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Mcdonald’s second Lassiter second despite its clunky title is a smoother read than the first. The ambition is way up as this is more of a sweeping historical epic rather than a fast paced blast of a pulp adventure. This book can be annoying, thrilling, funny and exhausting. It combines historical epic, pulp, fan fiction, Zelig or Flashman styled picaresque, cultural and literal criticism, and mystery. It pulls Spanish Civil War, The Red Scare, Black Dahlia, Cuba during the revolution, surrealism, and Hollywood Babylon into its plot without being overstuffed which is quite a feat. Hemingway is all over this thing but whether you think he is a genius or a macho buffoon with too many guns and a liver under siege (or a little of both) you will enjoy his presentation here. There is a repetitive phrase in this book though that isn’t as funny or meaningful as it should be and starts to grate about the tenth time it’s used. But Mc Donald is growing as an author each time.