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Where Is Joe Merchant?
Where is Joe Merchant? That's what his sister, Trevor Kane, the hemorrhoid-ointment heiress, wants to know. For Desdemona, Merchant is the missing link in her ongoing communications with space aliens. Tabloid journalist Rudy Breno only cares that Merchant gets bigger headlines than Elvis. And for renegade seaplane pilot Frank Bama, the mystery of the presumed-dead-but-often-sighted rock star is turning his life upside down.In his debut novel, Jimmy Buffett cooks up an irresistible gumbo of dreamers, wackos, pirates, and sharks, as he leads Trevor and Frank on a wild chase through the Caribbean Islands to a place where anything can happen . . . and everything does.
459 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
About the author
Jimmy Buffett
97 books420 followersJames William "Jimmy" Buffett (born December 25, 1946) was a singer, songwriter, author, businessman, and recently a movie producer best known for his "island escapism" lifestyle and music including hits such as "Margaritaville" (No. 234 on RIAA's list of "Songs of the Century"), and "Come Monday". He had a devoted base of fans known as "Parrotheads". His band was called the Coral Reefer Band.
Aside from his career in music, Buffett was also a best-selling writer and was involved in two restaurant chains named after two of his best known songs, "Cheeseburger in Paradise" and "Margaritaville". He owned the Margaritaville Cafe restaurant chain and co-developed the Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant concept with OSI Restaurant Partners (parent of Outback Steakhouse), which operates the chain under a licensing agreement with Buffett.
Aside from his career in music, Buffett was also a best-selling writer and was involved in two restaurant chains named after two of his best known songs, "Cheeseburger in Paradise" and "Margaritaville". He owned the Margaritaville Cafe restaurant chain and co-developed the Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant concept with OSI Restaurant Partners (parent of Outback Steakhouse), which operates the chain under a licensing agreement with Buffett.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 299 reviews
March 12, 2017
This was easily the worst damn book I ever read! I'm embarrassed to admit I even read it. My only consolation is that I was locked up in Cook County Jail and it was the only book floating around my deck that no one wanted to read. It was the only thing there freely offered that nothing was asked in return for.
March 5, 2010
I can honestly say that this book appealed to both the avid reader AND the avid Parrothead in me! This was interesting and entertaining, with a typically Jimmy Buffett exotic setting and some fascinating and bizarre characters. Characters such as Frank Bama, Trevor Kane, Blanton Meyercord (my personal favorite!), Rudy Breno, Charlie Fabian, Colonel Cairo and of course the amazing Desdemona all made this a hard-to-put-down story.
A special note for Parrotheads: Although this is a book for anyone who likes reading bizarre love & adventure stories, Parrotheads will especially appreciate the subtle (and even not-so-subtle) references to your favorite Buffett songs. Pay special attention to the names of the chapters! :->
Anyone who has always wondered about Desdemona while listening to "Fruitcakes" and "Desdemona's Building a Rocket ship" should definitely read this book - all the answers are here!
A special note for Parrotheads: Although this is a book for anyone who likes reading bizarre love & adventure stories, Parrotheads will especially appreciate the subtle (and even not-so-subtle) references to your favorite Buffett songs. Pay special attention to the names of the chapters! :->
Anyone who has always wondered about Desdemona while listening to "Fruitcakes" and "Desdemona's Building a Rocket ship" should definitely read this book - all the answers are here!
January 30, 2009
I must confess, I'm not usually one for fiction, but I have loved this book since I read the cover. I still can't place my finger on what I love so much about it, but I think it's just the general nature of the book. It just has character. It had a lot of character investment and a multiple layered plot - those two things together make any book enjoyable to me. I couldn't put it down, and I still can't when I read it, which is quite frequently. It is definitely a favorite.
August 6, 2017
Certainly not the best book I've read in a few years, but it was definitely one of the most fun books I've read in a long time.
It is difficult to talk about Frank Brillo and his cast of characters without giving something away. I won't even try, so I'll just say this:
You will smile and laugh as you read it. You will gasp at the danger and love the ending.
Read it!
It is difficult to talk about Frank Brillo and his cast of characters without giving something away. I won't even try, so I'll just say this:
You will smile and laugh as you read it. You will gasp at the danger and love the ending.
Read it!
July 10, 2016
Where is Joe Merchant? by Jimmy Buffett (Mariner Books 1992) (Fiction). Is there anything Jimmy Buffett doesn't do well? It's not enough that he's a fantastic singer/songwriter with a devoted ban of fun-loving followers (The Parrotheads), it turns out he's a fine fiction writer as well. In Where is Joe Merchant?, Buffett creates a rock and roll star who has disappeared into the Caribbean. There are sharks, rum drinks, and space aliens; hilarity ensues. Well done, Jimmy B! My rating: 7/10, finished 1997.
September 18, 2023
In memory of Jimmy, I reread this adventure. Lots of hopping around the Caribbean in this fantasy/magical story that is filled with small details. A bit on the crazy side, but that was Jimmy. The fighting spirit of seaplane captain Frank Bama is fun to follow as he cheats death in trying to do the right things.
3.75*
3.75*
January 1, 2021
You don't have to be a Jimmy Buffett fan to enjoy this breezy tale of adventure set around the Caribbean, but it helps if you know his music catalog--why, I will explain in a minute. Part Joseph Conrad and part Gabriel Garcia Marquez with a bit of Indiana Jones thrown in, Buffett draws upon his various literary inspirations to craft this story of a down-on-his-luck seaplane pilot who, on his way to ditching his creditors by relocating to Alaska from Key West, gets tangled up in a mess involving a deposed dictator wanna-be and a long-thought-dead rock star--all to make amends with his former girlfriend, with whom he had a tumultuous relationship (but what protagonist hasn't had at least one of those?). Along the way, Frank Bama (yes, it's the same name of the pilot that Buffett occasionally portrays on the revamped Hawaii Five-O) runs into and afoul of a number of shady and shifty characters, a few of whom may have inhabited some of Buffett's songs. One interesting technique Buffett employs is an alternating point of view: when Bama is involved in the story, it is told in first person, but when he is not, it shifts to third person (I detect a Robert Louis Stevenson influence at work). A note of caution--don't take too long between sittings (it is a fast read), because Buffett introduces a number of characters in the story (although not quite Pynchon-esque), and it's easy to forget who is who and what they did. As for knowing Buffett's catalog, he liberally sprinkles song titles and lines from his songs (at least those he had produced prior to 1992) throughout the novel, and it's fun if you can pick up on those.
May 24, 2020
One of the first real novels I ever read. My dad was a big Jimmy buffet fan and he had read this book and I decided to be cool like dad and read it too. Didn't have much to compare it to back then but I remember loving it so I'll just give it 4 stars even though I can't remember what it was about. I do remember I know what a conch is because of this book. So if nothing else it gets 4 stars for it's educational value.
January 25, 2018
I have a Parrot Head friend who insisted I read this book. Said it was his summer time ritual :) I have to admit I was pretty surprised at how much I liked it. Perhaps the characters are a bit too kooky and over the top at times but hey its meant to be a fun read.
June 5, 2017
A fun romp involving pirates, mercenaries, flyboys, a talking dolphin, and prostitutes, all looking for a dead rock star who may or may not be really dead.
September 18, 2020
This is a book I read. It was ok, I’d give it a 2.5
July 25, 2021
I read this years ago...I suddenly remembered it after someone made a Jimmy Buffett reference. It was...strange. That's pretty much all I remember about it!
June 28, 2012
If you have any sence of island adventure any where in you this story will take you into Jimmy's world and leave you wanting more. This is one story that should have never ended. I read this years ago and am still left wanting more. You don't have to be a dire hard parrot head to get taken into this magical world where pages come alive and take you beyond where you are into a far far better place. I still miss being there.
February 22, 2016
Nothing beats island-hopping around the Caribbean, chasing after the love of your life while running from pirates and bounty hunters and jet ski killers. And a cosmic physic who talks to dolphins! What a fun ride! Definitely earns the tag 'beach read'.
February 10, 2008
Jimmy Buffett is a good story-teller. Count on beaches, adventure, friends ... a fun, easy read. Some of his ideas are out there, but hey -- why not? Tall tales are part of story telling.
August 5, 2013
The only reason this book got published is because the author is Jimmy Buffet. Please stick to song writing and skip the novels!
December 6, 2014
OK - this book was just fun fun fun. I loved it. It's ridiculous and hilarious and I loved it. The. End.
September 17, 2015
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13599398
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13599398
November 20, 2017
Maybe my favorite beach read. Whodunit sort of vibe in paradise.
December 18, 2020
Honestly not trying to be mean...Worst book I have ever read. But I applaud Mr. Buffett for making an effort and expanding his horizons. I love his music and Shrimp - two out of three aint bad :)
November 16, 2023
Not really a fan. If you are a plane fanatic or a lover of the Caribbean you will probably like it more. Also it had a bit of magical fantasy to it that I suppose could appeal to people but it detracted more to me.
Frank Bama is basically what I assume Jimmy Buffett to be if he wasn’t a musician. He’s a seaplane pilot bouncing around the Caribbean. He is about to lose his seaplane to the bank and has a plan to escape to Alaska when all Hell breaks loose. His best friend, Blanton, blows up a jet ski commercial and injures the director so he becomes a fugitive known as the Jet Ski Killer. As well his ex girlfriend shows back up out of the blue asking Frank to take her to Boomtown to meet with a woman, Desdamona, who wrote her a letter saying she has information about her dead brother, Joe Merchant.
Joe Merchant is like Elvis. He died after falling or jumping off a boat though his body was never found. There are sightings of him all over the world. Joe was a big time rock and roll singer turned missionary or mercenary in Africa, known to have hung out with Colonel Cairo who is a mercenary posing as a missionary.
Frank agrees to take Trevor to Boomtown to meet Desdamona and even more Hell breaks loose. Colonel Cairo is also there to retrieve a sunken treasure. His ex right hand man Monty Potter now runs a small Carribbean island and also wants the treasure. It will be a battle to the end and of course Frank and Trevor and Blanton get caught up in it.
Plus what seems like the least important side story is where is Joe Merchant?
Editing this after reading a few other reviews. While I am a Jimmy Buffett fan I would not call myself a Parrothead and I definitely don’t know the lyrics to all of his songs. I did pick up on some of his song title and lyrics sprinkled throughout, apparently there are a lot more than what I knew, including a bunch about Desdamona, so I suppose if I knew that I may have rated this at least slightly higher.
Frank Bama is basically what I assume Jimmy Buffett to be if he wasn’t a musician. He’s a seaplane pilot bouncing around the Caribbean. He is about to lose his seaplane to the bank and has a plan to escape to Alaska when all Hell breaks loose. His best friend, Blanton, blows up a jet ski commercial and injures the director so he becomes a fugitive known as the Jet Ski Killer. As well his ex girlfriend shows back up out of the blue asking Frank to take her to Boomtown to meet with a woman, Desdamona, who wrote her a letter saying she has information about her dead brother, Joe Merchant.
Joe Merchant is like Elvis. He died after falling or jumping off a boat though his body was never found. There are sightings of him all over the world. Joe was a big time rock and roll singer turned missionary or mercenary in Africa, known to have hung out with Colonel Cairo who is a mercenary posing as a missionary.
Frank agrees to take Trevor to Boomtown to meet Desdamona and even more Hell breaks loose. Colonel Cairo is also there to retrieve a sunken treasure. His ex right hand man Monty Potter now runs a small Carribbean island and also wants the treasure. It will be a battle to the end and of course Frank and Trevor and Blanton get caught up in it.
Plus what seems like the least important side story is where is Joe Merchant?
Editing this after reading a few other reviews. While I am a Jimmy Buffett fan I would not call myself a Parrothead and I definitely don’t know the lyrics to all of his songs. I did pick up on some of his song title and lyrics sprinkled throughout, apparently there are a lot more than what I knew, including a bunch about Desdamona, so I suppose if I knew that I may have rated this at least slightly higher.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 20, 2021
For those of you who are of the Parrot-Head inclination ... Buffett is definitely a man of many talents. Songwriter, musician, movie-maker, entrepreneur, the author of 4 or 5 books, and still performing at the age of 75. In this story, Buffett combines some of the most unbelievable characters you might imagine, at least four kinds of hallucenogens, an entire cast of murderers and cutthroats who have all sorts of imaginative ways to take care of problems, multiple plots, twenty characters who move in and out of the story for you to try and keep up with, and some of the raunchiest language I've ever read. For an idea of what I'm talking about, think in terms of a woman who is building a rocket ship to be powered by crystals, a man with eyeballs tattooed on the outside of his eyelids so he can watch you while he's napping, a beautiful hemorrhoid ointment heiress, a jet ski murderer, a former rock star who is the brother of the heiress and is "missing", and a hero who flies a boat. Now you're beginning to get the picture. On the plus side, the text describes some of the most hair-raising flying episodes I've ever read, and Buffett definitely has a unique knack for turning a phrase. If you read this story, prepare to be unprepared.
October 28, 2020
The first thing to mention is that the editor of this particular printing needs another job. I've read literally thousands of books, and I've never come across one with so many typos (at least 6, before I stopped counting). I found it annoying, since there's really no good excuse for that.
On to the story itself...The parts related to planes and flying were interesting and very well written. The romance was nicely woven into the larger picture of adventure in the islands. Most of the characters were well developed, and the setting was described in detail, so that I got the feel of the landscape. The story was entertaining, with a lot of humor mixed in, even though parts of the "adventure" were completely unbelievable. Overall, it was an enoyable, relaxing read, just don't take it too seriously.
On to the story itself...The parts related to planes and flying were interesting and very well written. The romance was nicely woven into the larger picture of adventure in the islands. Most of the characters were well developed, and the setting was described in detail, so that I got the feel of the landscape. The story was entertaining, with a lot of humor mixed in, even though parts of the "adventure" were completely unbelievable. Overall, it was an enoyable, relaxing read, just don't take it too seriously.
November 26, 2021
Jimmy Buffett wrote a novel? That's definitely the first thing that goes through your mind as you pick this one up, but pretty quickly you forget that the author is really a major music star and not a novelist. The story takes place mostly in the area of Miami down through all parts of the Caribbean, with some minor side tales from Africa and Alaska, and primarily consists of all the parties involved circling each other via boat and planes till it all comes crashing together. It's a bit of a mess, and the multiple mystical and alien UFO elements make it sometimes a bit too fantastical, but it's definitely fun to read. The various islands hideouts and the whole "pirate" lifestyle that Buffett covers is what makes the story interesting as this sort of whiplash of activity wouldn't work in the midwest.
A good summer read as you sit on a beach.
A good summer read as you sit on a beach.
September 26, 2023
I did not enjoy this one much. Buffett sets a picturesque scene down in the Keys and the Caribbean, but the story is pretty weak. Frank Bama flies a seaplane and wants to relocate to Alaska with his dog, and his plane, as the bank looks to take the plane away. His ex-girlfriend Trevor turns up, and there are rumors that her brother, the rock star Joe Merchant, is alive years after he reportedly committed suicide.
Frank helps Trevor search for Joe, while fending off some mobster bad guys with an eye on the sack of money Joe left behind.
There's also some supernatural silliness in Desdemona, who talks to dolphins and has a boat that looks like a rocket named the Cosmic Muffin.
Too long and not nearly interesting enough.
Frank helps Trevor search for Joe, while fending off some mobster bad guys with an eye on the sack of money Joe left behind.
There's also some supernatural silliness in Desdemona, who talks to dolphins and has a boat that looks like a rocket named the Cosmic Muffin.
Too long and not nearly interesting enough.
October 22, 2020
This is a somewhat fun action / mystery story by the popular singer Jimmy Buffett. I particularly enjoyed the heavy aviation and Caribbean lifestyle themes. I recognized a lot of the island names and foods and music referenced in the text. At first I found the prose a little bit forced, almost sounded like reading lyrics at some points, but as I went on and the complexity of the story continued to increase I found myself really enjoying it. It is one of those novels that jumps around between different characters in different places and eventually pulls you in to the suspense of how all the different story lines will converge in the end. Overall a fun enjoyable read.
January 17, 2021
Jimmy Buffett's book . . . Joe Merchant is a fun read. It's not going to change the world, but it's quite entertaining. It's populated by characters who will grab your interest, and some that read like cartoon characters. (Fernando Orlando?! Funny.) It's got some whacky, weird bits in it, but for the most part it moves along well, pulling the reader along. There are a lot of characters that criss cross and many of whom will intersect in the climax. That said, I'm not sure I ever felt a real strong connection to any of the characters. Still, it is the classic guilty pleasure read, not really something that I feel will stick with me once I start reading the next book.
September 24, 2021
Summer read change your latitude book. I have read and reread it many times why because well he writes a good aviation scene from a pilot point of view. The characters Desdemona, Trevor Kaine, Frank Bama, RUdy Breno, and Blanton Meyord Colonel Cairo, and Joe Merchant..... all very lovable and to some extent real.... I guess a Christian conservative I am not supposed to like this but I have a sense of humor..... the climax is crazy ..... the set up fun..... pour a margarita read the book..... call out for shrimp po boy drink a corona an hour a couple chapters later and enjoy...... this book is something to be read in the dead of winter..... with summer food keep you warm.
October 19, 2018
This is a funny book. We have a women Desdemona who is building a space ship to travel to the stars. Some of the chapters in the book is Jimmy Buffett title of songs. The premise of the book is Frank Buma who has a sea plane and owes money to the bank and is worried that the bank is going to take it over. He is in love with a girl named Trevor Kane. She left him and now returns to him to look for her brother Joe Merchant. He was to have jump off a cruise ship, but is still alive according to this woman Desdemona. It has great characters and is a fun book to read.
July 26, 2021
So, as a writer/ novelist, J Buffett is a wonderful singer, songwriter & entertainer. Kudos for the effort, but good golly miss molly, what a rough, uneven & difficult read. A tighter story with all the transitions & flashbacks condensed could have, at the very least, made for a shorter “story”. The gimmicky use of song titles, with JB masquerading as the “narrator” while likely appealing to die-hards, is anything but a plus, and folks along for the ride, end up feeling they (we) were taken for a ride.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 299 reviews