JayneB Reviews / Book ReviewsContemporary / fathers and daughters / friendship / heist / LGBTQIA characters / Musicians / older MCs2 Comments

Mo Melnick used to be a drummer in rock band Sunshine Apocalypse. He used to be someone. These days he rents beach umbrellas on the Jersey Shore.

The last thing he expects is for Johnny Clay, his old bandmate turned enemy, to ask him a favor. Johnny’s dying, and before he passes he wants Sunshine Apocalypse to reunite for one last gig at Fun City, the beachfront amusement park where their musical journey began.
Mo’s in—reluctantly. But then Johnny reveals his real plan: He doesn’t just want to play at Fun City on the fourth of July. He wants to rob it.

The plan is crazy. It has more holes than a golf course. But Mo’s sick of barely keeping his head above water, and, ironically, this crime may provide Mo’s one chance to connect with the daughter he’s never known. So he and his gang of middle-aged has-beens dive into what will be the most outrageous heist New Jersey’s ever seen—if, that is, they can pull it off alive . . .

CW/TW – copious drinking, marijuana use by teen, mention of a gambling addiction

Dear Mr. Kardos,

Looking for something a little different from my usual reading, I spied this and thought the blurb sounded like fun. Yes, it is fun but it’s also deep and plumbs the depths of friendship, despair, deceit, and middle aged reconsideration of life choices made.

Look, the plan always relied on a bit of luck and good timing. But, it was almost perfect with a built in alibi and no real harm done. The payoff is $250,000. Not a lot for some people but even split four or (later) five or (even later) six ways, it’s enough for a new start for people who have had nothing for most of their lives. It’s all good, right? Nope.  

Mo, Johnny, Ed, and Ricky are now all in their mid-forties. They’re living lives of quiet desperation. Ricky teaches guitar to snot nosed kids, Ed works in a sleazy bar with open mic nights for horrible bands, Johnny left for Florida and took up real estate sales, and Mo runs part of a Jersey shore beach chairs and umbrella rentals not-really-empire which is owned by someone else. They’re not living the dream now but once, yes once they (almost) were. Once they were an up-and-coming band that had a recording contract, released two albums and had a song make the Top 100 chart. They also had the ups and downs – mostly downs – that went with hustling on the road, playing crap venues, driving for hours in a beat up van, and the widening cracks that eventually broke them up. 

When Johnny reappears with a plan to reunite the band in a sort of Make-A-Wish one night reunion, he tells Mo it’s for old times sake and only later mentions Something Else. Reluctantly Mo goes along and eventually brings in his teenage daughter whom he’s rarely seen as her mom left and married someone else. Then the Real Reason behind the heart-strings tugging reunion is revealed and Mo is torn. 

There are a lot of reasons to go along but also a (growing) number of reasons why this could turn out to be a Very Bad Idea. But soon the ‘reasons for’ have crossed the Rubicon

Then more Truths emerge and Mo is furious but also reluctantly thinking that one thing Johnny has said might actually be true.   

Of course things don’t go as planned. Of course there are hiccups and adroit pivots when the plans have to be modified on the fly. Of course now Mo worries that all the forces against them will prevail and his morals stick their hand up and question everything. I’ll be honest and admit that I wasn’t quite sure exactly how things would shake out in the end. Would they get the money and get to keep it? Were the cops on to them the whole time? What was the local gangster going to do? And would Mo’s daughter Janice end up miserable back with her God-fearing parents in Ohio? Well, I’m pleased with everything that everyone got – yes, even Johnny as he got what he really wanted and maybe what he had coming to him. Mo, Janice and Ed – yeah, life is good and finally Mo gets to be in front while on the stage playing melodies. B  

~Jayne 

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