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I've always felt that reviewers who rely on comparisons to other books are lazy. Okay, I've been wrong before - Princess Naughty and the Voodoo Cadillac invites positive comparisons to some writers. It's going to appeal to a lot of people: I'm not one of them, but I think I still know an appealing book when I read one. The plot is a bit outrageous, the characters bizarre, and it's hard to know who to root for. There are CIA guys, ex-CIA guys, con artists and thieves, ex-cons and mercenaries. Not one of them is believable. But I read every word - the dialogue is very well written, and, well, it reminded me of the old "Mission Impossible" plots; you had no idea what the people were up to, but you watched every strange behavior, in the knowledge and hope that it would all come clear in the end. There's even a character called "Dunbarton Oakes" whose name is a) a bad pun and b) I'm guessing a direct stab at William F. Buckley spy character Blackford Oakes (read the Willard book folks, don't read those). And I have to ask the editor at Longstreet Press what the point is to the countless chapters, some four or five, some two pages long. It gives the book a frantic feeling. But I suspect that was deliberate - it's a fast-paced story with a lot going on. I didn't buy any of it, and couldn't really find people to like, but Willard has lots of talent. If you like Hiassen, if you like Ross Thomas's wilder books (I always found Thomas all over the map, but think that his Chinaman's Chance will always be on my top 50 list, then you probably will enjoy this improbable caper novel. The longer you think about Princess Naughty the more you realize how unreal it is, and how unbelievable the characters are. Willard's a fun writer, but this is the second book I've read in as many days that has truly unbelievable women loving men who don't deserve it. And I find myself wanting to tell them "get real". But doses of reality aren't always what a reader is looking for. And strangely-titled mysteries aren't my cup of beer, but the book deserves attention from folks who appreciate "wacky" more than I do.
Reviewed by Andi Shechter, December 2002
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