Paradise Dogs got a terrific review from Booklist. I've never met Elizabeth Dickie, but she clearly knows great literature when she sees it.
Adam Newman has a knack for making things happen in 1960s Florida. He wooed and won Evelyn while selling her a house. With her he created Paradise Dogs, a legendary hot-dog stand where they made a fortune before selling out. Adam can also assume others’ identities, successfully delivering babies and saving others’ marriages. Unfortunately, he can’t save his own, or find the bag of diamonds he borrowed, or stop the drinking that keeps him in a blurry muddle most of the time. One thing he is clear on is that shadowy forces are buying up huge chunks of land around his plots in Orange County. Suspecting a revitalization of the Cross Florida Barge Canal, he tries to uncover the people behind the scheme while staying ahead of the owners of the diamonds and the men in the white jackets. In this raucous novel, Adam is a lovably infuriating character in a cast of originals, including Walt Disney. The pacing is perfect, the tone is the right blend of picaresque and touching. Man Martin is simply brilliant.
— Elizabeth Dickie
