El Flamingo, Nick Davies

Regardless of why struggling actor Lou Galloway upped sticks from Los Angeles landing in Mexico, going from attending yet another audition in which he didn't get the job to sitting around in bars with cheap mezcal and no demands, the last thing he expected was to end up at the wedding of the daughter of the infamous crime boss Diego Flores. The grand mansion, the fancy food, elaborate outfits, the drinks, the gorgeous wife Maria-Carla Flores, the pretence that he's El Flamingo. The real ruthless assassin, someone Galloway somehow got talking to in one of those bars, had an idea for an identity swap, that you could argue only seemed like a good idea with a load of cheap mezcal on board. Although, to be fair, Galloway has never believed the "not a great actor" tag applied to him. Just one chance is all he's ever wanted. His agent had obviously never thought far enough outside the box though, so why not a bit of a real-life opportunity.

Only of course it doesn't turn out that way, and therein lies a novel that pans out as part romp, part suspense thriller with a bit of romantic angst thrown in, a combination that's just silly enough (did I detect the slightest hint of tongue firmly impressed in cheek?) to really work well. The end result is a high-adrenaline charge around South America, on a high-stakes rollercoaster that really does, for once, live up to and exceed that description.

Needless to say EL FLAMINGO is great fun, full of energy and flair, based on a very original idea into the bargain. An idea that's very well executed, with a coincidence giving what is otherwise a slightly insane plot, heaps of believable credence if you're of a mind to care about such things. The characterisation is perfect - with Galloway a nice combination of an actor's self-belief and the man's self-doubt, with the attraction he feels for Maria-Carla fitting nicely into both sides of that psychological equation. Of course, it's all about an assassin's life which means there's heaps of action and lots of jeopardy - even before they try to make a run for another life, although to be honest, it wasn't hard to believe that Galloway would find a way to get out, get the girl, get that life, get away with, whatever it is that EL FLAMINGO is building to. And that's something well worth noting, both main characters in this book - Galloway and Maria-Carla aren't young, so what they can't do physically they make up for in smarts. 

A bit "for the joy of the journey" / a bit "the destination is everything", EL FLAMINGO is one of those books that even a chronic "not seen the movie" type like me could see as a movie. One of those ones with a wise-cracking, slightly unconvinced by his own story, hero character that's just that bit scruffy, just that bit on the older side of the usual depiction. His female accomplice is of similar ilk - older, seen it all, sick of everybody else's bullshit. 

Back to the book though - it was silly, it was good fun. The debut novel for author, Nick Davies, he's written travel stories before - based in places like Colombia and Mexico (the setting for this fictional work). Hopefully whilst he's sitting, sipping coffee in Latin America, he's imagining up more stories like EL FLAMINGO.