Arthur Pfefferkorn and Bill de Vallee have been close
friends since grade school. Bill even married Arthur's
first love, Carlotta. In the passing years, Arthur became a
creative writing teacher at a liberal arts college on the
East Coast, while Bill became a mega-successful bestselling
author of a long series of thrillers. Bill and his wife
enjoy a lavish lifestyle in California, while Arthur is a
divorced, disillusioned literary has-been. Jealous, Arthur
has become estranged from Bill, but always considered Bill
his best friend.
When Bill is lost at sea and eventually declared dead,
Carlotta sends Arthur an invitation to his memorial in LA.
He eventually decides to go, even though he's not too flush
with cash. Seeing Carlotta rekindles his love for her, so
he is delighted when she asks him to stay for awhile. As
she shows Arthur around her estate, he notices an
unfinished manuscript on Bill's desk. During the night, he
sneaks it into his luggage, taking it home with him.
Changing the title and using a pseudonym, Arthur rewrites
the manuscript and presents it to an agent. It's a huge
success and Arthur finally enjoys the respect he's always
craved.
However, Arthur is not prepared for the repercussions that
occur when his fraudulent accomplishment is uncovered by
some unsavory characters. Shocked at what he learns about
Bill, Arthur is forced to assume other aspects of Bill's
life besides just being a bestselling author. It goes
downhill from there for poor Arthur, and the final outcome
is not a good one.
From the premise, I was expecting a true thriller, which
POTBOILER is not. What started out interesting and
suspenseful soon turned into an absurd parody of political
thrillers. It pokes fun at the publishing industry,
bestselling authors of lengthy series, dealing with
overnight success and friendships. Some narrative was so
comical, I either laughed out loud or groaned. When the
action moved to a fictitious foreign country, POTBOILER
spiraled into a plot so convoluted and confusing, it took a
real effort to reason out all the disconcerting twists and
turns. And I can't find words to describe the ending. If
you like satirical reads that persistently poke fun at a
myriad of topics, then this is the book for you.
Arthur Pfefferkorn is a has-been, or perhaps a never-was:
a middle-aged college professor with long-dead literary
aspirations. When his oldest friend, bestselling thriller
writer William de Vallèe, is lost at sea, Pfefferkorn is
torn between envy and grief, for de Vallèe not only
outshone Pfefferkorn professionally, but married the woman
Pfefferkorn loved.
Finding an incomplete manuscript from the late writer,
Pfefferkorn sneaks off with it after the funeral and
rewrites it as his own, finally earning the success and
recognition he’d felt robbed of his whole life.
But taking over Bill’s work and status opens up more than
just doors to fame and success. As Pfefferkorn learns more
about the darker side of his late friend’s life, he finds
himself sucked into a wholly unexpected adventure. He sets
in motion a surreal chain of events, plunging him into a
shadowy realm of double crosses and intrigue, a world where
no one can be trusted - and nothing can be taken seriously.
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