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C.R.'s Reviews > Gutbuster
Gutbuster
by
by
Amen and Hallelujah
This is my third Gene Kendall book, and I always appreciate his masculine style and wicked wit, as well as his well-drawn characters. I found these again in Gutbuster. The novel follows the misadventures of one Mac Doubleday, who acts as the bouncer for his uncle’s nightclub. Soon, good-natured and devout Mac is drawn into the much more dangerous world of organized crime when he attempts to collect a debt from a stand-up comedian named Angelica and her agent, only to fall desperately in love with the girl.
Mac is a likeable and sympathetic protagonist, despite his bad choices, including trusting the villain of the piece, a certifiably crazy character called Moody who, strangely enough, has considerable self-awareness, making him the most interesting of Kendall’s cast of misfits. The only character I thought could be better developed is Angelica who appears, to me, at least, a thoughtless twit of a babe not worthy of Mac’s devotion. However, the conclusion of the novel is a strong one, ending with a joke about a traveling preacher who commands his horse to stop and go using the words “Amen” and "Hallelujah." Might the words predict the future of Mac and Angelica – or perhaps a sequel to Gutbuster?
This is my third Gene Kendall book, and I always appreciate his masculine style and wicked wit, as well as his well-drawn characters. I found these again in Gutbuster. The novel follows the misadventures of one Mac Doubleday, who acts as the bouncer for his uncle’s nightclub. Soon, good-natured and devout Mac is drawn into the much more dangerous world of organized crime when he attempts to collect a debt from a stand-up comedian named Angelica and her agent, only to fall desperately in love with the girl.
Mac is a likeable and sympathetic protagonist, despite his bad choices, including trusting the villain of the piece, a certifiably crazy character called Moody who, strangely enough, has considerable self-awareness, making him the most interesting of Kendall’s cast of misfits. The only character I thought could be better developed is Angelica who appears, to me, at least, a thoughtless twit of a babe not worthy of Mac’s devotion. However, the conclusion of the novel is a strong one, ending with a joke about a traveling preacher who commands his horse to stop and go using the words “Amen” and "Hallelujah." Might the words predict the future of Mac and Angelica – or perhaps a sequel to Gutbuster?
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Reading Progress
Finished Reading
December 24, 2025
– Shelved
