Annie comes in: the Queen of Palm Court!
I would’ve preferred if David Lapham hadn’t given so much space over to Annie. Basically the first 100 pages of the book are all about her life of frustrated suburbia and petty crime, most of which wasn’t too dull but also wasn’t nearly as gripping as finding out what happened next to Beth and the gang. And the Amy Racecar ish – eh, it is what it is at this point.
Still, once Lapham’s done table-setting, the story really kicks off nicely. Annie’s a real piece of work and her scheming nearly scuppers her hated daughter’s daring heist – and then Monster catches up and Beth’s gotta think fast! The rollercoaster plot is as gripping as ever with characters thought dead reappearing and the cash and drugs changing hands from one desperate group to another.
Annie and Beth’s fraught relationship was really well written – you understand Beth a lot more after getting to know Annie and it’s amusing to see how similar they are. I liked the New Orleans closing chapter which showed how serious Beth and Orson’s doomed romance really is. This book is also a lot funnier than the others have been with Annie wearing tape in bed to make her eyes look Asian (one of her men’s fetishes!) and Orson assuming the alter ego of moustachioed Derek.
Stray Bullets: Sunshine and Roses Part 3: The Queen of Palm Court is another compelling chapter in this ever-enthralling series. I totally agree with Jason Aaron’s blurb that if you don’t read Stray Bullets, I don’t know why you bother having eyes!
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