Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN num: 9780099441526
ISBN number: 0099441527
Label: Arrow Books Ltd
Manufacturer: Arrow Books Ltd
Page Count: 400
Printing Date: June 05, 2003
Publishing house: Arrow Books Ltd
Sale Popularity Level: 1057330
Studio: Arrow Books Ltd
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Product Description:
Danny DiMedici's ex-wife Laura is missing, there's a corpse in her blood-spattered beach house, and Danny is the prime suspect. Desperate to get to Laura before the cops, Danny returns to the underworld he had known as a drug-dealer, a world of fast sex and hard drugs, casual violence and sudden death. Danny walks the knife-edge between law and order and dark dealings, but as the line begins to blur he must decide, once and for all, where he stands.
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Rated by buyers 
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The unlikely protagonist in The Horse Latitudes is a former drug dealer by the name of Danny DiMedici. Danny is an avid swimmer and, curiously, is also an authority on the civilization of the ancient Mayans.
His smart, stunningly beautiful wife, Lauren, has left him and he has yet to get over the hurt he feels. But now he learns that Lauren has gone missing and her stylish beachfront home is a grisly crime scene. As Danny wends his way through Southern California's not so hidden subculture of drugs and sex, searching for Lauren, the narrative takes on a surreal, otherwordly quality. And author Robert Ferrigno's frequent use of flashback sequences serves to enhance the surrealism.
Add in a mad scientist searching for the fountain of youth and a matched pair of pea brained, muscle bound hitmen and you have a novel which is genuinely bizarre.
Ferrigno's writing is quite skillful at times. I particularly liked the supporting characters, Karl Steiner and Jane Holt, the odd couple detective team assigned to the case.
But ultimately, I found myself less than fully satisfied because of the way the plot unfolded. The storyline resolves itself in the latter third of the book in a lame and seemingly random fashion.
The Horse Latitudes is an interesting and, at times, engaging work of fiction. But the disappointing, unsatisfying ending spoiled it for me.
Rated by buyers 
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In helping his ex-wife steer clear of a murder rap, he becomes involved with a few detectives, his bizarre ex brother in-law, a couple of muscle bound freaks (Baby Hueys!), a "mad" scientist and other assorted characters. Not entirely predictable and fast paced enough to keep me reading!!
I like the way Ferrigno pieces a story together. It wasn't difficult to recall characters, great descriptive work and good storytelling.
Rated by buyers -
After reading the mostly excellent "Flinch," I turned to Robert Ferrigno's heralded debut novel and was very disappointed. Unlike "Flinch," the plot is sometimes unclear, he relies on clumsy stereotypes, and motivation is not always believable.
Ferrigno throws in so many contrived oddball situations that it's almost like he doesn't really believe in the strength of the story itself. While humorous exaggeration is common to mysteries, Ferrigno doesn't balance this with enough realism to make this a credible story, and this lessens our involvement.
There are some good scenes (especially with the jocular but intimidating "Cubanito"), clever dialogue, and genuine suspense (along with his usual graphic violence), but the book does not compare to his later efforts. Recommended only for completists who want to read all of his work.
Rated by buyers -
I'm aware that I'm damning the book with faint praise, but that's the best summary title I can think of. A noir thriller centering around an ex-dealer who wants to do right, his deadly ex-wife, and a straight arrow cop. There's nothing really special about the book, and the noir language is so self-conscious it's occasionally very funny. Read if bored, skip if something better is available.
Rated by buyers -
A powerful debut which portrays the colorful life of a South L.A. retired drug dealer who when accused of the murder of his disappeared ex-wife, sets off to find the truth; a journey through Newport's vile underworld.
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